Modern digital gauges such as coating thickness gauges, relative humidity gauges and surface profile gauges incorporate features that aid in the collection and management of data on coatings applied to a variety of metal products and components. Memory in these gauges allows readings to be stored in batches for analysis and archiving; onboard calculation capabilities allow statistical information to be displayed and stored for decision making and further analysis; and data output allows the gauge memory to be uploaded to a PC for analysis, reporting and archiving in an efficient and accurate manner.