Chapter 1.6

The Life Cycle of Data: Understanding Data Over Time

Abstract

Corporate data include everything found in the corporation in the way of data. The most
basic division of corporate data is by structured data and unstructured data. As a rule,
there is much more unstructured data than structured data. Unstructured data have two
basic divisions—repetitive data and nonrepetitive data. Big data is made up of
unstructured data. Nonrepetitive big data has a fundamentally different form than
repetitive unstructured big data. In fact, the differences between nonrepetitive big data
and repetitive big data are so large that they can be called the boundaries of the “great
divide.” The divide is so large that many professionals are not even aware that there is
this divide. As a rule, nonrepetitive big data has MUCH greater business value than
repetitive big data.

Keywords

Structured data; Unstructured data; Corporate data; Repetitive data; Nonrepetitive data;
Business value; The great divide of data; Big data

Data in the corporation have a predictable life cycle. The life cycle applies to most data.
There are however a few exceptions. Some data do not follow the life cycle that will be
described (but most does). The life cycle of data looks like the diagram shown in Figs.
1.6.1 and 1.6.2.

Fig. 1.6.1 The life cycle of data.

Fig. 1.6.2 The life cycle of data.

Chapter 1.6: The Life Cycle of Data: Understanding Data Over Time