Understanding Data Management and Information
Data Management (Information)
In a general way, the term “information” refers to the communication or acquisition of knowledge that can expand or refine understanding of a particular subject.
The need for information is closely related to economic and social development. Research, planning, and decision-making require accurate, timely, complete, consistent information tailored to the specific needs of the applicant and each circumstance.
The expansion of information has had such an impact on the evolution of all political, economic, and social aspects in recent years that this expansion has been qualified as a second industrial revolution, marking the beginning of a new era in the development of humanity.
Distinction Between Data and Information
Information is data that has already been processed, i.e., it is useful to us. A fact is simply an event, a number; data is the raw material for information.
Levels of Information Aggregation
The lowest level of information we can find is a bit. Then, we move on to a byte and so on, up to the database level.
Qualities of Good Information
The enormous growth of information needs, and the greater availability of it, may lead to a “pollution report” if there are no means to prevent it. Information can lose its qualities and fail to meet its objectives, becoming more harmful than beneficial to its recipients. To avoid this danger, information should possess a set of attributes that maintain the value of communication. These qualities are:
- Accuracy: This refers to the percentage of accurate information within the total system information (file, database, etc.). There is a distinction between “accuracy” and “precision.”
- Timeliness: This refers to the time elapsed from when the event occurred that caused the data to the date on which the information is made available to the user. Timeliness, like accuracy, depends on the application.
- Completeness: Information must be complete to meet its goals. Absolute completeness is impossible to achieve. What we usually expect in information systems is to reach a sufficient level, which depends on two factors:
- The existing data in the information system.
- The data that the system is able to locate for a particular query, related to the flexibility and suitability of the data recovery language and the success in formulating the query.
- Significance: The information provided to the user must possess the highest possible semantic content. That is, it must be understandable and interesting. Providing the user with large masses of information that cannot be assimilated is not helpful. A fair amount of information is essential for it to be significant.
- Coherence: The information contained in the system must be consistent in itself and with its own grammatical rules of the real world, which it is to represent as closely as possible. This quality, in databases, is usually known by the name of integrity and overlaps with the concept of accuracy.
- Security: Information must be protected both against deterioration (physical or logical causes) and against unauthorized access. Information security is becoming increasingly important today with the spread of new communication possibilities and the enormous expansion of networks like the Internet and intranet connections. Currently, the concept of security includes confidentiality, availability, and integrity, which will be discussed more extensively in other chapters.