The past thirty-five years have seen many advances in techniques used to enter data into computer systems. Compared to the early days of computing, when punched cards were used to enter programs and data, today's data-entry techniques have become quite sophisticated. One of the most significant advances in automated data entry has been the use of scanners and voice recognition. These input devices will be discussed in a section all their own.
Even though many significant advances in the area of automated data entry have occurred, the majority of data entered into computer systems is still done manually by human data-entry personnel. This is usually accomplished through the use of a computer keyboard. The data typed in is then stored on one of the computer system's storage devices.This process of manually entering data into a computer system is referred to as key-to-magnetic media, or keyboarding.
Other input devices work especially well in a microcomputer environment. These devices must be easy to use because a large number of microcomputer users are not experienced computer users. Business users in particular may be discouraged from using microcomputers if the input devices are not easy to use.