< DATA >

~ typically the results of measurements and can be the basis of graphs, images, 

or observations of a set of variables.

~Data can exist in a variety of forms -- as numbers or text on pieces of paper, as bits 

and bytes stored in electronic memory, or as facts stored in a person's mind.

~ In database management systems, data files are the files that store the database information, whereas other files, such as index files and data dictionaries, store administrative information, known as metadata.

 citation:

• http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/D/data.html
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data