Data vs Information distinction

• A. Data is raw facts; information is processed data made useful for decision making
• B. Data is structured; information is unstructured
• C. Data is always accurate; information is not
• D. Information is unprocessed, data is processed

Answer: (A)

Data are raw facts gathered from sources, while information is data that has been processed, organized, and analyzed to be meaningful and useful for decision making. In other words, data by itself are just numbers, observations, or symbols; information adds context, structure, and interpretation so you can answer questions like what happened, why it happened, and what actions to take. For example, a list of daily sales figures is data; when you aggregate, identify trends, and compare against targets to tell a story about performance, that becomes information you can act on.

Other options aren’t the defining distinction. Structure (data structured vs. unstructured) isn’t what separates data from information. Accuracy isn’t guaranteed for either; quality depends on the data and the processing. The idea that information is unprocessed and data is processed reverses the actual relationship.