Definition: Data consists of a series of facts or statements that may have been collected, stored, processed and/or manipulated but have not been organized or placed into context. When data is organized, it becomes information. Information can be processed and used to draw generalized conclusions or knowledge.
Examples:
A file listing all of the orders placed through an online service is an example of data. If we sort the data by ZIP code and summarize the number of orders that come from each city, we have created information. We can create knowledge by taking this information and making statements such as "Most orders for Widget X come from the northeastern United States."
