The fundamental task of all measurement systems is the measurement and/or generation of real-world physical signals. Measurement devices help you acquire, analyze, and present the measurements you take.

Through data acquisition, you acquire and convert physical signals, such as voltage, current, pressure, and temperature, into digital formats and transfer them into the computer. Popular methods for acquiring data include plug-in DAQ and instrument devices, GPIB instruments, PXI (PCI eXtensions for Instrumentation) instruments, and RS232 instruments.

Through data analysis, you transform raw data into meaningful information by using curve fitting, statistical analysis, frequency response, or other numerical operations.

Note Many of these operations are available only in the LabVIEW Full and Professional Development Systems.

Through data presentation, you display data in a graph, thermometer, table, or other visual display.