A-LEVEL IT

1.5 Checking the accuracy of data (9626)

It is at this point where many different types of errors can occur, coining the phrase Garbage In,
Garbage Out (GIGO). Basically if you enter data which contains mistakes and errors then no
matter how thorough or clever your queries are you will always get second rate, error laden
results.
To date there is no 100% guaranteed foolproof method for entering data into a system which
is completely error free. However there are techniques that you can use to help you reduce
the errors to a minimum.

Validation
Validation is one way of trying to reduce the number of errors in the data being entered into
your system.
The validation is performed by the computer at the point when you enter data. It is the process
of checking the data against the set of validation rules which you set up when developing your
new database or spreadsheet system.

DEFINITION: Validation aims to make sure that data is sensible, reasonable, complete and
within acceptable boundaries.

It is critical that you understand what this definition means and can repeat it when asked in an
examination question.
Students regularly say in exam answers that ‘validation checks that the data is correct’.
It does NOT!!
If you enter ‘Smithe’ instead of ‘Smith’ or ‘07/08/07’ instead of ‘08/0

Range Check
A range check is commonly used when you are working with data which consists of numbers,
currency or dates/times.
A range check allows you to set suitable boundaries:

Boundary Description Validation

Upper limit The maximum price of any item in a shop is £100 <=100
Lower limit In a shop, you cannot sell a negative number of items, >=0
however you can sell no items
A range to achieve a B grade you must score between 75% - 84% >=75 AND <=84

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1.5 Checking the accuracy of data (9626)

Type Check
When you begin to set up your new system you will choose the most appropriate data type for
each field.
A type check will ensure that the correct type of data is entered into that field.
For example, in a clothes shop, dress sizes may range from 8 to 18. A number data type would
be a suitable choice for this data. By setting the data type as number, only numbers could be
entered e.g. 10, 12, 14 and you would prevent anyone trying to enter text such as ‘ten’ or ‘ten
and a half’.
Some data types can perform an extra type check.
For example, a date data type will ensure that a date you have entered can actually exist e.g. it
would not allow you to enter the date 31/02/07.

Check Digit
This is used when you want to be sure that a range of numbers has been entered correctly.
There are many different schemes (algorithms) for creating check digits.

For example, the ISBN-10 numbering system for books makes use of 'Modulo-11' division. In
modulo division, the answer is the remainder of the division.

For example
8 Mod 3 = 2 i.e. the remainder of dividing 8 by 3 is 2.

Consider the ISBN number:

ISBN 1 84146 201 2

The check digit is the final number in the sequence, so in this example it is the final ‘2’.

The computer will perform a complex calculation on all of the numbers and then
compare the answer to the check digit. If both match, it means the data was
entered correctly.

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 A-LEVEL IT
1.5 Checking the accuracy of data (9626)

Using the check digit to calculate whether a code is correct

Step 1
Remove the last digit from the ISBN number
ISBN 1 84146 201 2
In the above example, the last digit would be the 2.

Step 2a
Write out the remaining numbers starting from the right hand number in the ISBN.
ISBN 1 8 4 1 4 6 2 0 1

Step 2b
Put a 10 underneath the first number, 9 under the second etc
ISBN 1 8 4 1 4 6 2 0 1
Code 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

Step 2c
Multiply the number by the code underneath it
ISBN 1 8 4 1 4 6 2 0 1
Code 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2
Result 10 72 32 7 24 30 8 0 2

Step 3
Add the results from the bottom row together:
10 + 72 + 32 + 7 + 24 + 30 + 8 + 0 + 2 = 185
Step 4
Divide the total by 11 and record the remainder
185 divide by 11 = 16 with 9 remaining.
Step 5
Take the remainder away from 11.
11 - 9 (the remainder from step 4) = 2
Step 6
Compare the answer from step 5 with the original check digit that you removed in step 1.
Step 5 answer = 2
Step 1 check digit removed = 2
If the numbers are the same then the check digit has confirmed the original
numbers were entered correctly.
NOTE:
If the remainder is 0 then the check digit is 0
If the remainder is 10 then the check digit is X
For example, work out the check digit for ISBN 184146208, which should be X
And for a zero check digit, work out ISBN 184146202.

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 A-LEVEL IT
1.5 Checking the accuracy of data (9626)

Length Check
Sometimes you may have a set of data which always has the same number of characters.
For example a UK landline telephone number has 11 characters.
A length check could be set up to ensure that exactly 11 numbers are entered into the field.
This type of validation cannot check that the 11 numbers are correct but it can ensure that 10
or 12 numbers aren't entered.
A length check can also be set up to allow characters to be entered within a certain range.
For example, postcodes can be in the form of:
CV45 2RE (7 without a space or 8 with a space) or
B9 3TF (5 without a space or 6 with a space).
So you could set a length check for postcode to accept data which has a minimum number of 5
characters and a maximum number of 8.

Lookup
Where you have a field which only allows a limited list of items to be entered then a lookup list
can help to reduce errors.
For instance, the image opposite shows a 'look-up' list being used in a spreadsheet that only
allows 8,10,11 or 12 to be entered.

For example:

- a shop might put the dress sizes into a lookup list

- a car showroom might put the car models into a lookup list
- a vet might list the most popular types of animals that they deal with

The benefits of a lookup list are that they:

- speed up data entry because it is

usually much faster to pick from a list
than to type each individual entry
- improved accuracy because they
reduce the risk of spelling mistakes
- limit the options to choose from by
only presenting the required options
However, using a lookup validation
technique does not prevent someone
from entering the wrong data into the
field and so mistakes can still be made.
Another very popular type of lookup is the calendar date picker :

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 A-LEVEL IT
1.5 Checking the accuracy of data (9626)

The screenshot above shows a report being set up in an accounting package. The date range of
the report is selected by picking a date in the pop-up calendar. This is an excellent way of
avoiding the hassle of different date formats - the software will have been written to use the
date selected in the appropriate format without the user having to worry about it.

Format Check
Example 2

A National Insurance number must be in the form of XX 99 99 99 X. The first two and the last
characters must be letters. The other six characters are numbers. Any format entered
differently to this will be rejected.

Presence Check
There might be an important piece of data that you want to make sure is always stored.
For example, a school will always want to know an emergency contact number, a video rental
store might always want to know a customer's address, a wedding dress shop might always
want a record of the brides wedding date.

A presence check makes sure that a critical field cannot be left blank, it must be filled in. If
someone tries to leave the field blank then an error message will appear and you won't be able
to progress to another record or save any other data which you have entered.
The image above shows a typical online data entry form. The asterisk to the left of the field
usually means that you must fill it in, whereas the absence of the asterisk in the mobile field
indicates that this is optional.

Common Errors
Transcription Errors

Whenever data is manually entered into the system there is a chance that an error will be
made.

This might be because the person misreads what is written on the source document or perhaps
mis-hears what the customer tells them over the telephone. It might simply be down to the
person rushing and not being careful over which keys they press.

Long codes made up of numbers or letters that have no particular meaning to the person
keying in the data are particularly vulnerable to error.

An example of a transcription error might be entering 'Smyth' instead of 'Smith'

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1.5 Checking the accuracy of data (9626)

Transposition Errors

Transposition errors occur where the person entering the data accidentally changes the order
of numbers or letters.

For example, 89 might be entered as 98 or 'Smith' might be entered as 'Smiht'

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