Data and Information

A computer exists primarily to process data. From the computer system's point of view, everything is data — instructions, pictures, songs, videos, documents, all of it. Data can also be described as raw and unorganised facts that are processed to obtain meaningful information.

Two points frame this section:

• Understanding data — and its different types — is crucial to understanding the overall functioning of a computer, because data is what every component we have studied (CPU, memory, buses, storage) exists to move and transform.
• People often use the terms data, information and knowledge interchangeably — and that usage is incorrect. Data is the raw input; information is what emerges when data is processed into something meaningful.

The sub-sections that follow explore the data theme in depth:

• 1.6.1 Data and Its Types — how data enters the computer, and the three primary kinds: structured, unstructured and semi-structured data. …