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Re: [ontolog-forum] What is Data? What is a Datum? 2013-01-09-0930

To: ontolog-forum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
From: Kingsley Idehen <kidehen@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Fri, 11 Jan 2013 13:22:24 -0500
Message-id: <50F05860.10906@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
On 1/11/13 11:45 AM, Ed Barkmeyer wrote:
> In my view, a table for which you don't know how to interpret a row is
> not 'data'; it is just an image.    (01)

Or at best: semi-structured data due to fuzziness.    (02)

>   It might as well be a JPEG of a
> drawing.    (03)

Yes, and this is where RDBMS vendors have pulled off a nice (somewhat 
justifiable circa., 70's) illusion by aggressively laying claim to the 
phrase "structured data" even though its all about an end-user oriented 
illusion for the sake of easier comprehension.    (04)

>   One might say that it is 'data' in the sense that the
> interpretation is "In row 3, column B is 5", but then that is a sentence.    (05)

Yep, and there's an interpreter (the RDBMS software)  that pulls that 
off :-)
>
> -Ed    (06)


--     (07)

Regards,    (08)

Kingsley Idehen 
Founder & CEO
OpenLink Software
Company Web: http://www.openlinksw.com
Personal Weblog: http://www.openlinksw.com/blog/~kidehen
Twitter/Identi.ca handle: @kidehen
Google+ Profile: https://plus.google.com/112399767740508618350/about
LinkedIn Profile: http://www.linkedin.com/in/kidehen    (09)

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