When business users wanted data from the computerized file, they sent requests for the data to the DP specialist. For
each request, the DP specialist had to create programs to retrieve the data from the file, manipulate it in whatever
manner the user had requested, and present it as a printed report. If a request was for a report that had been run
previously, the DP specialist could rerun the existing program and provide the printed results to the user. As other
business users saw the new and innovative ways in which customer data were being reported, they wanted to be able
to view their data in similar fashions. This generated more requests for the DP specialist to create more computerized
files of other business data, which in turn meant that more data management programs had to be created, and more
requests for reports. For example, the sales department at the insurance company created a file named SALES, which
helped track daily sales efforts. The sales department’s success was so obvious that the personnel department manager
demanded access to the DP specialist to automate payroll processing and other personnel functions. Consequently, the
DP specialist was asked to create the AGENT file shown in Figure 1.6. The data in the AGENT file were used to write
checks, keep track of taxes paid, and summarize insurance coverage, among other tasks.