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Before setting up a database the data must be collected. This can be done using a data capture form.

A form completed by a customer buying a car from a showroom is an example of a data capture form.

Data capture forms often use boxes or a set amount of spaces and occasionally provide examples too. This is to make sure each field is completed correctly.

Data is often entered as a code in a database, for example in the data capture form, Y is used for Yes and N for No. Codes like this are used because they:

• are quicker to type in
• use less disk space
• are easy to validate
• make searching the database easier as data is entered in a standard format