Data Collection System

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What Does Data Collection System Mean?

A data collection system (DCS) is a system that aggregates and evaluates sets of information in a consistent and efficient way. Modern data collection systems rely on advanced technology to take in huge amounts of data, and to parse it and analyze it correctly. This is part of what is behind the rush to “harness the power of big data” in today’s sophisticated network systems.

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Techopedia Explains Data Collection System

Although a data collection system can be set up in many different ways across various fields and industries, some experts define types and categories. For instance, barcode data collection systems can be set up in three different ways, as an interactive system, a batch system or a hybrid system. An interactive system controls the data in real-time as it entered, whereas a batch system stores data for later use.

Other aspects of data collection systems depend on the hardware and architecture that is used, the data sets being evaluated, and the various stakeholders. Those creating and maintaining data collection systems often supply detailed workflow and architecture documents showing the ways that data flows through one of these systems.

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Margaret Rouse
Technology Expert
Margaret Rouse
Technology Expert

Margaret is an award-winning technical writer and teacher known for her ability to explain complex technical subjects to a non-technical business audience. Over the past twenty years, her IT definitions have been published by Que in an encyclopedia of technology terms and cited in articles by the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine, and Discovery Magazine. She joined Techopedia in 2011. Margaret's idea of a fun day is helping IT and business professionals learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages.