cdt glossary 0.1.0 [Data]

(reflected a change on wikipedia)

[Data]
"Known facts that can be recorded and have implicit meaning." -- Fundamentals of Database Systems, Elmasri & Navathe.

When people discuss data in the context of database, they are usually talking of something with meaning. There are people who think that data doesn't need to mean anything. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information
(currently) says "information has meaning (i.e.: can inform),
while data does not. ".
Somehow this "data has no meaning" idea has caught on.

1a. facts
1b. a record on a medium of some fact in the real world. 2. encoded information
3. a combination of sign and meaning Received on Fri Feb 24 2006 - 22:47:20 CET