Neco 2021 Data Processing Question 4

Practice essay / theory question 4 from the 2021 Neco Data Processing examination. This question covers Types of Files, File Organization, Computer Science .

Neco 2021 Data Processing Essay / Theory
Topics: Types of Files File Organization Computer Science
Question 4 NECO • 2021 • DATA_PROCESSING • essay

A company needs to store a customer database on a disk. Each customer record occupies 150 bytes and the database contains 10 000 records. The disk uses a block size of 4 KB and has an average seek time of 8 ms with a transfer rate of 200 KB s⁻¹.

Question Parts

( a )
Differentiate between sequential file organization and random (direct) access file organization, focusing on how records are stored and retrieved.
( b )
Calculate the minimum number of disk blocks required to store the 10 000 records, assuming no wasted space within a block.
( c )
Estimate the average time to read a single record from the file when it is stored using (i) sequential organization and (ii) random access organization. Show all steps and state any assumptions you make.
( d )
Based on your calculations, recommend the most suitable file organization for this database and justify your recommendation.

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About This Question

This is Neco 2021 Data Processing Question 4. It is one of the essay questions from the 2021 Neco Data Processing examination.

The question covers Types of Files, File Organization, Computer Science .

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