I Nput Section; Processing Section - IBM 3270 Operator's Manual

Understanding the 3270
An input machine is any machine that provides for entry of
outside data (information) into the system. This definition can
be used to determine if a machine is part of the input section of
a data processing system. Input machines may be located at the
computer center or at remote locations where they communicate
with the system over telephone lines.
Most of the data needed to perform a job is produced by
people. As a result, it is handwritten or typed on one kind of
form or another. A computer cannot process this data. These
forms are the source of the input data to be entered into the
computer. Thus, the data at this point is called source data.
Part of the job of the machines in the input section of a data
processing system is the translation of the source data into a
form that the computer can understand. These machines
translate the source data and record it in the computer's
language; also, and perhaps most important, they enter it into
the data processing system. As you type from the source
documents, you and your 3270 display station will be perform-
ing this type of work. Note that the selector pen and operator
identification card reader are also input devices which assist you
in communicating with the computer.
The importance of the input section in a data processing
system can't be stressed enough. You may be the best typist in
the world, but if you are given inaccurate information to type,
your completed typing won't be of much value. The same is true
of any data processing system. The best computer in the world
can produce results (output) of value only with accurate input
data.
The machines that make up the input section, though small
compared with some of those in the processing section, are vital
to the success of the data processing system. Keypunches and
card readers, typewriter terminals, and display stations are some
types of input machines.
The computer center, as you might guess, is where the computer
is located. Once the system has all the information it needs for
the intended job, the required work must be performed. This is
done at the computer center by the group of machines that make
up the processing section of a data processing system.
Several types of machines at the computer center process the
data. Working together, ttWY are used to sort the data, test it,
perform computations on it, and otherwise use it to accomplish
the assigned job.
I nput Section
Processing Section
113