Data processing system

Def: Data-Processing System a system of interrelated techniques and means of collecting and processing the data needed to organize control of some system. The functions of data-processing systems, however, are to collect, store, retrieve, and process the data needed to carry out the calculations at the lowest possible cost. When an automatic data-processing system is constructed, efforts are made to identify and automate laborious, regularly repeating routine operations on large files of data. A data-processing system is usually a part of an automated control system and represents the first stage in the development of an automated control system. Data-processing systems, however, also function as independent systems. In many cases it is more efficient to use a single system to process similar data for a large number of control problems handled by different automated control systems —that is, to use a shared-access data-processing system.

Data processing may or may not be different from data conversion, when the process is merely to convert data to another format, and does not involve any data manipulation.

A software code compiler (e.g., for Fortran or ALGOL) is an example of a software data processing system. The software data processing system makes use of a computer in order to complete its functions. A software data processing system is normally a standalone unit of software, in that its output can be directed to any number of other information processing subsystems.