MIS Exam 2 Review Topics

What do people mean when they refer to "Big Data"? What are the "5 V's" that describe it? Know what each "V" means and be able to recognize examples of each.

-Big Data is the increasingly HUGE collection of data captured from the world. It has grown beyond the capabilities of traditional data processing tools and applications. -The "5 V's" are: 1. Volume- sheet qty of data being gathered and stored 2. Velocity- speed at which new data are gathered and stored 3. Variety- variety of the kinds of new data 4. Veracity- the quality (accuracy, credibility) of data 5. Value- what you can do with the data

Why should we, in a business, avoid using spreadsheets to store important data and instead use a database management system? Know at least 3 reasons.

-Data redundancy: unnecessary duplication -Data inconsistency: inconsistent data -Data isolation: difficult to do efficient data retrieval and search -Data insecurity: easy to get access to it -Data errors: easy to make errors -Poor data integrity: result of all the the above -*Spreadsheets are good for analyzing and displaying information visually

What is the difference between structured and unstructured data? Know a few examples of each. Which is easier for businesses to process, and why?

-Structured data is clearly defined (facts, numbers, dates, specific) and can therefore be easily organized and searchable. -Unstructured data is essentially "everything else." It includes formats like audio, video, and social media postings. It has an internal structure but not structured via predefined data models or schema. -It's easier for businesses to process structured data because of how much easier it is to organize and search/retrieve.

What are a few of the challenges that Big Data presents to businesses?

The vast amount of growing data is a bit of a challenge in itself, but the unstructured portion of Big Data makes it difficult to manage. We still don't have good techniques for indexing and analyzing it.