data

da·ta

(dā'tə, dăt'ə, dä'tə) pronunciation

pl.n. (used with a sing. or pl. verb)

Factual information, especially information organized for analysis or used to reason or make decisions.
Computer Science. Numerical or other information represented in a form suitable for processing by computer.
Values derived from scientific experiments.
Plural of datum (sense 1).

[Latin, pl. of datum. See datum.]

USAGE NOTE The word data is the plural of Latin datum, "something given," but it is not always treated as a plural noun in English. The plural usage is still common, as this headline from the New York Times attests: "Data Are Elusive on the Homeless." Sometimes scientists think of data as plural, as in These data do not support the conclusions. But more often scientists and researchers think of data as a singular mass entity like information, and most people now follow this in general usage. Sixty percent of the Usage Panel accepts the use of data with a singular verb and pronoun in the sentence Once the data is in, we can begin to analyze it. A still larger number, 77 percent, accepts the sentence We have very little data on the efficacy of such programs, where the quantifier very little, which is not used with similar plural nouns such as facts and results, implies that data here is indeed singular.

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data

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Information, usually numerical or categorical.

TechEncyclopedia:

data

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(1) Technically, raw facts and figures, such as orders and payments, which are processed into information, such as balance due and quantity on hand. However, in common usage, the terms "data" and "information" are used synonymously. In addition, the term data is really the plural of "datum," which is one item of data. But datum is rarely used, and data is used as both singular and plural in practice.

The amount of data versus information kept in the computer is a tradeoff. Data can be processed into different forms of information, but it takes time to sort and sum transactions. Up-to-date information can provide instant answers.

A common misconception is that software is also data. Software is executed, or run, by the computer. Data are "processed." Thus, software causes the computer to process data.

(2) Any form of information whether on paper or in electronic form. Data may refer to any electronic file no matter what the format: database data, text, images, audio and video. Everything read and written by the computer can be considered data except for instructions in a program that are executed (software).

(3) May refer only to data stored in a database in contrast with text in a word processing document.

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Barron's Marketing Dictionary:

data

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Facts that become useful information when organized in a meaningful way or when entered into a computer. Marketing data on a customer include items like address and purchase history.

Barron's Business Dictionary:

data

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Factual information. Data is the plural of datum, which means a single fact. Data processing is sorting, recording, and classifying data for making calculations or decisions.

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Roget's Thesaurus:

data

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noun

See

US Defense Department Military Dictionary:

data

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(DOD) Representation of facts, concepts, or instructions in a formalized manner suitable for communication, interpretation, or processing by humans or by automatic means. Any representations such as characters or analog quantities to which meaning is or might be assigned.

Word Tutor:

data

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IN BRIEF: Facts.

The jury looked at all the data before reaching a verdict.

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Mosby's Dental Dictionary:

data

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n.pl

Facts and figures; data are processed and interpreted to yield information.

Wikipedia on Answers.com:

Data

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For data in computer science, see Data (computing). For other uses, see Data (disambiguation).

Data ( /ˈdeɪtə/ day-tə, /ˈdætə/ da-tə, or /ˈdɑːtə/ dah-tə) are values of a qualitative or quantitative variables, belonging to a set of items. Data in computing (or data processing) are often represented by a combination of items organized in rows and multiple variables organized in columns. Data are typically the results of measurements and can be visualised using graphs or images. Data as abstract concept can be viewed as the lowest level of abstraction from which information and then knowledge are derived. Raw data, i.e., unprocessed data, refers to a collection of numbers, characters and is a relative term; data processing commonly occurs by stages, and the "processed data" from one stage may be considered the "raw data" of the next. Field data refers to raw data collected in an uncontrolled in situ environment. Experimental data refers to data generated within the context of a scientific investigation by observation and recording.

The word data is the plural of datum, neuter past participle of the Latin dare, "to give", hence "something given". In discussions of problems in geometry, mathematics, engineering, and so on, the terms givens and data are used interchangeably. Such usage is the origin of data as a concept in computer science or data processing: data are numbers, words, images, etc., accepted as they stand.

Contents

1 Usage in English
2 Meaning of data, information and knowledge
3 See also
4 References
5 External links

Usage in English

In English, the word datum is still used in the general sense of "an item given". In cartography, geography, nuclear magnetic resonance and technical drawing it is often used to refer to a single specific reference datum from which distances to all other data are measured. Any measurement or result is a datum, but data point is more usual,^[1] albeit tautological. Both datums (see usage in datum article) and the originally Latin plural data are used as the plural of datum in English, but data is commonly treated as a mass noun and used with a verb in the singular form, especially in day-to-day usage. For example, This is all the data from the experiment. This usage is inconsistent with the rules of Latin grammar and traditional English (These are all the data from the experiment). Even when a very small quantity of data is referenced (One number, for example) the phrase piece of data is often used, as opposed to datum. The debate over appropriate usage is ongoing.^{[citation needed]}

The IEEE Computer Society, allows usage of data as either a mass noun or plural based on author preference.^[2] Other professional organizations and style guides^[3] require that authors treat data as a plural noun. For example, the Air Force Flight Test Center specifically states that the word data is always plural, never singular.^[4]

Data is most often used as a singular mass noun in educated everyday usage.^[5]^[6] Some major newspapers such as The New York Times use it either in the singular or plural. In the New York Times the phrases "the survey data are still being analyzed" and "the first year for which data is available" have appeared within one day.^[7] In scientific writing data is often treated as a plural, as in These data do not support the conclusions, but it is also used as a singular mass entity like information. British usage now widely accepts treating data as singular in standard English,^[8] including everyday newspaper usage^[9] at least in non-scientific use.^[10] UK scientific publishing still prefers treating it as a plural.^[11] Some UK university style guides recommend using data for both singular and plural use^[12] and some recommend treating it only as a singular in connection with computers.^[13]

Meaning of data, information and knowledge

The terms data, information and knowledge are frequently used for overlapping concepts. The main difference is in the level of abstraction being considered. Data is the lowest level of abstraction, information is the next level, and finally, knowledge is the highest level among all three.^{[citation needed]} Data on its own carries no meaning. For data to become information, it must be interpreted and take on a meaning. For example, the height of Mt. Everest is generally considered as "data", a book on Mt. Everest geological characteristics may be considered as "information", and a report containing practical information on the best way to reach Mt. Everest's peak may be considered as "knowledge".

Information as a concept bears a diversity of meanings, from everyday usage to technical settings. Generally speaking, the concept of information is closely related to notions of constraint, communication, control, data, form, instruction, knowledge, meaning, mental stimulus, pattern, perception, and representation.

Beynon-Davies uses the concept of a sign to distinguish between data and information; data are symbols while information occurs when symbols are used to refer to something.^[14]

It is people and computers who collect data and impose patterns on it. These patterns are seen as information which can be used to enhance knowledge. These patterns can be interpreted as truth, and are authorized as aesthetic and ethical criteria. Events that leave behind perceivable physical or virtual remains can be traced back through data. Marks are no longer considered data once the link between the mark and observation is broken.^[15]

Mechanical computing devices are classified according to the means by which they represent data. An analog computer represents a datum as a voltage, distance, position, or other physical quantity. A digital computer represents a datum as a sequence of symbols drawn from a fixed alphabet. The most common digital computers use a binary alphabet, that is, an alphabet of two characters, typically denoted "0" and "1". More familiar representations, such as numbers or letters, are then constructed from the binary alphabet.

Some special forms of data are distinguished. A computer program is a collection of data, which can be interpreted as instructions. Most computer languages make a distinction between programs and the other data on which programs operate, but in some languages, notably Lisp and similar languages, programs are essentially indistinguishable from other data. It is also useful to distinguish metadata, that is, a description of other data. A similar yet earlier term for metadata is "ancillary data." The prototypical example of metadata is the library catalog, which is a description of the contents of books.

References

This article was originally based on material from the Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, which is licensed under the GFDL.

^ Matt Dye (2001). "Writing Reports". University of Bristol. http://www.bris.ac.uk/Depts/DeafStudiesTeaching/dissert/Writing%20Reports.htm.
^ "IEEE Computer Society Style Guide, DEF". IEEE Computer Society. http://www.computer.org/portal/web/publications/styleguidedef.
^ "WHO Style Guide". Geneva: World Health Organization. 2004. p. 43. http://whqlibdoc.who.int/hq/2004/WHO_IMD_PUB_04.1.pdf. ^{[dead link]}
^ The Author's Guide to Writing Air Force Flight Test Center Technical Reports. Air Force Flight Test Center.
^ New Oxford Dictionary of English, 1999
^ "...in educated everyday usage as represented by the Guardian newspaper, it is nowadays most often used as a singular." http://www.eisu2.bham.ac.uk/johnstf/revis006.htm
^
- "When Serving the Lord, Ministers Are Often Found to Neglect Themselves". New York Times. 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/10/us/10religion.html.
- "Investment Tax Cuts Help Mostly the Rich". New York Times. 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/10/business/10charts.html.
^ New Oxford Dictionary of English. 1999.
^ Tim Johns (1997). "Data: singular or plural?". http://www.eisu2.bham.ac.uk/johnstf/revis006.htm. "...in educated everyday usage as represented by The Guardian newspaper, it is nowadays most often used as a singular."
^ "Data". Compact Oxford Dictionary. http://www.askoxford.com/concise_oed/data?view=uk.
^ "Data: singular or plural?". Blair Wisconsin International University. http://www.eisu2.bham.ac.uk/johnstf/revis006.htm.
^ "Singular or plural". University of Nottingham Style Book. University of Nottingham. http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/public-affairs/uon-style-book/singular-plural.htm. ^{[dead link]}
^ "Computers and computer systems". OpenLearn. http://openlearn.open.ac.uk/mod/resource/view.php?id=182902. ^{[dead link]}
^
- P. Beynon-Davies (2002). Information Systems: An introduction to informatics in organisations. Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 0-333-96390-3.
- P. Beynon-Davies (2009). Business information systems. Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave. ISBN 978-0-230-20368-6.
^ Sharon Daniel. The Database: An Aesthetics of Dignity.

External links

Look up data in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Data is a singular noun (a detailed assessment)

Statistics

Descriptive statistics

Continuous data

Location	Mean (Arithmetic, Geometric, Harmonic) Median Mode

Dispersion	Range Standard deviation Coefficient of variation Percentile Interquartile range

Shape	Variance Skewness Kurtosis Moments L-moments

Count data

Index of dispersion

Summary tables

Dependence

Statistical graphics

Data collection

Designing studies	Effect size Standard error Statistical power Sample size determination

Survey methodology	Sampling Stratified sampling Opinion poll Questionnaire

Controlled experiment	Design of experiments Randomized experiment Random assignment Replication Blocking Factorial experiment Optimal design

Uncontrolled studies	Natural experiment Quasi-experiment Observational study

Statistical inference

Statistical theory	Sampling distribution Sufficient statistic Meta-analysis

Bayesian inference	Bayesian probability Prior Posterior Credible interval Bayes factor Bayesian estimator Maximum posterior estimator

Frequentist inference	Confidence interval Hypothesis testing Likelihood-ratio

Specific tests	Z-test (normal) Student's t-test F-test Pearson's chi-squared test Wald test Mann–Whitney U Shapiro–Wilk Signed-rank Kolmogorov–Smirnov test

General estimation	Bias Robustness Efficiency Maximum likelihood Method of moments Minimum distance Density estimation

Correlation and regression analysis

Correlation	Pearson product-moment correlation Partial correlation Confounding variable Coefficient of determination

Regression analysis	Errors and residuals Regression model validation Mixed effects models Simultaneous equations models

Linear regression	Simple linear regression Ordinary least squares General linear model Bayesian regression

Non-standard predictors	Nonlinear regression Nonparametric Semiparametric Isotonic Robust

Generalized linear model	Exponential families Logistic (Bernoulli) Binomial Poisson

Partition of variance	Analysis of variance (ANOVA) Analysis of covariance Multivariate ANOVA Degrees of freedom

Categorical, multivariate, time-series, or survival analysis

Categorical data	Cohen's kappa Contingency table Graphical model Log-linear model McNemar's test

Multivariate statistics	Multivariate regression Principal components Factor analysis Cluster analysis Copulas

Time series analysis	Decomposition (Trend, Stationary process) ARMA model ARIMA model Vector autoregression Spectral density estimation

Survival analysis	Survival function Kaplan–Meier Logrank test Failure rate Proportional hazards models Accelerated failure time model

Applications

Biostatistics	Bioinformatics Biometrics Clinical trials & studies Epidemiology Medical statistics

Engineering statistics	Chemometrics Methods engineering Probabilistic design Process & Quality control Reliability System identification

Social statistics	Actuarial science Census Crime statistics Demography Econometrics National accounts Official statistics Population Psychometrics

Spatial statistics	Cartography Environmental statistics Geographic information system Geostatistics Kriging

Category
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Translations:

Data

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Dansk (Danish)
n. - data

idioms:

data bank databank
data base database
data capture datafangst
data carrier databærer, datamedium
data entry terminal inddataterminal
data processing databehandling
data protection databeskyttelse, datasikring

Nederlands (Dutch)
gegeven(s)

Français (French)
n. - données, information brute, (Comput) données

idioms:

data bank banque de données
data base (Comput) base de données
data capture saisie des données
data carrier support d'informations/de données
data entry terminal terminal d'entrée des données
data processing traitement de données
data protection protection des données

Deutsch (German)
n. - Daten, Fakten

idioms:

data bank Datenbank
data base (EDV) Datenbank
data capture Datenerfassung
data carrier Datenträgerr
data entry terminal Dateneingabeterminal
data processing Datenverarbeitung
data protection Datenschutz

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. pl. - δεδομένα, (πληροφοριακά) στοιχεία

idioms:

data bank (Η/Υ) τράπεζα δεδομένων, κεντρικό ηλεκτρονικό αρχείο
data base (Η/Υ) βάση δεδομένων
data capture (τεχνολ.) συνεπεξεργασία και συγκαταχώρηση στοιχείων Η/Υ
data carrier (Η/Υ) μέσο αποθήκευσης και μεταφοράς δεδομένων
data entry terminal (Η/Υ) τερματικό(ς σταθμός) εισαγωγής δεδομένων
data processing (Η/Υ) ηλεκτρονική επεξεργασία δεδομένων
data protection (Η/Υ) προστασία δεδομένων

Italiano (Italian)
dati, dato

idioms:

data bank banca dati
data base base dati
data capture cattura dati
data processing elaborazione dati
data protection protezione dati

Português (Portuguese)
n. pl. - dados (m)

idioms:

data bank banco (m) de dados
data base banco (m) de dados
data capture captura (f) de dados
data processing processamento (m) de dados
data protection proteção (f) de dados

Русский (Russian)
данные

idioms:

data bank банк данных
data base база данных
data capture дистанционная обработка данных
data processing обработка данных
data protection защита данных

Español (Spanish)
n. - hecho, datos

idioms:

data bank banco de datos
data base base de datos
data capture adquisición de datos, captura o agrupación de datos
data carrier transmisor de datos
data entry terminal terminal de ingreso de datos
data processing procesamiento de datos
data protection protección de datos

Svenska (Swedish)
n. pl. - data, information

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
数据, 资料

idioms:

data bank 数据库, 数据储存系统
data base 数据库
data capture 数据捕捉, 攫取数据
data carrier 数据载波
data entry terminal 数据终端机
data processing 数据处理
data protection 数据保护

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 數據, 資料
n. pl. - 數據, 資料

idioms:

data bank 資料庫, 資料儲存系統
data base 資料庫
data capture 資料捕捉, 攫取資料
data carrier 資料載波
data entry terminal 資料終端機
data processing 資料處理
data protection 資料保護

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 자료
n. pl. - 지식 , 정보

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 資料, データ, 情報

idioms:

data bank データバンク
data base データベース
data capture データ収集
data handling データハンドリング
data processing データ処理
data protection データ保護

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الجمع) بيانات, حقائق, معلومات‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮נתונים, פרטים‬
n. pl. - ‮נתונים, פרטים‬

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		American Heritage Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more
		Oxford Dictionary of Statistics. A Dictionary of Statistics. Second edition revised. Copyright © Oxford University Press, 2008. All rights reserved. Read more
		TechEncyclopedia. THIS DEFINITION IS FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY. All other reproduction is strictly prohibited without permission from the publisher. © 1981-2012 The Computer Language Company Inc. All rights reserved. Read more
		Barron's Marketing Dictionary. Dictionary of Marketing Terms. Copyright © 2000 by Barron's Educational Series, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more
		Barron's Business Dictionary. Dictionary of Business Terms. Copyright © 2007 by Barron's Educational Series, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more
		Roget's Thesaurus. Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary Copyright © 1995 byHoughton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more
		US Defense Department Military Dictionary. US Department of Defense Dictionary of Military and Associated Words, 2003. Read more
		Word Tutor. Copyright © 2004-present by eSpindle Learning, a 501(c) nonprofit organization. All rights reserved. eSpindle provides personalized spelling and vocabulary tutoring online; sign up free. Read more
		Mosby's Dental Dictionary. Mosby's Dental Dictionary. Copyright © 2004 by Elsevier, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more
		Wikipedia on Answers.com. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Data. Read more
		Translations. Copyright © 2007, WizCom Technologies Ltd. All rights reserved. Read more

	computer input
	data manipulation (technology)
	Relational Data Base (in accounting)

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	What are the components of data how is data processed?

data

da·ta

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Data

Usage in English

Meaning of data, information and knowledge

See also

References

External links

Data