Input Controls

Explain the function of input controls

Input controls are information system components responsible for collecting data and availing them to the system to be processed. At this point, they are tasked to make sure that the data is complete, accurate and valid. The mode of input can either be real time or batch (Adeli & Kim, 2010).

Identify four (4) types of input control and explain the function of each

Data coding; these are control codes tasked with checking the validity of the codes applied in processing. For instance, account number of the customer, number of the inventory items, and number of account charts (Grembergen & De Haes, 2009).

Batch controls; these are efficient ways of supervising voluminous data transactions via a system. The main task is to harmonize the output generated in the system with the input initially entered in the system. It offers the surety that all the records contained in the batch are worked on, that no particular record is worked several times, and that a trail of audit transactions is generated at the input via processing through system output stage (AST/UCMA/ISA/CAN, 2010).

Validation controls; these are controls for detecting transactional errors in data before being worked on. Its procedures of validation are efficient when carried out near the transaction source. There are types of validation controls; interrogation of fields, records, and files.

Input error correction; in the event that error detection occurs in a batch they must be rectified and the records taken back for further processing. The most common techniques for handling errors are-: immediate correction, file for errors is created, and the entire batch is rejected.

However, some errors may be detected at the inputting stage, thus the module to update it is validated. Therefore records containing errors may be kept on the file of errors at numerous instances in the process.

Provide an example of a data integrity error that could occur if each...