GNVQ Advanced IT - Unit 6

Investigate the production of automated procedures
( Automated Procedure Notes )

Requires students to specify and create automated procedures, using two out of the following three alternative approaches: macros, batch files and programming.

The unit requires that the students have access to a wide range of software to investigate and explore, so that they gain the knowledge and understanding required to produce their reports.

Some concepts could be covered using textbooks, case studies or teacher/tutor demonstrations but students must have access to software in all categories as well as more than one type of programming environment.

1. describe the Purpose of using automated procedures and giving examples
2. describe facilities available for creating automate procedures
3. produce a specification for automated procedures
4. create automated procedures to meet the specification
5. evaluate automated procedures

Automated procedures: repetitive routines, templates (positioning for input of data, entry of commonly used variable data), calculations, file management activities, user menus.

Facilities:macros, batch files, programs.

Specifications:purpose, facility to be used, type of automated procedure, types of data, structures, programme constructs (sequence, repetition, selection), expressions and operators (arithmetic,logical, relational)

Evaluate: costs, benefits, fitness for purpose, possible improvements

Two automated procedures cretaed by the student which meet the specifications.

• describe the full range of purposes of using automated procedures, with an example of each.
• describe the full range of facilities available for creating automated procedures
• evaluate two automated procedures

Template (PC1 to PC5 range) an electronic file that holds standardised layouts for documents or screen formats.  The template can also hold style data, variable data or even macros.

Macro  (PC2 range) a program written using applications software tools to automate a sequence of keystrokes or events.

Batch file (PC2 range) an operating system program file created to automate a processing activity.

• BAT file to sort files of a similar sort into directories.
• Routine to insert customer details into a letter or invoice.
• Screen menu to allow the user to select options such as programmes they wish to run.