"Data" refers to raw data, which is unprocessed, and "information" refers to processed data. Data can be organized as bits, bytes, fields, records, files, and databases. Units of measurment of capacity include kilobytes, megabytes, gigabytes, and terabytes.
Though used loosely all the time, the word data has some precise and distinc meanings, as follows:
Data can be considered the raw material-wether in paper, electronic, or other form-this is processed by the computer. In other words, data consists of the raw fact and figures that are processed into information. Information is summarized data or otherwise manipulated data.
Thus, the raw data of employees' hours woked and wage rates is processed by a computer into the information of paychecks and payroles. It is important to make the distinction between data and information.