Apply It 17.2: How Businesses Use Information

  • Understand the difference between data and information
  • Recognize different types of data that businesses collect
  • Understand the difference between data mining and data warehousing
  • Explain how businesses use information

How Businesses Use Information

woman in graduation regalia throwing confetti
Figure 1. Your school collects many types of information about you that can be used in different ways.

Did you ever think about how much data you yourself generate? Just remember what you went through to start college. First, you had to fill out application or enrollment forms asking you about high school grades and demographic data. You might have also provided financial data to see if you qualified for financial aid. When you registered for classes, you gave more data to the registrar’s office. When you arrived on campus, you gave out still more data to have your ID picture taken, to get your computer connected to the school network, and to use your bookstore account. Once you started classes, data generation continued on a daily basis: whenever you use your ID on campus, when you log in to the school’s systems, when your professors enter your grades.

How could the school use your information?