This is part one of a two-part series on costs related to computer-assisted reporting. Next month's article will discuss state Sunshine laws in relation to charges for duplication of records onto computer tapes. Just because you don't have all the equipment to do data analyses from your office doesn't mean that you have to forego all computer-assisted reporting projects. Many data processing centers can do the work for you or provide you with access to the equipment you need.
Even if you do have your own system, it's a good idea to know what costs are involved when purchasing a data tape, whether it be through a private company or an agency governed by the state. What you have to consider is what resources you have available, what type of work is being done, and how much you are willing to pay for those services, says Bill Plummer, director of campus computing at the University of Missouri.
Many private companies base prices on the type of processing being done, says Mike Dalleska of the Word Processing and Information Services, Inc. in Cincinnati. "No two projects are alike," he says. Making matters worse for price shoppers is that no standardized formula for rates has been established in the data processing field. Some agencies base rates on the amount of use they get from the system and your share of that total use.
Others base prices on the amount of information being manipulated, whether it be on a per-record basis or by computer bytes used. Costs based on your share of the system are usually listed as CPU time. The CPU is the computer's central processing unit that directs its logical and mathematical functions. Other charges, such as input and output time or access charges, may be included, but the main cost will be calculated in minutes used.
CPUs can be calculated either as computer time or wall clock time, says Jerry Fox, a marketing representative for IBM. With computer time, prices are high but only include the amount of time that a computer is actively running a command. Depending on the type of computer system and the complexity of the command, most computers can complete a task within a matter of seconds. With wall clock time, rates are low; users are charged from the time they sign on to the system until they sign off, regardless of whether or not the computer is active or sitting idle.
When contracting out for services, consider the type of system being used and its ability to process information. A project that takes only an hour on a mainframe computer may take days or even months on a personal computer. Most importantly, know specifically what is included in the prices quoted. You may be paying for something you shouldn't.