Sec. 2 (10). Definition of Data
In computer science, data is anything in a form suitable for use with a computer. Data is often distinguished from programs. A program is a set of instructions that detail a task for the computer to perform. In this sense, data is thus everything that is not program code.
10.“Data” means a representation of information, knowledge, facts, concepts or instructions which are being prepared or have been prepared in a formalized manner, and is intended to be processed, is being processed or has been processed in a computer system or computer network, and may be in any form (including computer printouts, magnetic or optical storage media, punched cards, punched tapes) or stored internally in the memory of the computer;
The term data means groups of information that represent the qualitative or quantitative attributes of a variable or set of variables.
(1) In computing, data is information that has been translated into a form that is more convenient to move or process. Relative to today’s computers and transmission media, data is information converted into binary digital form.
2) In computer component interconnection and network communication, data is often distinguished from “control information,” “control bits,” and similar terms to identify the main content of a transmission unit.
3) In telecommunications, data sometimes means digital-encoded information to distinguish it from analog-encoded information such as conventional telephone voice calls. In general, “analog” or voice transmission requires a dedicated continual connection for the duration of a related series of transmissions. Data transmission can often be sent with intermittent connections in packets that arrive in piecemeal fashion.
4) Generally and in science, data is a gathered body of facts.
Some authorities and publishers, cognizant of the word’s Latin origin and as the plural form of “datum,” use plural verb forms with “data”. Others take the view that since “datum” is rarely used, it is more natural to treat “data” as a singular form.