Organisation and Structure of Data

Section 1: Understanding the Basics of Data

Data is raw, unorganised information that can be processed to produce meaningful knowledge.
It can exist in many forms, such as text, numbers, images, audio, or video.
When used in a computer, data is represented as a series of ones and zeros, a form known as binary. An individual 0 or 1 is known as a bit.

Section 2: Data Types and Structures

Data types determine the kind of information a piece of data holds. Common data types include integer (whole numbers), float (numbers with a decimal point), Boolean (true or false), and string (sequences of characters).
A data structure is a collection of data values, the relationships among them, and the functions or operations that can be applied to the data. Examples include arrays, lists, and databases.

Section 3: Array Structure

An Array is a data structure that stores a fixed-size sequence of elements of the same type.
The individual elements in an array can be identified by their index, which begins at 0 for the first element.

Section 4: List Structure

A List is a similar type of data structure to arrays, but unlike arrays, lists typically allow for a variable number of elements.
The elements in a list are also identified by their indexes.

Section 5: Database Structure

A Database is a collection of information that is organised so that it can easily be accessed, managed, and updated.
Data in a database is typically organised into tables, with each row representing an entity (like a person or an object) and each column representing an attribute of that entity.

Section 6: File Handling and Management

Computers use a system of directories, which are sometimes called folders, to organise files.
File path is the location of a file in a directory. It tells the computer where to find the information it needs to perform tasks.
Proper management of files and directories is crucial to ensuring that data can be accessed quickly and easily.

Section 7: Data Compression

Data compression is the process reducing the amount of space that data needs to be stored or the amount of capacity needed to transmit it.
Data compression can be lossless, where all original data can be recovered when the file is uncompressed, or lossy, where some data is lost but the file size is significantly reduced.

Section 8: Data Security and Protection

Data security involves measures to prevent unauthorised access, use, disclosure, disruption, modification, inspection, or destruction of information.
Data protection is not only crucial for maintaining privacy, but also for ensuring the integrity and availability of data.