Codification of Information PDF

Subscribe to DeepL Pro to edit this document. Visit www.DeepL.com/pro for more information. CODIFICATION OF INFORMATION Introduction During the study of an application, a great deal of information is studied and defined with a view to its processing by computer. The essential advantage of the...

Subscribe to DeepL Pro to edit this document. Visit www.DeepL.com/pro for more information. CODIFICATION OF INFORMATION Introduction During the study of an application, a great deal of information is studied and defined with a view to its processing by computer. The essential advantage of the computer is its ability to process large quantities of information automatically, at high speed and in excellent conditions of security. However, this decisive advantage can only be achieved by organising the information in advance. Indeed, if the amount of information to be processed becomes ever greater, the first problem that may arise is that of unambiguously designating an object within any set. Objectives  Understanding the concept of Codification  Knowing the different types of coding  Apply the concepts acquired to practical cases Definitions and examples If we look at student information, it is often possible to find two or even more students with the same first and last name. It would then be impossible to distinguish who we were talking about if we only used the first and last names. The best way of solving this problem is undoubtedly to assign codes to them. The procedure for assigning codes is called "codification". Definition Definition1: Coding is an optimisation operation, replacing information in its natural form with a conventional symbol (code) that is better suited to the user's objectives and to automatic processing. Definition 2: A code is a generally abbreviated conventional representation of an object. Example Or to assign codes to different students: Year of entry to university + sequential number: 201900154. Codification objectives  Unambiguously identify an individual in a group,  Save space and time,  Represent certain properties of an object,  Allow certain formal controls on information. Qualities expected of a Codification  Uniqueness: the code must make it possible to isolate an object unambiguously within a set.  Flexibility and longevity: a code should normally be used for a very long time. Flexibility is the quality that enables it to adapt to changes in the population represented and to retain its value over time. In particular, extensions and insertions must always be planned for as objects grow over time. Example A company currently has 95 employees; if you choose a code with two numeric positions, it may become invalid if the workforce increases to 100 employees.  Ease of use: this quality covers several others: conciseness, ease of control and ease of operation. Different types of coding In principle, the possibilities for coding are unlimited. Only a few well-known types of code will be presented here. Sequential coding This involves assigning consecutive numbers to the objects to be coded in the same set. Example A company's employees are coded according to the chronological order in which they were recruited: 001, 002,..., 112. New recruits will be allocated codes 113, 114,... Tranche coding It consists of dividing the set of objects to be coded into several categories, with each category of objects being allocated a slice of codes. Within the bands, the codes are generally sequential. Example A company's employees are coded in chronological order of their recruitment: 001, 002,..., 112. New recruits will be allocated codes 113, 114,... Tranche coding It consists of dividing the set of objects to be coded into several categories, with each category of objects being allocated a slice of codes. Within the bands, the codes are generally sequential. Example Coding of products in a hardware stock (on 3 numerical positions) : 001 to 088 refer to screws Nos. 100 to 285 refer to nuts Nos. 300 to 357 refer to bolts......... Articulated coding The codes are broken down into several zones, each of which has a specific meaning. The zones may be of the same type or of different types. Level (or hierarchical) coding It is used when there are inclusion relationships between different sets. The code is divided into several zones (levels), each representing a set of objects. Viewed from left to right, these zones represent increasingly smaller sets. This coding can be considered a special case of articulated coding. Example Or to code all foods. Classes are defined (Meat, Fruit andVegetables). Vegetables, Vegetables, etc.) and food sub-classes (White Meats, Fruit, etc.). Code Mnemonic  It consists of abbreviating the designation o f an object using a reduced set of characters that must be evocative of the codified object. There are 2 types: Consonant" codes: obtained by deleting vowels. Example: FACTURE in FCTR. Abbreviative" codes: obtained by abbreviating t h e object designation. Example: FACTUREs-en FACT. Conducting Coding Operations Coding is a key stage in the preparation of information, as errors at this level often have far- reaching consequences and are not easy to detect. We therefore recommend the following approach:  Define the population to be coded (type of individual, number of individuals, their growth, maximum, etc.),  Study statistical breakdowns if necessary,  First of all, check whether there are any codes already available from specialist organisations,  Check the stability of the properties on which the code is based,  Define the coding with the people who will subsequently have to use it,  Implement the code (include instructions on how to use the code and test it with users).