Data: Facts and records that are collected and stored — such as orders, clicks, marks or messages — which software uses, shows or analyses.
Example
Every time someone places an order, the system records data like the date, amount and items bought.
Why Data matters for IT interns
Almost every IT role works with data in some way, from storing it to analysing it.
Where you will hear it
You will hear this term in data, analytics, and AI work, and increasingly in general software teams too. If someone uses it and you are not sure what they mean in your project, it is completely fine to ask; every team uses terms a little differently.
Related terms
- Analytics: Using data to measure and understand what is happening — usage, performance and trends — usually through…
- API: A defined way for one piece of software to talk to another.
- Artificial Intelligence (AI): The broad field of building systems that do tasks which normally need human intelligence, such as…
- Data Analysis: Examining data to find patterns, answer questions and support decisions, often with Excel, SQL, Python or…
- Data Science: Using statistics, programming and machine learning to find insights in data and build models that make…
- Database: An organised place where an application stores and finds data, such as users, orders or products.
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Related guides
Frequently asked questions
What is Data?
Facts and records that are collected and stored — such as orders, clicks, marks or messages — which software uses, shows or analyses.
What is an example of Data?
Every time someone places an order, the system records data like the date, amount and items bought.
Why does Data matter for IT interns?
Almost every IT role works with data in some way, from storing it to analysing it.
Explore more internship terms
The IT Internship Glossary explains 199 terms you will hear before and during your internship, with simple definitions and real examples.
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About the author
Dhaivat has 16+ years of experience in the IT industry, working on AI and cloud technologies, project delivery, and engineering leadership. He has interviewed and mentored many interns, wrote The Lost Intern, and runs the non-commercial Career Impact Initiative, mentoring students for free.