End-user file manipulation and decision support: A manager may use a file-manipulation language (for example, APL or a similar high-level, data-centric tool) to instruct the computer to perform which types of actions on corporate data files?

Introduction / Context:
End-user computing tools and file manipulation languages (for example, APL, fourth-generation query/report writers, or modern scripting with data frames) empower managers to work directly with organizational data. This question tests which capabilities such tools commonly provide in a Management Information System (MIS) context.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The manager has read-only or governed access to corporate data files or views.
• Tools can compute derived metrics (ratios, percentages, indices).
• Tools can filter, sort, and select records based on specified criteria.

Concept / Approach:
Two fundamental categories of operations drive managerial analysis: transformation (creating new, computed information such as ratios, growth rates, moving averages) and selection (screening data to isolate relevant subsets). File manipulation languages and query/report systems support both, enabling rapid “slice-and-dice” analysis without writing low-level programs.

Step-by-Step Solution:

Verification / Alternative check:
Any standard report writer or data manipulation system allows calculated columns and conditional selection. Spreadsheet pivot tables and SQL SELECT statements mirror these same capabilities.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• produce pre-computed information (alone): incomplete; filtering is also routine.
• perform screening and selection (alone): incomplete; computed fields are equally fundamental.
• neither / none: incorrect because these are precisely what such tools are built for.

Common Pitfalls:
Confusing data manipulation with data governance—permissions and validation still apply. Another pitfall is relying on uncontrolled extracts, which can lead to “multiple versions of the truth.”

Final Answer:
both (a) and (b)