6. Pros and cons of coding
| Advantages of coding | Disadvantages of coding | 
|---|---|
| Data entry can be faster | Coarsening of data | 
| Data entry can be more accurate | Meaning of data can be obscured | 
| Validation can further improve accuracy | Value judgements are difficult to code | 
| Less storage space required | If people don't know the code it can slow down data entry | 
| Faster searching for data | If codes are complicated they might be entered incorrectly | 
| Coded data can be more secure if people don't know what it means | Might run out of code combinations | 
