Week 11: Clear

This graphic shows the difference between data and information. Photo provided by Jose C. Silva. Here is the link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/josecamoessilva/5836057335/lightbox/

     This week the concept that was made clear to me was that data is not the same as information. Data is just raw facts and figures. While, information uses data to answer questions and support decisions that are made. We also learned the difference between different types of databases, structured and unstructured. Structured data is well organized and easy to work with, a database is an example of structured data. Unstructured data is more difficult to work with, video is an example of unstructured data.
     Knowing the difference between types of data and knowing the different between data and information is essential in the business environment. By knowing how to use data to your advantage you will be able to deliver better information and thereby showcasing your expertise in the business environment. Once you are able to understand the difference you can then take the next step and decide what type of data your company needs. If you decide to use structured data then you need to decide what kind of database software you need.
     I found an article that does a good job of explaining the differences between data and information. This article does find one similarity between data and information: both are types of knowledge or are used to obtain knowledge. This article provides a good example of the difference a list of the seven wonders of the world would be data, but a book providing details of each wonder would be considered knowledge. Here is the link to the article: http://www.differencebetween.net/language/difference-between-data-and-information/