We explain what a double entry box is, its characteristics and what it is for. Also, how to make it and various examples.
What is a double entry box?
A double-entry table, double-entry matrix, or comparison table It is a conceptual tool that allows you to visually organize the data you have on a specific topic. using a series of columns and rows in which to break down the information vertically and horizontally.
These charts or tables can be as extensive as required, and are a widely used resource in books, articles and exhibitions, when presenting abundant data or establishing statistical and conceptual comparisons . This is because they systematize the information into categories that are not only conceptual, but also visual, through the interweaving of rows and columns in a matrix.
That is, in fact, the characteristic element of this type of tables: that They contrast two types of information (one in the rows and the other in the columns) to be able to put them in direct relationship. Hence its name: the crossing of two simultaneous information inputs.
Characteristics of a double entry box
Double entry boxes are characterized by the following:
- They are a type of painting that allows you to organize information graphically useful to complement a text.
- They have two data entries, one in the columns and one in the rows and inside the box these two pieces of information are contrasted.
- They can be as small or as extensive as needed. and they can also combine a large number of columns with a few rows, or vice versa.
- They are a versatile tool to present information systematically, and are widely used in projects, monographs and presentations of results.
What is a double entry box for?
Double entry boxes are intended to organize, systematize and quickly arrange the desired information, through the contrast of two elements themes or perspectives. For example:
Suppose that in a company it is necessary to organize the hours of face-to-face work that correspond to each employee, given that the majority prefers to do home office. For this, a table is created in which the names of the workers are arranged in a single row, and the days of the week in five different columns. That way, when a worker sees their name in a column, they can immediately find out which day of the week they have to go to work in person.
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | |
| Names of workers | Martin Lucia | Maria Natalia | Lucia Juan | Martin Juan | Natalia Maria |
How to make a double entry box?
Double entry boxes are easy to make. First of all we must have the complete information that we need to represent graphically, especially the two categories that we want to contrast : days of the week and workers, for example, or subjects and grades, employees and jobs, among many others.
Then we must plot a table with as many rows and columns as we need to represent each data entry . When drawing the table, it is advisable to use tools such as rulers or computer programs that allow us to do it digitally.
If we want to create a table that contrasts subjects and grades obtained, we will need a single row of grades and as many columns as subjects evaluated; while if we want to compare the provinces of the country and the margins of its total population, we will need as many rows as there are provinces and as many columns as population ranges we have available (for example, from less than 1000 inhabitants, from 1000 to 10,000, from 10,000 to 100,000, etc.).
Once we know what information will go in the rows and what information will go in the columns, The next thing is to identify them, using the outermost rows and columns of the table. . These identification boxes, which contain only the indicator of what information we will see in that row or column, can be colored or highlighted in some way so as not to confuse them with the content of the data.
Finally, we must distribute the information in the table so that we can read it and obtain relevant information from the intersection of both entries.
Examples of double entry tables
The following are examples of double entry tables:
- Comparative table of South American countries and their GDP per capita in 2017:
| Country | GDP per capita (US$) in 2017 |
| Argentina | 20,900 |
| Bolivia | 7,600 |
| Brazil | 15,600 |
| Colombia | 14,400 |
| Chili | 24,600 |
| Ecuador | 11,500 |
| Paraguay | 12,800 |
| Peru | 13,500 |
| Uruguay | 22,400 |
| Venezuela | 12,500 |
Source: CIA World Factbook
- Double entry table for night shifts in an infirmary:
| NIGHT SHIFTS OF NURSING STAFF | |||||
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | |
| SHIFT | – Maria Chiezza – Sergio Ramirez | – Pedro Chavez – Roberto Denis | – Margot Benitez – Sergio Ramirez | – Maria Chiezza – Roberto Denis | – Pedro Chavez -Margot Benitez |
References
- “Double entry table” in the CCH Academic Portal of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM).
- “Double entry chart and table” at the Cervantine Studies Center.
