What does 212 mean?
You start work as a junior analyst. A sheet has one number in a cell: 212.
Is it 212 pounds? 212 students? 212 minutes? You cannot tell.
Then you read: "212 students tried the new pasta." Now it means something. If you also know the canteen sells to 300 students a day, you can decide what to cook tomorrow. This lesson is about those three steps.
Key words
| Word | What it means | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Data | Facts and numbers with no meaning yet. | 212 |
| Information | Data that has a meaning. | 212 students tried the new pasta. |
| Knowledge | What you understand from information, used to decide. | Most students liked it, so cook it again. |
| Context | Extra facts that say what data is about. | students, pasta, today |
| Raw data | Data that nobody has changed or explained yet. | yes, no, yes, yes |
| Decision | A choice about what to do. | Add the pasta to the menu. |
| Analyst | A person who studies data to help others decide. | You, in this course |
The cells students fill in are left blank in this preview.
By the end of this lesson
Note
I can explain how data becomes information and information becomes knowledge.
Starter: what you already know
Have a go
Starter: what you already know
3 questionsYour answers are marked here and are not kept. A college account keeps every student’s marks.
Data is a fact on its own
Data is a fact or a number with no meaning yet. It is where every analysis starts.
A survey sheet holds data all day: 212, "yes", 12:40, "Pasta". Each one is only a piece. You do not know what it is for.
Data that nobody has touched is raw data.
Context turns data into information
Context is the extra facts that say what data is about. Add context and data becomes information.
The data 212 becomes information when you read "212 students tried the new pasta". Now you know what it counts and who it counts.
Worked example: the canteen survey
| Step | What you have | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Data | yes, no, yes, yes, no | Words only. Each one is one answer. |
| Count | 3 yes and 2 no | You count each word. |
| Information | 3 of the 5 students liked the pasta. | Now you know what and how many. |
| Knowledge | Three out of five is a clear majority. Last month a dish with two out of five was dropped. | You compare with what you know. |
| Decision | Keep the pasta on the menu. | Knowledge helps you choose. |
The cells students fill in are left blank in this preview.
Check: which is it?
Have a go
Check: which is it?
3 questionsYour answers are marked here and are not kept. A college account keeps every student’s marks.