Final answer:
Data was stored in flat files due to the simplicity and limitations of early computing systems. As technology advanced, CDs and DVDs replaced flat files for their higher storage capacity and efficiency. A digital storage medium like CDs and DVDs was essential for processing large amounts of data efficiently.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the past, data was stored in flat files because they were the simplest form of storing information before the advancement of database technology. Flat files are simple text files that contain records without structured relationships. They were used for their simplicity and ease of use with early computing systems, such as the system used by the U.S. Census Bureau in the 1950s to manage data from paper questionnaires. Despite the effectiveness of flat files at the time, they had limitations regarding the volume of data they could handle and the complexity of data management. As technology evolved, more sophisticated storage methods developed like the use of digital storage mediums, such as music CDs and DVDs. These digital mediums have a much larger storage capacity and could store information in a more compact, efficient, and easily retrievable format.
The device that made it possible for digital computers to efficiently process large amounts of information was the digital storage medium, such as CDs and DVDs. These mediums use a laser to create pits in the surface to encode data, which is then read by a laser beam that detects the pits' pattern as the disk spins. This technology greatly increased the amount of data that could be stored and processed by computers.