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The data and information are closely related to each other. The data is considered the collected facts and variables about several situations. On the other hand, information is the processed raw data that explain and represent a certain condition or situation. Data is considered independent of any information, but the information does not exist without data. Data is considered to be low-level knowledge as it is a raw fact collected by the researchers. On the other hand, information is medium-level knowledge because it is processed, refined, and organised raw data. Even being correlated to each other, data and information have a number of differences.
Data
Data is defined as the collection of various facts and details, which includes any symbols, description of any item, events, entity gathering, figures, observations, etc. It is also present in the form of a set of a number of variables. These data are collected and processed in an organised manner to work out the information. The unprocessed data is in the form of a statement or characters which the collector or the informer does not refine. Data processing is a common method to refine the raw data to settle proper information. The data is categorised into two types,
- Primary data: The primary data is further categorised into two groups, namely, qualitative data and quantitative data
- Secondary data: The secondary data is further categorised as internal data and external data
Information
Information is the refined, processed, and organised representation of raw data. Information can be said as a structure or the context that is organised in a relevant manner according to the desire of the user. When it comes to the raw data, the facts present in them are in an unorganised manner which does not have a proper meaning. Therefore, these raw data are processed and organised into useful and intellectual information. Information can be any categories, organised data in the form of tables, graphs, explanation, interpretation, etc.
Differences between Data and Information
The date and information are Rekha related to each other. However, there are certain differences between each of them. Some of the key differences between data and information are
- The raw data is a collection of the variables, which could be an event, entity, idea, conditions, etc., which are based upon the randomly collected facts. On the other hand, information is the processed form of this raw data to represent a particular event, an organised idea, a certain condition, etc.
- Data consists of variables that include text, numbers, symbols, etc. On the other hand, information is a process and interpreted data to give out and represent a proper explanation.
- The data at the time of collection or gathering does not assure the meaning of the purpose of the facts. However, the raw data that is organised in the form of information is a useful and relevant explanation of certain situations, events, conditions, etc.
- Both data and information are correlated to each other, but the data is not dependent upon the information. However, the information does not exist without data.
- A researcher cannot rely upon data for decision-making. However, this raw data in the form of information supports decision-making.
Comparison Table
The differences between the data and information is represented in a tabular form.
| COMPARISON | DATA | INFORMATION |
| Description. | Data is the collection of raw facts, variables, figures that help in the development of a conclusion. | An. Information is the process of organising raw data and facts to work out meaningful information as per the desire. |
| Format. | Data is present in the form of characters, symbols, letters, numbers, etc. | Information is represented in an organised manner to represent relevant information. |
| Dependency. | Data does not depend upon the information. | Information is totally dependent upon data. Without a data, information cannot be figured out. |
| Decision making. | The raw facts and figures of a date tag do not support decision making. | Information as an organised and processed representation Of the raw facts and variables that support decision making. |
| Knowledge level. | Data is considered to be of low-level knowledge. | Information is termed Second-level knowledge, i.e., medium-level knowledge. |
| Representation. | Data can be represented in a tabular form, images, colour coding structure, etc. | The Information is represented in a graphical form as per the requirement. |
| Measurement. | The data is measured in the form of bits, bytes, kilobytes, etc. | Information is measured in the form of time, quality, etc. |
Conclusion
The data is the collection of raw facts and variables which, when organised or represented in a refined manner, is termed as information. Information cannot exist without data because the representation and explanation of facts are the refined and arranged manner of data according to the desire of the user to provide a meaningful and purposeful outcome. There are several key differences between data and information. Moreover, they both are dependent on each other as well. Raw data is useless because it does not make any sense or meaning at the time of collection. However, the refining, processing, and arranging of these raw data give useful, meaningful, and purposeful information.
