• Keyboard Entry
• Direct Entry

Keyboard Entry

In this method of data entry, the end user type data using a keyboard on a computer terminal.  

The computer keyboard is an input device that combines a typewriter keyboard, a numeric keypad, and many special purpose keys.  the special purpose keys include:

• Function Keys
• Navigation Keys
• Toggle Keys
• Combination Keys

Computer terminals are input and output devices that can be used to transmit and receive data  to/from a computer host.  Four type of terminals are available:

• Dumb terminals can receive and input data but cannot do any processing. Such terminals are usually used to access mainframe computers such as in airlines reservations system.
    
• Intelligent terminals contain a processing unit, memory, and secondary storage.  This give then the capabilities of processing data making them ideal for distributed applications.
     
• Network terminals, known also by network computer, are a low-cost alternative to intelligent terminals.  These terminals contain a processing unit but not necessary a hard disk.  The applications that are run by these terminals are downloaded from the network.
    
• Internet terminals connects to a regular TV set to provide access to the Internet.  These are low-cost terminals that are used mostly almost exclusively in homes. 

Direct Entry

Direct entry devices creates machine-readable data that can be directly processed by the CPU.  These devices may be categorized in three classes:

• Pointing Devices
• Scanning Devices
• Voice-Input Devices

Pointing devices include:

• Mouse
  
     
• Trackballs, Joysticks, and Touchpads
  
   
• Touch Screen
             
    
• Light Pen is a light sensitive device that when placed against the monitor, a photoelectric circuit is formed identifying the spot on the computer screen for entering or modifying data.  Light pens are used mostly by engineers in design blue prints.
  
   
• Digitizer is a device that can be used to trace or copy a drawing or photograph.  This is used mostly by to digitize blue prints and maps.
    
• Digital Camera are similar to traditional cameras except that images are recorded digitally into the camera's flash memory.  These images can then be displayed on a computer or uploaded to the Web.
    
• Digital Notebook uses a regular notepad on top of an electronic pad that will trace the pen movements to digitize whatever you write.  The digitized notes can then be transferred to a computer for storage and editing. 
    

Scanning devices include:

• Image Scanner 
    
• Fax Machines
    
• Bar-code Readers are photoelectric scanners that reads the bar codes, known also by Universal Product Code (UPC), printed on product containers.  Bar codes readers are used widely in supermarkets and department stores.
    
    
• Magnetic-Ink Character Recognition (MICR) these devices use a technology that can recognize special text written with ink containing magnetized particles.   These devices are widely used in banks to read and sort checks.
  
    
• Optical-Character Recognition (OCR) these devices along with specialized software can be used to recognize specific-font characters.  Applications ranges from scanning accounts codes from a utility and phone bills to recognizing hand-written and cursive text.
  
     
• Optical-Mark Recognition (OMR) these mark sensing devices are used to sense the presence or absence of marks such as when scanning a multiple choice scantron sheet.
    

Voice-Input devices  (usually a microphone) in combination with Voice Recognition software are used to converts a person's speech into digitized text and commands that can be stored or processed by a computer.

Two types of voice recognition systems exist:

• Discrete Speech Recognition
• Continuous Speech Recognition

Examples of popular voice recognition software for the PC are:

• ViaVoice from IBM.
• NaturallySpeaking from Dragon Systems

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