Ricardo Fernandes IT 29/09/2015

DATA
Definition: Raw facts and figures that have no meaning or value to a
human being.
Examples: 20957849
Data can be direct or indirect:
 Direct data is when it’s collected for a specific purpose
Direct Data is data that has been gathered:
 For a particular purpose
 From original sources
 Using methods such as:
o Direct observation (watching and recording
o Indirect observation (sensors)
o Face – to – face questioning
o Indirect questioning (through printed or online surveys)
Indirect data: When data is used for a purpose other than that for which it
was collected it is referred to as indirect data.
 E.g. Data that records credit card transactions being used to
examine buying trends
Indirect data:
 Borrowed for one purpose and used for another
 Borrowed or purchased from a third party
 Created as a result of the additional processing of an original set of
data
 Assembled as a sub-set of a larger data set
 Created as a result of merging two or more sets of data
 Stored in archives

ADVANTAGES OF DIRECT DATA

 You get the exact data you need
 You only gather as much or as little as you need
 You know exactly where the data came from and so you can
estimate how reliable it is
Ricardo Fernandes IT 29/09/2015

 You may be able to sell the data for other purposes

DISADVANTAGES OF DIRECT DATA
 Data gathering may be expensive
 Not being able to gather data at the optimum time
 Finding that it is not possible or financially viable to directly collect
the data required
ADAVANTAGES OF INDIRECT DATA
 Takes less time to gather
 Less costly than indirect data
 You can archive and store your data
 Being able to access larger sets of data
 Being able to access geographical locations
 Having access to data that was collected at the optimum time
 Being able to compare this data with your own
DISADVANTAGES OF INDIRECT DATA
 Might not know the exact source
 May not be the exact data you need
 You can’t know if it is reliable or compromised
 Being unable to fill any blanks in that data.
TYPES OF DATA
 Alphanumeric or text
 Number
 Currency
 Date/Time
 Autonumber
 Logical