Office automation refers to the application of computer and communication technology to office functions.

Office automation systems are meant to improve the productivity of managers at various levels of management by providing secretarial assistance and better communication facilities. Office automation system is the combination of hardware, software and people in information system that process office transactions and support office activities at all levels of the organization. These systems include a wide range of support facilities, which include word processing, electronic filing, electronic mail, message switching, data storage, data and voice communications, etc. A variety of office automation systems are now applied to business and communication functions that are used to perform manually or in multiple locations of a company, such as preparing written communications and strategic planning. In addition, functions that once required coordinating the expertise of outside specialists in typesetting, printing, or electronic recording can now be integrated into the everyday work of an organization, saving both time and money. Types of functions integrated by office automation systems include (1) electronic publishing; (2) Electronic communication; (3) Electronic collaboration; (4) Image processing; and (5) Office management. At the heart of these systems is often a local area network (LAN). The LAN allows users to transmit data, voice, mail, and images across the network to any destination, whether that destination is in the local office on the LAN, or in another country or continent, through a connecting network. An OAS makes office work more efficient and increases productivity.

Office activities may be grouped under two classes, namely. 1) Activities performed by clerical personnel (clerks, secretaries, typists, etc.) and 2) Activities performed by the executives (manages, engineers or other professionals like economists, researchers etc.) The activities in the first category. a) d) Typing b) Mailing c) e) Scheduling of meetings and conferences, Retrieving documents Calendar keeping and

The activities in the second category (managerial category) a) Conferencing b) and c) Production of information (messages, memos, reports, etc)

Controlling performance

Outputs of a Functional Management Information System

Statistical summaries:-Summaries of raw data such as daily production, and weekly and monthly usage of electricity.

Exception reports:-Highlights of data items that are larger or smaller than designated levels.

Periodic reports:-Statistical summaries and exception reports provided at scheduled, regular periods.

Ad hoc reports:-Special, unscheduled reports provided on demand.

Comparative analysis:-Performance comparison to that of competitors, past performance, or industry standards.

Projections:-Advance estimates of trends in future sales, cash flows, market share, etc.

Transaction Processing Systems (TPS) Computerized system that performs and records the daily routine transactions necessary to conduct the business; these systems serve the operational level of the organization Definition:-

A transaction processing system (TPS) is an information system that captures and processes data generated during an organizations day-to-day transactions. A transaction is a business activity such as a deposit, payment, order or reservation. The Transaction Processing Cycle:1. Data collection 2. Data editing 3. Data correction 4. Data manipulation 5. Data storage The Transaction Processing Cycle: Data collection The process of collecting transaction related data Data editing Checking the validity of data entered, editing the data Data correction Implemented if an error is found in the entered data Data manipulation Processing transaction data. .Performing calculations, Classifying, Sorting, Summarizing Data storage updating database to reflect the transaction

Batch processing systems All transactions for a period of time would be collected in a group (called a batch), input & processed as a unit. Data for all transactions to be processed is brought together and processed in a group (Payroll). This was normally done at regular intervals, such as every hour, day, or week. The biggest problem with batch processing is that the master file is never current. Good for some applications, such as processing end of semester grades or payroll, it is unacceptable for others, such as financial transactions. Problems that would arise if your bank only processed deposits and withdrawals once a day! However, batch processing is fast and cost effective for many applications.

On-line entry with immediate processing Online transaction processing is interactive & each transaction is processed as it occurs. Files are always current when online processing is used. The drawback to OLTP is the high costs associated with the necessary security & fault tolerance features. A person enters the data for a transaction into a system, where it is processed and the output is received before the next input is entered (airlines)

On-line entry with subsequent batch processing When online entry with delayed processing is used, data is input as the transaction occurs and is stored online, but files are not updated. Files are updated later in batch. For example, orders taken over the phone may be entered into the system, but not processed until a slow time, such as at night.

The major processing functions in information systems include the following: a) transactions: To capture, collect, record, store and process the events of business interest, so that their effect should be carried over to the organizational performance records. b) Master files: The effect of these transactions is carried over to the status files of the organizational performance. Master files at any given time shall reflect the status of any entity after having incorporated the impact of up-to-moment transactions. c) Reports: After having processed the transactions and updation of master files, the information reports are generated so as to assist the managers in their decision-making.

Physical components:
Hardware

All physical components of a computer system compose the computer hardware. Important components include the central processing unit, input/output devices, storage units and communication devices. Communication can be over fiber-optic cables or wireless networks.

Software

Software provides the interface between users and the information system. Software can be divided into two generic types: system software and applications. The system software comprises of the operating system, utility programs and special purpose programs. Applications are developed to accomplish a specific task. For users of MIS it is much more important to understand the software than the hardware. Software maintenance can take 50 to 70 percent of all personnel activity in the MIS function. When the organization moves to implement an advanced information system the hardware and software environment becomes more complex.

Database

A database is a centrally controlled collection of organized data. Central control reduces redundancy and duplication of data. Data is stored in an organized and structured way to facilitate sharing and improve availability to those who need it. The database improves efficiency of storage by elimination of redundant files and improves efficiency of processing by providing all required data in a single file rather than separate files. This also improves efficiency of information retrieval.

Procedures

Three types of procedures are required for an MIS to operate effectively: user instructions, instructions for input preparation and operating instructions for MIS personnel who maintain the MIS.

Personnel

The personnel in the MIS function include computer operators, programmers, systems analysts and managers. Human resource requirements should be assessed by considering both the present system needs and the future system growth. The quality of MIS personnel is a key factor in its effectiveness. An MIS manager needs a combination of both managerial and technical skills.

Storage Device is a device for recording (storing) information (data). Recording can be done
using virtually from any form of energy. Storage device is a hardware device capable of storing information. There are two storage devices used in computers; a primary storage device such as computer RAM and a secondary storage device such as a computer hard disk drive.

Primary Storage: - Primary storage is a storage location that holds memory for short periods of times while the computer is on. For example, computer RAM (random-access memory) and cache are both examples of a primary storage device. This type of storage is the fastest type of memory in your computer and is used to store data while its being used. For example, when you open a program data is moved from the secondary storage into the primary storage. It is also known as internal memory and main memory. Secondary Storage: - Secondary storage is a storage medium that holds information until it is deleted or overwritten regardless if the computer has power. For example, a floppy disk drive and hard disk drive are both good examples of secondary storage devices. As can be seen by the below picture there are three different types of storage on a computer, although primary storage is accessed much faster than secondary storage because of the price and size limitations secondary storage is used with todays computers to store all your programs and your personal data. It is also known as external memory and auxiliary storage.

Serial access means going through everything one by one, starting at the beginning, until you
reach the item you want. Ex: magnetic tapes.

Direct access means going straight to the item you want without having to go through other ones.
Ex: magnetic disks.

Magnetic Tape: Magnetic Tape can be used to perform both functions -input and output. Magnetic Tape is a secondary storage media. Magnetic tapes are used for large computers like mainframe computers where large volume of data is stored for a longer time. In PC also you can use tapes in the form of cassettes. Tapes consist of magnetic materials that store data permanently. The deck is connected to the central processor and information is read from the tape through the processor. It is similar to cassette tape recorder. The biggest advantage of magnetic tape is the cost. It is less

expensive than magnetic disk and optical disk. An advanced tape backup technology is available these days.
They can Store huge Amount of data into the Tape Drive , But the Main Limitation of the Tape Drive is that we cant Access the Data from the Disk directly, if we want the 100th Record from the Tape then we must have to move all the Previous i.e. 99th Records first. And the Tapes are also easily damaged due to the Human Errors.
Examples:- CD-ROMs

Advantages of Magnetic Tape:

 Compact: it is able to hold 800, 1600 or 6250 characters in each inch of its length. The maximum capacity of such tape is 180 million characters. Thus data are stored much more compactly on tape. Economical: The cost of storing characters is very less as compared to other storage devices. Fast: Copying of data is easier and fast. Long term Storage and Re-usability: Magnetic tapes can be used for long term storage and a tape can be used repeatedly without loss of data.

Magnetic Disks: - This is also called as the hard disk and this is made from the thin metal platter which is coated on the both sides of the magnetic Disks. And there are Many Plates or Platters into a single Hard Disk and all the Plates are made from the Magnetic Materials and all the Disks Rotate from the 700 to 3600 rpm means Rotation per Minute and the Hard Disk also contains a head which is used for both Reading and Writing the Data from the Hard Disks. The Plate of Disk is divided into the Tracks and sectors and the collection of Tracks makes a Cylinder means all the Tracks of the Disk which a Consecutive Areas makes a Cylinder. Each disk consists of a number of invisible concentric circles called tracks. Information is recorded on tracks of a disk surface in the form of tiny magnetic spots. The presence of a magnetic spot represents one bit and its absence represents zero bit. The information stored in a disk can be read many times without affecting the stored data. So the reading operation is non-destructive. But if you want to write a new data, then the existing data is erased from the disk and new data is recorded.

Sequential File Organization:

This is the most common structure for large files that are typically processed in their entirety, In this, all the records have the same size and same field format, with the fields having fixed size as well. The records are sorted in the file according to the content of a field of a scalar type, called key. The key must identify uniquely a record hence different record have different keys. This organization is well suited for batch processing of the entire file, without adding or deleting items, this kind of operation can take application can take advantage of records and file; moreover, this organization is easily stored both on disk and tape.

In a sequential file, records are arranged in the ascending or descending order of chronological order of a key field which may be numeric (such as customers name), or both (alphabet and numerals). Since the records are ordered by the key field, there is no storage location identification. Sequential file organization is particularly suited to such applications in which the file is to be processed entirely. I.e, each and every record is processed in the same setup. For locating a record in the file, it is necessary to start at a given point and each record in sequence until the desired record is located. There are often gaps in the numbering of the records, for example, record number 23 may be followed by record number 31. Sequential files are normally created and maintained in magnetic tape. The majority are updated via batch processing, which is the most efficient method to use with a sequential file.