What is the Difference Between Data and Information

Question

n regards to a relational database, what is the difference between data and information? From what I understand, data is simply text, numbers, dates, etc. that can be individually entered into a database, but have no real meaning on their own. But when organized into a table or queried by SQL statements, it becomes information.

Is this correct? If this is not correct, please give examples using the SQL language if possible.

Answer 1

Differences between Data and Information did not come from Database techniques. In fact it's related to System Theory.

Based on DIKW pyramid (see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DIKW_pyramid):

Data can be every thing that we know, every fact. (as being discrete, objective facts or observations).

In Database Systems, Data is every thing that we are saved in database.

Information is some data that can be refine, resulted, inferred or gained by analysis on data. It's based on Context Observer. Some process needs to making the data useful and turned to Information. Absolutely the amount of Information is less that Data at all.

In Database Systems, any data that can be resulted on analysis on it and make it useful in Context, can be Information. For example maybe just one query, results useful data in Context and usefulness of this resulted data is related to Observers of Context.

Data Mining Technologies, Web Mining Technologies, Big Data Analysis Technologies and etc are the examples of resulting Information from Data.

We can explain Knowledge and Wisdom like above approach.