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Meaning of Data

16 October, 2015 - 17:41

Data is factual information such as measurements or statistics about objects and concepts. We use it for discussion, or calculation. It could be a person, a place, an event, an action, any one of a number of things. A single fact is an element of data, or a data element.

If data is information and information is what we are all in the business of working with, you can start to see where you may be storing it:

  • Filing cabinets
  • Spreadsheets
  • Folders
  • Ledgers Lists
  • Piles of papers on your desk

They all store information, and so too does a database. Because of the mechanical nature of databases, they have terrific power to manage and process the information they hold. This can make the information they house much more useful for your work. With this understanding of data, we can start to see how a tool with the capacity to store a collection of data and organize it especially for rapid search, retrieval and processing might make a difference to how we can use data. This is all about managing information. Source: http: //cnx.org/content/m28150/latest/