Data vs. Information

1
Data vs. Information

• Data
• Raw facts - first name, SS , address, price,
  item name, and so forth
• Collected at the transaction/creation site such
  as POS, Web site, ATM and so forth
• By itself, not of much use

2
Information

• Processed or manipulated data
• Sorted
• Arranged by city, state, Zip, etc.
• Subtotals by Dept, Region, Country, etc.
• Summarized
• Updated
• Comparison between entities like sales people,
  regions and so forth

3
Information (cont.)

• Information is specifically targeted for an
  individual who needs it
• A person typically needs information to act, make
  a decision, or to accomplish some type of task
• The type of information received typically varies
  based upon an individuals position in an
  organization
• Line management
• Middle management
• Strategic management

4
Information (cont.)

• What is information for one individual is data
  for another
• gold vs. garbage
• Views of what is data or information change as
  you progress up or down the management levels in
  an organization
• Lower levels want detailed information
• Upper levels want summarized information

5
Information (cont.)

• Generating good information is the ultimate
  goal of any information system
• How well an information achieves this goal
  determines its effectiveness
• An information system must be designed
  specifically for its intended audience to achieve
  this goal

6
Characteristics of Information

• Timely - has it arrived in time to affect a
  decision-making process?
• Relevant - does it pertain to the problem at
  hand?
• Concise - is it to the point?
• Accurate - Is it correct enough to be used?
• Complete - is it thorough and not lacking any
  components?

7
Systems - Data and Information

• Systems
• Accept data as input
• Process that data
• Create information as output
• Again, output must be targeted for a specific
  audience and be deemed useful by that audience
  before it can be deemed information
• Feedback output that goes back into the system
  as input
• Verifies that the system is working within
  defined tolerances