NOTE ON USE AND ORIGIN

This Glossary of Common Data Terms was developed locally as a non-technical resource for those interested in expanding their functional data vocabulary. This glossary contains commonly used data terms defined in easy-to-understand language. Although the definitions are informal and non-academic, the following academic texts heavily informed their development:

Shryock, H.S., and Siegel, J.S. The Methods and Materials of Demography. San Diego, CA: Academic Press, 1976.
Haupt, A. and Kane, T.T. Population Handbook. Washington, DC: Population Reference Bureau, Inc., 1978.

Click here for a printable version of the Glossary of Common Data Terms.

All | # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
There is currently 1 name in this directory beginning with the letter B.
Big data
the term is generally intended to mean datasets that are so large or complex that they can’t be handled – managed, analyzed, stored, transferred – using traditional data tools. Big data typically means petabytes of data (1,024 terabytes, where a terabyte is 1,024 gigabytes [GB]) or exabytes (1,024 petabytes) of data. By definition, the vast majority of data used regularly can be worked with Excel, Filemaker, Access, or a similar tool and is not big data. “Big data” is often misused as a buzzword synonymous to data or analytics.

 

 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Below are a few of the many free resources available online for those who would like to learn more about data, from the basics to advanced concepts and skills.

  1. School of Data. https://schoolofdata.org/handbook/courses/what-is-data/
  2. Data-Pop Alliance. http://datapopalliance.org/item/what-is-data-literacy/
  3. Oceans of Data Institute. http://oceansofdata.org/our-work/big-data-big-promise