Data

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
 Text data - Words, descriptions, documents
 Visual data - Images, charts, graphs
 Audio data - Sounds, music, voice recordings
 Digital data - Information stored in computers

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:

 Height and weight
 Temperature
 Number of students in a class
 Money earned

 Data and Information 
Data and information are related but different:

 Data are raw facts and figures
 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.

Related pages

 Data collection
 Data management
 Database
 Information
 Statistics

 References 

Category:Knowledge
Category:Computing
Category:Statistics