

It is an organized collection, because in a database, all data is described and associated with other data. In order to do this, the system must be able to take data, put the data into context, and provide tools for aggregation and analysis. A database is designed for just such a purpose.Ī database is an organized collection of related information. The goal of many information systems is to transform data into information in order to generate knowledge that can be used for decision making. In some cases, such as with an e-book, you may only have the ability to read the data. Some other examples of data are: an MP3 music file, a video file, a spreadsheet, a web page, and an e-book.
Openoffice base examples software#
The word-processing software can manipulate the data: create a new document, duplicate a document, or modify a document. For example, if you are editing a document in a word processor such as Microsoft Word, the document you are working on is the data. Examples of DataĪlmost all software programs require data to do anything useful. It often takes many years to develop wisdom on a particular topic, and requires patience. We can say that someone has wisdom when they can combine their knowledge and experience to produce a deeper understanding of a topic. The final step up the information ladder is the step from knowledge (knowing a lot about a topic) to wisdom. This knowledge can be used to make decisions, set policies, and even spark innovation. We can say that this consumption of information produces knowledge. Once we have put our data into context, aggregated and analyzed it, we can use it to make decisions for our organization. By adding the context – that the numbers represent the count of students registering for specific classes – I have converted data into information. Returning to the example above, if I told you that “ 15, 23, 14, and 85″ are the numbers of students that had registered for upcoming classes, that would be information.

To be useful, it needs to be given context. A number can be qualitative too: if I tell you my favorite number is 5, that is qualitative data because it is descriptive, not the result of a measurement or mathematical calculation.īy itself, data is not that useful. “Ruby Red,” t he color of a 2013 Ford Focus, is a n example of qualitative data. Quantitative data is numeric, the result of a measurement, count, or some other mathematical calculation. But I would have given you data.ĭata can be quantitative or qualitative. If I told you, “15, 23, 14, 85,” you would not have learned anything. Data, Information, and Knowledgeĭata are the raw bits and pieces of information with no context. Without data, hardware and software are not very useful! Data is the third component of an information system. Imagine opening a web browser but there were no web pages. Imagine if you opened a music player but there was no music to play.

Imagine if you turned on a computer, started the word processor, but could not save a document. However, those two components by themselves do not make a computer useful. You have already been introduced to the first two components of information systems: hardware and software. If you are not required to use this edition for a course, you may want to check it out. Please note, there is an updated edition of this book available at. define data mining and describe its role in an organization.describe the characteristics of a data warehouse and.describe the role of a database management system.define the term database and identify the steps to creating one.describe the differences between data, information, and knowledge.Upon successful completion of this chapter, you will be able to:
