THE CONCEPT OF COMPUTER FILES

CONTENT

1. Methods of Accessing Files
2. File Classification
3. Criteria for Classifying Files

Methods of Accessing Files

An access method defines the way the computer process the read and write files. Each file organization can be accessed or processed in different ways, the methods of accessing files include the following:

(i) Serial Access

(ii) Sequential Access

(iii) Random Access

(i) Serial Access

This is a method of storing or retrieving data or information that requires the program to start writing or reading at the beginning and continues until it finds the desired data. The only way to access a serially organized file is serially, for instance, the tape.

Serial File Organization

A serial file is one in which the records have been stored in the order in which they have arisen. They have not been sorted into any particular order.

A shopping list is an example of a non-computerized serial file.