After identifying and defining the research problem and determining specific information required to solve the problem, the researcher’s task is to look for th type and sources of data which may yield the desired results. Generally, researchers straightaway resort to survey method for data collection that is, they directly go in for primary method for data collection that is, advisable that before going in for survey, the data collection. But it is advisable that before going in for survey, the researcher scans various exiting secondary sources for the required information. Only if these sources fail to yield the desired information then the ultimate resort, of course, is to collect primary data through various methods available of this purpose. Whatever secondary data concerning the project are available must be collected before gathering the primary data. The process of secondary data collation and analysis is called desk research.

In a broader sense, we can say that two types of data are available to a researcher. These are: (i) primary data: and (ii) secondary data, primary Data are garneted when a particular problem at had is investigates by the researcher employing mail questionnaires, telephone surveys, personal interviews, observations, and experiments. Secondary Data, on the other hand, include those data which are collected for some earlier research work and are applicable in study the researcher has presently undertaken.1

Often many researchers believe that a problem can be partially solved with the help of secondary data. Some secondary data are often available in one form or another in the existing sources. Therefore, it is worthwhile to use these first and only when the secondary data sources are exhausted, the researcher must turn to the collection of primary data.

Secondary data is a valuable resource for marketing research. Often, gathering of the primary data poses a lot of problems which can be reduced to a certain extent by using secondary data.

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