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OCR H446 1.3.2 Capturing, selecting, managing and exchanging data

Part 6 of 13 · H446 1.3.2 · Databases

Beyond design, H446 1.3.2 asks how data gets into a database and how it is then selected, managed and exchanged. This worksheet follows that journey so students choose a capture or exchange method from the shape of the data and its destination, not from a memorised list.

Students will:

  • distinguish capture, selection, management and exchange as separate stages
  • match a capture method to the form and volume of the source data
  • recommend a method for each stage of a described data journey
  • compare exchange formats for flat data and for data with nested lists
  • identify a risk or limitation at each stage and give a mitigation

Inside: 7 explanation cells, 2 multiple-choice questions, 2 fill-in-the-blanks cells and 3 written answers. 35 marks, about 30 to 45 minutes.

Series: H446 1.3.2 · Databases, part 6 of 13.

Shared by Coding PathwayVerified teacher

  • 14 cells
  • About 30 minutes
  • CC BY-SA 4.0
  • Shared 31 Aug 2026
  • Updated 3 Sept 2026

Preview

The whole resource, exactly as a class sees it. Answers and marking are held back.

Capturing, selecting, managing and exchanging data

A database is useful only when data can enter it accurately, be selected for a purpose, be managed safely and be exchanged in an appropriate form.

By the end, you will be able to

  • distinguish capture, selection, management and exchange;
  • describe suitable examples of each;
  • choose methods from scenario constraints;
  • justify an end-to-end data journey.

Reactivate: a database field has a name and intended data type; AND, OR and NOT combine Boolean criteria.

Follow the data journey

Data journey through database operationsCaptureValidate/storeSelectManageExchangeform, OCR, sensortype, range, keyQBE, SQL, criteriaadd, edit, deleteCSV, JSON, mediumChoose methods from the data, users, volume, accuracy, speed and destination constraints.

Capture obtains data, for example a form, OCR, OMR or sensor. Selection retrieves records meeting criteria, for example QBE or SQL. Management changes stored data through adding, editing, deleting or calculating. Exchange transfers data using an appropriate structure, format and medium. The medium may be electronic, such as an encrypted network transfer or storage device, or non-electronic, such as a printed report. The choice depends on security, speed, volume, compatibility and the destination.

The OCR clarification gives these as a range to understand and apply. A question may supply a new context rather than ask for an isolated list.

Worked choice: theatre feedback

A theatre collects one response per tick-box question from 2,000 paper forms.

  • Capture: OMR is suitable because marks in fixed positions can be read quickly; handwriting OCR would introduce unnecessary recognition errors.
  • Selection: criteria can select responses from a particular performance and age band.
  • Management: invalid or duplicate rows are corrected or removed under an agreed procedure.
  • Exchange: CSV suits a rectangular table sent to analysis software; JSON would be preferable if nested answers or metadata must keep labelled structure.

A good justification states feature → fit to data/constraint → consequence.

Multiple choice1 mark

Which option is an example of selecting data rather than capturing or managing it?

  • AReading shaded boxes from paper using OMR
  • BUsing criteria to retrieve bookings where quantity > 4
  • CCorrecting a customer's misspelled town
  • DExporting records to a CSV file
Multiple choice1 mark

A college must capture 2,000 paper forms containing fixed-position shaded boxes. Which choice has the strongest method-to-data fit?

  • AOCR, because every shaded box is a printed character
  • BJSON, because it scans paper directly
  • CA secondary key, because it captures the marks
  • DOMR, because the marks occur in known positions and can be captured automatically
Fill in the blanks4 marks
Reading a barcode is data gap 1. Retrieving rows that match criteria is data gap 2. Adding or deleting stored rows is data gap 3. Sending a CSV file is data gap 4.
  • capture
  • selection
  • management
  • exchange
  • normalisation

Guided checkpoint: environmental readings

A school collects temperature every minute from 40 rooms, finds rooms over 27°C, corrects values from a faulty sensor and sends one day's table to a spreadsheet.

Use the journey headings. For each stage, choose the method and explain why it fits the data.

Written answer8 marks

Recommend one method for each of capture, selection, management and exchange in the room-temperature scenario.

Four method-and-reason pairs are required.

Students type their answer here.

Written answer5 marks

Compare CSV and JSON for exchanging event data that contains events and a nested list of performers.

Cover structure, readability/processing and suitability.

Students type their answer here.

Independent transfer: museum collection

A museum digitises typed catalogue cards, photographs object labels, lets researchers search by date and origin, corrects uncertain entries and sends structured records with several image references to another museum.

Written answer12 marks

Design the museum's data journey. Recommend capture, selection, management and exchange methods, with one risk or limitation and mitigation for each stage.

Use the supplied data rather than naming four technologies.

Students type their answer here.

Closed-book checkpoint

Complete each sentence from memory. There is no answer bank and correctness is held for teacher review.

Fill in the blanks4 marks
Printed tick boxes can be captured using completion 1; printed text may use OCR. A sensor supports completion 2 capture without manual retyping. completion 3 suits flat tabular exchange, while completion 4 can preserve nested objects and arrays.

Review your understanding

Before submitting, check that you can explain the main distinction in your own words, apply it in an unfamiliar context and justify each consequence rather than only naming a feature.