Data Entry Tutorial

Free data entry training, a data entry test, keystrokes per hour (kph) as compared to words per minute (wpm) and more can be found in our Data Entry Tutorial. Improve your knowledge of databases, take some free typing tests, and prepare yourself for data entry jobs from home.

Data Entry Basics - What is data entry and a database?

Keystrokes per hour (kph) vs. Words per minute (wpm)

Keystrokes Speed - So much depends upon what data you are entering into what software application.

Data Entry Test - Find out your wpm and your kph.

Computer Training Online - Try a free sample course! Choose from hundreds of online computer training courses including software applications like Microsoft Word and my favorite database program, Microsoft Access.

How to Start Your Own Data Entry Home Business

Free Data Entry Home Business Email Course

A step by step guide to using Databases
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Data Entry Basics

What is Data Entry?

Businesses need to process an enormous amount of information. Data entry keyers input this data efficiently and accurately into a computer. Things like customer information, medical records, membership lists, mailing lists, surveys, sweepstakes and drawings, coupons, rebates, warranties and newsletters are common examples of data source (the original document you input data from).

What is a Database?

A database is simply a collection of related information or data. Examples of a paper database might be a telephone directory, a personal address book, a church or school directory, a recipe box, or a checkbook register.

Within a basic database are columns and rows. Each column contains a single kind of data, like a last name or a zip code. A column of data is called a field. Each row contains one piece of data from each field relating to a single person or item. Each row of data is called a record.

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Keystrokes Per Hour (kph)

Here is the conversion formula to convert words per minute to data entry keystrokes based on 5-word units as in the United States (one word unit is 5 keystrokes):

Keystrokes per hour = words per minute x 300

It is important to point out that data entry and typing are really two different functions and, therefore, cannot be compared realistically.

For example, I can type a letter or another word processing document at well over 100 wpm. According to our formula above, that would make my keystrokes over 30,000 per hour. But actually, my keystrokes average between 16,000 and 24,000 depending upon the type of data entry project I'm entering.

Why?

When you type a document, your fingers are almost continuously pressing required letters and symbols in long strings of information. That is why speed and accuracy is measured by how many words you type in an allotted period of time. Because the purpose of typing is to produce a legible document of some sort. ... made up mostly of words.

Data entry is a means of storing and manipulating related pieces of information. The primary purpose is for making calculations and generating reports based on varying criteria ... not creating a legible document. Data is entered in short bursts within fields displayed in rows and columns. Therefore, speed is defined by the number of keystrokes - the number of times any key is pressed on the keyboard, including the space bar, tab key and enter key.

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Keystrokes Speed

The real measure of productivity (speed) is how long it takes to process a given number of transactions or data records. Keystroke speeds really depend upon what type of software application you are using as well as the type of data you are inputting.

For example, typing an email address (often a nonsensical combination of letters, numbers and sometimes symbols) will take longer per keystroke than typing a phone number. Second, if the software application used to enter the data requires that you enter an @ in the email address and/or hyphens in the phone number, that will slow your speed. Finally, if the data source from which you are entering the data is hand-written (i.e. by someone signing up for a sweepstakes drawing) rather than typed, it will be harder to read and slow you down further.

However, in 1989 the Data Entry Management Association (now merged with The Association for Work Process Improvement, Inc.) reported that the USA national average for all applications was about 11,600 keystrokes per hour.

This is a mixture of a lot of different types of keying jobs. If you are only keying numbers you should expect to do much better. If you key alphabetic letters it may not be so easy to reach the average speeds. If your applications requires you to "think" before keying, or if you have to search for the data, it will be much slower. And of course there is a big difference between individuals.

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By
Michelle Johanson
Start doing Data Entry from Home!