AS Level ICT

Selection and use of input devices and input media: Capturing transaction data

Selecting suitable input methods

• An ideal solution to the inputting of data would make it:– Automatic– Fast– Cheap– Accurate

• When entering transaction data, these ideals become necessities rather than being priorities

Transaction data capture devices

• The most common types of transaction data capture devices are:– Readers (including magnetic strip readers,

barcode readers, optical character readers/recognition, magnetic ink character readers/recognition, and optical mark readers/recognition)

– Touch screens– Terminals (including hand-held, EPOS, and

EFTPOS terminals)

Magnetic strip readers

• The most common magnetic tape readers are those used at electronic points of sale (EPOS) terminals

• These ‘read’ the personal data stored on the magnetic strip of a credit or debit card

Magnetic strip readers

• The encoded on the magnetic tape on a credit or debit card includes:– The account number– The expiry date of the card– Security data

Magnetic strip readers - Advantages

• The advantages of using magnetic strip input are:– Fewer errors – data does not need to be keyed

in– Added security – the encoded security details

are not visible and this reduces (but does not remove) the possibility of fraud

– It is fast – the data on the magnetic strip is read almost instantly

Magnetic strip readers - Disadvantages

• The disadvantages of using magnetic strip input are:– The strips can be damaged by scratching (e.g. if

it is not stored properly between usages) or magnetic fields (e.g. if placed near a CRT computer terminal or mobile phone)

– Credit and debit cards can be lost or stolen (often with information – such as the PIN [Personal Identification Number] - that will enable the thief or finder to access the card)

Magnetic strip readers - Disadvantages

What has been added to most credit and debit cards to improve the level of security?

What changes has this additional security made to the process of accessing data stored on magnetic strips?

Touch screen

• The touch screen is a special type of screen which is sensitive to touch

• Selections can be made by touching the screen• These are particularly useful in banks, building

societies, and shops, where customers who are not used to using a keyboard can interact with a computer system

• They are also used in some satellite navigation systems where a keyboard would be difficult or dangerous to use

Touch screen

Barcode readers

• Barcodes are used:– In supermarkets to record what stock has been

delivered and then sold– In warehouses as part of the stock control

system– In parcel tracking systems– As a means for libraries to link users to books

borrowed and returned– On luggage labels at airports and docks

Barcode readers

• The lines on a barcode represent numbers, and can be scanned very quickly using a laser scanner

Barcode readers - Advantages

• The advantages of barcode readers are:– Speed of input – a barcode reader can read a

barcode much faster than a human can input the same data

– Accuracy – unless the barcode is damaged (e.g. folded or torn) it can be read correctly

– Cheapness – barcodes can be printed directly onto packaging or labels

Barcode readers - Disadvantages

• The disadvantages of barcode readers are:– They can only read numbers expressed in the

form of different thicknesses and combinations of lines

– The system can be expensive to set up and maintain (e.g. barcode readers have to be installed at the tills in shops; they then require a computer system – with suitable software installed – to operate)

POS terminals

• POS (Point Of Sale) terminals come in a variety of forms:– Touch screen displays (e.g. ticket machines at

cinemas and railway stations)– Keyboards (e.g. concept keyboards in fast food

restaurants)– Magnetic strip readers (e.g. ‘chip and pin’

payment machines in shops)– Barcode readers (e.g. automatic tills in

supermarkets)

POS terminals

Barcode reader

Touch screen

Magnetic strip reader

POS terminals

• EPOS (Electronic Point Of Sale) and EFTPOS (Electronic Fund Transfer at Point Of Sale) terminals are connected, via secure Internet connections, to the computers of the main banks and credit card companies

• EPOS and EFTPOS allow a retailer to transfer the cost of what they have sold to a customer from the customer’s credit card or bank account to their own bank account

POS terminals

• This is much faster than accepting payment by cheque, and more secure than accepting payment in cash

• It also gives the retailer an opportunity to collect information about their customers, and to develop individual customer profiles (i.e. know what an individual customer may want to buy)

• This helps to retailer to ‘target’ individual customers with special offers etc

AS Level ICT

Selection and use of input devices and input media: Capturing transaction data