MVvsdataF

MEMORY VARIABLE

The memory of a computer is organized into a regular pattern of containers for information. These containers for information are called "words". Each one has a numeric address and each one is the same size as each of the others. For most applications, it is inconvenient to refer to portions of memory by their numeric addresses, so programming languages allow us to allocate portions of memory by name. When we store information in the memory of a computer we need to decide on how much we need for various purposes and on how it will be organized. Programming languages provide mechanism for "types" of information in memory. They also provide mechanisms to identify repetitive arrays of items of the same type and to aggregate possibly heterogeneous types under a common name.

Conceptually the memory in a computer is very much like building lots laid out by lot number on a map of the streets of a city before any houses have been built.

It may be convenient to refer to buildings by names that help us remember who lives there. In using computer memory, can be helpful to refer to allocated portions of computer memory by names that help us remember the uses to which we are putting those portions of storage. In computing we call such names "variable" names.

A house has rooms into which we may cram only a certain amount of furniture. The words in a computer have a certain capacity, given in "bits", "nibbles", "characters", "bytes", "octets" "half-words" and other terms intended to convey a sense of smaller or larger portions of a word.

On modern computers, all the units of storage are effectively given in terms of "bits". A bit is a portion of memory which can hold either a "0" or a "1". The other terms mentioned above gone through historic changes and are likely to change again. Different computer manufacturers favored different numbers of bits in, say, a byte.At present, for the most popular desk-top computers and workstations, there is considerable agreement on the following sizes:

DATA FIELD

A data field is a place where you can store data. Commonly used to refer to a column in a database or a field in a data entry form or web form.

The field may contain data to be entered as well as data to be displayed.

A specific area of an electronic record allocated for a particular category of data, usually one data element, such as a name.

A data field is the smallest subdivision of the stored data that can be accessed. A data field can be used to store numerical information such as price, count or a date or time, or even a data and time. A pair of data fields can be used in combination to hold a geo-spatial coordinate. Also, a data field can be used to hold a block of text. A data field takes up permanent storage within the data-store.

The data-store is composed of a number of data records which are, in turn, composed of a number of predefined data fields. Each of these data fields must be defined within the Load Definition File with a unique name.

Data Types
A data field can be any one of four types:

Type	Description
Signed numeric data	Includes numeric values, bit masks, times and dates. May be filtered, sorted, displayed and used within formulas of all types.
String data	Consists of text blocks not exceeding 255 characters. May be sorted and displayed by Flexible Search.
Text data	Consists of text blocks of unlimited size. May only be displayed by Flexible Search, not sorted.
Attribute data	An array of boolean flags that can be turned on or off to set and check specific criteria. An attribute type can hold up to 1024 different attribute flags, each of which can be set to either true or false. However, space should only be set aside for the number of attributes required.

Temporary Fields
In addition, a numeric, string or text data field can be marked as temporary. Temporary fields are used for calculating values or indexing data. A temporary field is like a data field, but it does not take up any permanent storage within the data-store. It is used as a scratch location for holding temprorary data while it is being indexed or used within an expression to generate permanent data for a data field.

_TERMCONTRAST_

DATA vs. INFORMATION

Data is raw material & unorganized facts
that need to be processed
When data are processed, organized, structured or
presented in a given context so as to make them useful,
they are called Information.

Data are plain facts. The word "data" is plural for "datum."
When data are processed, organized, structured or presented in a
given context so as to make them useful, they are called Information.

It is not enough to have data (such as statistics on the economy).
Data themselves are fairly useless. But when these data are interpreted
and processed to determine its true meaning, they becomes useful and
can be called Information. Data is the computer's language.
Information is our translation of this language.

COMPUTER STORAGE vs. DATA STORAGE

Computer storage - an electronic memory device; "a memory and the CPU form
the central part of a computer to which peripherals are attached"
Computer data storage, often called storage or memory, refers to computer
components, devices, and recording media that retain digital data used
for computing for some interval of time. Computer data storage provides
one of the core functions of the modern computer, that of information
retention. It is one of the fundamental components of all modern computers,
and coupled with a central processing unit (CPU, a processor), implements
the basic computer model used since the 1940s.
In contemporary usage, memory usually refers to a form of semiconductor
storage known as random access memory (RAM) and sometimes other forms of
fast but temporary storage. Similarly, storage today more commonly refers
to mass storage - optical discs, forms of magnetic storage like hard disks,
and other types slower than RAM, but of a more permanent nature. Historically,
memory and storage were respectively called primary storage and secondary storage.
The contemporary distinctions are helpful, because they are also fundamental
to the architecture of computers in general. The distinctions also reflect
an important and significant technical difference between memory and mass
storage devices, which has been blurred by the historical usage of the term storage.
Nevertheless, this article uses the traditional nomenclature.

Data Storage
Data storage can refer to:

* Computer data storage; memory, components, devices and media that retain digital computer data used for computing for some interval of time.
* Any data storage device; that records (stores) or retrieves (reads) information (data) from any medium, including the medium itself.


OPERATING SYSTEM vs. COMPUTER SYSTEM

Operating system (commonly abbreviated to either OS or O/S) is an
interface between hardware
and user; it is responsible for the management and coordination
of activities and the sharing of the resources of the computer.
The operating system acts as a host for computing applications that are
run on the machine. As a host, one of the purposes of an operating system
is to handle the details of the operation of the hardware. This relieves
application programs from having to manage these details and makes it
easier to write applications. Almost all computers (including handheld
computers, desktop computers, supercomputers, video game consoles) as
well as some robots, domestic appliances (dishwashers, washing machines),
and portable media players use an operating system of some type. [1] Some of
the oldest models may however use an embedded operating system, that may be
contained on a compact disk or other data storage device.

Computer System:
A complete, working computer. The computer system includes not only
the computer, but also any software and peripheral devices that are
necessary to make the computer function. Every computer system, for example,
requires an operating system.