1.1 Introduction
File duplicate remover system refers to the deletion of multiple user or system files. Duplicated the files or documents are detected during file transmission process which is indicated in as a popup dialog box stating its existence. File management refers to the manipulation of documents and data on a computer system which may often include creating, editing, storing and accessing of files. In most computer system’s files are stored locally on the systems hard disk (possibly in different formats) thus occupying memory space which of course is limited in size. Not only is there an issue of inadequate memory space, other factors such as viral attacks, damage etc. can cause loss of vital files on a particular system.
As a prelude to other parts of this study, this chapter will discuss the background upon which this study was initiated, the statement of problems that led to this study, the Aim and Objectives of the study. Others are Significance of the study, Scope of work, Limitations of the Study and Definition of technical terms.
1.2 Background of Study
File management is one of the major functions in any organization. According to the Collins English dictionary, 11th edition, collaboration entails working together to achieve a common goal. It is a recursive process where two or more people or organizations work together in order to realize shared goals. Traditionally, team members have to be within the same space in order to effectively work together towards achieving desired goals thus making distance and individual location a trade-off for the growth of a project’s development. In essence, if a potential member of a project team happens to be in a different geographic location, the project would automatically be on hold pending his return. This is not ideal with respect to the collaborative development of a project.
In order to solve the issue of distance as a trade off to a project’s development and also the issue of effective file management, the research team has design and developed a cloud-based collaboration and file management system targeted at mobile device end users, cloud computing, often referred to as simply “the cloud” is the development of on- demand computing resources − everything from application to data Centre’s- over the internet and on a pay-for-use basis.
According to Raov, Nageswara and Kumari (2009), the birth of the cloud has made it possible to access shared resources from computer systems over different geographic locations using the internet − even mobile devices now have the capabilities to implement the cloud technology.
The application provides a means through which users (potential team members) can effectively work on shared goals irrespective of their individual location by storing, editing, sharing, retrieving and manipulating files and documents collaboratively over the internet using their mobile devices thus fostering a sense of team work amongst them. The application will be designed to be a mobile application in order to eradicate the uncertainty of users being in a location devoid of access to a computer system. Users of the application can carry out file management functionalities effectively without fear of loss or damage to their files due to the fact that all data are managed in a remote location (the cloud). This system comprises of two parts − a web service written and developed in PHP and situated in a computer system at a remote location and the client software which sits in the mobile device of the end user.
1.3 Statement of the problem
Investigation reveals the problems of the File Duplicate Remover research work which entails that;
- The speed of processing data manually is low and prone to file duplicate errors.
- The current process is stressful to customers
- Things done manually were very uncomfortable.
- Most mobile device memory used for file management are prone to viral attack, theft, system crash, damage etc. and also have inadequate memory space for managing these data.
1.4 Aim and Objectives of study
The aim of the study is to Design and Implement File Duplicate Remover application software. In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were laid out as follows to develop an application software that will:
- Detect duplicate documents in the existing system
- Check file or document validity before file processing
- Manage files uploaded on a server as a web service.
- Prompt user file verification in order to prevent automatic overwriting of files or document.
1.5 Significance of study
The significance of this research is based on the fact that building a software application that enables users and project team members to effectively edit and co-author files and documents irrespective of their individual location by storing, editing, sharing, retrieving and manipulating files and documents collaboratively over the internet using their mobile devices thus fostering a sense of team work amongst them.
The system will also enable sharing relevant file and document amongst other team members. To store, retrieve and manage important file so that system memories can be reserved for other uses is also an important feature of this system that brings it to relevance. The system will help to reduce the risk of file loss and damage by storing files in a remote location
1.6 Scope of study
The study focuses on the Design and Implementation of a File Duplicate Remover System which is limited toward allowing users create, edit, delete, copy, save, retrieve, upload and manipulate their files online via their mobile device.
1.7 Limitations of the Study
During the course of this study, many things militated against its completion, some of which are:
- Time Constraint: The time frame given to accomplish this project was very short due to school academic calendar and it was carried out under pressure which made the researcher not to implement some necessary features.
- Research material: availability of research material is a major setback to the scope of the study.
- Frequent power failure: This made the researcher append more money on fuel to ensure sustainable power.
- Financial Constraint: Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials.
1.8 Definition of terms
Cloud computing: The practice of using a network of remote server hosted on the internet to store manage and process data (dictionary.com)
File: A computer file is a specific piece of data that is held on a computer system. (wise geek.com)
Network: This is a collection of computer and other network component inter connected by communication channels that allows sharing of resources and information.
Software as a Service (SaaS): Is a software delivery mode in which software and associated data are centrally hosted on the cloud an accessed through a web browser.
