Data is a collection of facts, figures, objects, symbols and events gathered from different sources. Organizations collect data to make better decisions. Without data, it would be difficult for organizations to make appropriate decisions, so data is very important.
Data can exist in different forms:
Numerical data - Numbers, statistics, measurements;
Data helps people understand things better. In computer science, data is information that can be processed by computers. Data is often organized in databases to make it easier to find and use.
Types of Data
There are two main types of data:
Qualitative data describes qualities or characteristics. Examples include:
Colors (red, blue, green)
Opinions (good, bad, fair)
Names of places or people
Quantitative data can be measured with numbers. Examples include:
Information is data that has been processed and organized to be useful
For example, "25, 30, 28, 32" are data (numbers). But "The average temperature this week was 29 degrees" is information because the data has been processed.
Data in Computing
In computers, data is stored as bits (0s and 1s). Computers can process large amounts of data very quickly. Common ways computers work with data include:
Storing data in files and databases
Searching through data
Analyzing data to find patterns
Sharing data between different programs
Metadata is "data about data" - it provides information about other data, like when a file was created or who made it.
Etymology
The word "data" comes from the Latin word datum, meaning "something given". Datum is singular and data is plural. However, in everyday English, "data" is often used as if it were singular. Both "data is" and "data are" can be correct depending on the context.
