The canteen mystery
Every Friday the school canteen runs out of chips by 12:30. The manager wants to know why.
The answer is hidden in data. But whose data? Some is in the canteen. Some is held by other people. Finding the right source is the first job of an analyst.
Key words
| Word | What it means | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Internal data | Data that an organisation holds itself. | Till sales in the canteen |
| External data | Data that another organisation holds. | Local weather records |
| Organisational data | Internal data that the whole organisation shares. | The school register |
| Departmental data | Internal data that one team looks after. | Canteen stock list |
| Public sector | Bodies paid for by the government, such as councils and the NHS. | A council |
| Private sector | Businesses owned by people or shareholders, not the state. | A supermarket |
| Voluntary organisation | A charity or other not for profit group. It puts any money it makes back into its cause. | A food bank |
| NGO | A non-governmental organisation: it works for a cause and is not part of any government. | A child health group |
The cells students fill in are left blank in this preview.
By the end of this lesson
Note
I can say whether a source is internal or external, and name who holds each kind of external data.
Starter: whose data is it?
Have a go
Starter: whose data is it?
3 questionsYour answers are marked here and are not kept. A college account keeps every student’s marks.
Internal data: held by us
Internal data is data your own organisation holds. There are two levels.
Organisational data belongs to the whole organisation, such as the school register. Departmental data belongs to one team, such as the canteen stock list.
Internal data is usually quick to reach. You already have a way in.
External data: held by others
External data is held by another organisation. You must ask, search or sign up to get it.
Four kinds of group hold it: the public sector, the private sector, voluntary organisations and NGOs. Each has its own reasons for keeping data and its own rules for sharing it.
Who holds external data
| Holder | What it is | Invented example |
|---|---|---|
| Public | Paid for by the government | A council weather and traffic log |
| Private | A business | A grocery chain price list |
| Voluntary or charity | Not for profit, run for a cause | Food bank donation counts |
| NGO | Independent of government, works for a cause | A child nutrition survey |
The cells students fill in are left blank in this preview.