Data: The raw material of organizational life; it consists of disconnected numbers, words, symbols, and syllables relating to the events and processes of the business. Information: For data to become information, it must be contextualized, categorized, calculated, and condensed. The information thus paints a bigger picture; it is data with relevance and purpose. It may convey a trend in the environment, or perhaps indicate a pattern of sales for a given period of time.