Information - is the meaning that a human assigns to data. Knowledge is acquired when information is received.

Purpose - The aim or objective of the system and the reason the system exists. The purpose fulfils the needs of those for whom the system is created.

Environment - The circumstances and conditions that surround an information system. Everything that influences or is influenced by the system.

Participants - People who carry out or initiate information processes within an information system. An integral part of the system during information processing.

Information technology - The hardware and software used by an information system to carry out its information process.

Information processes - What needs to be done to transform the data into useful information. These actions coordinate and direct the system's resources to achieve the system's purpose.

Flat-file database - A single table of data stored as a single file. All rows (records) are composed of the same sequence of fields (attributes).

Normalisation - The process of normalising the design of the database to exclude redundant data. Progressively decomposing the design into a sequence of normal forms.

Redundant data - Unnecessary duplicate data. Reducing or preferably eliminating data redundancy is the aim of normalisation.

Hypertext - Bodies of text that are linked in a non-sequential manner. Each block of text contains links to other blocks of text.

Hypermedia - An extension of hypertext to include non-sequential links with other media types, such as image, audio and video.

Metadata - Data that defines or describes other data.

Data independence - The separation of data and its management from the software applications that process the data.

Back up - To copy files to a separate secondary storage device as a precaution in case the first device fails or data is lost.

Encryption - The process of making data unreadable by those who do not possess the decryption key.

Decryption - The process of decoding encrypted data using a key. The opposite of encryption.

View (or User View) - The restricted portion of a database made available to a user. Views select particular data but have no affect on the underlying organisation of the database.

Search - To look through a collection of data in order to locate required data.

Sort - To arrange a collection of items in some specified order.

QBE (Query By Example) - A visual method for specifying a query. Often search criteria are entered into fields within what appears to be an empty record.

Centralised Database - A single database under control of a single DBMS. All users and client applications connect directly to the DBMS.

Distributed Database - A set of connected databases stored on multiple computers that appears to users as a single database.

Search Engine - A program that builds an index of website content. Users can search the indexed content to locate relevant website content.

Data Validation - A check, at the time of data collection, to ensure the data is reasonable and meets certain criteria.

Data Integrity - A measure of how correct and accurately data reflects its source. The quality of the data.

Data Verification - A check to ensure the data collected and stored matches and continues to match the source of the data.

Data Mining - The process of discovering non-obvious patterns within large collections of data.

	Created by Skye Boulton over 11 years ago

HSC IPT Note on GLOSSARY, created by Skye Boulton on 25/09/2013.