Page 50 - Using MIS

18 Chapter 1 The Importance of MIS

However, show that graph to your family dog. Does your dog find information in that
graph? Well, nothing about Amazon.com, anyway. The dog might learn what you had for lunch,
but it won’t obtain any information about Amazon.com’s stock price over time.
Reflect on this experiment and you will realize that the graph is not, itself, information. The
graph is data that you and other humans perceive, and from that perception you conceive infor-
mation. In short, if it’s on a piece of paper or on a digital screen, it’s data. If it’s in the mind of a
human, it’s information.
Why, you’re asking yourself, do I care? Well, for one, it further explains why you, as a hu-
man, are the most important part of any information system you use. The quality of your think-
ing, of your ability to conceive information from data, is determined by your cognitive skills. The
data is just the data, the information you conceive from it is the value that you add to the informa-
tion system.
Furthermore, people have different perceptions and points of view. Not surprisingly, then,
they will conceive different information from the same data. You cannot say to someone, “Look,
it’s right there in front of you, in the data” because it’s not right there in the data. Rather, it’s in
your head and in their heads, and your job is to explain what you have conceived so that others
can understand it.
Finally, once you understand this, you’ll understand that all kinds of common sentences
make no sense. “I sent you that information” cannot be true. “I sent you the data, from which
you conceived the information” is the most we can say. During your business career, this obser-
vation will save you untold frustration if you remember to apply it.

Q6 What Are Necessary Data Characteristics?

You have just learned that humans conceive information from data. As stated, the quality of
the information that you can create depends, in part, on your thinking skills. It also depends,
however, on the quality of the data that you are given. Figure 1-7 summarizes critical data
characteristics.

Accurate
First, good information is conceived from accurate, correct, and complete data that has been
processed correctly as expected. Accuracy is crucial; business professionals must be able to rely
on the results of their information systems. The IS function can develop a bad reputation in the
organization if a system is known to produce inaccurate data. In such a case, the information
system becomes a waste of time and money as users develop work-arounds to avoid the inac-
curate data.
A corollary to this discussion is that you, a future user of information systems, ought not to
rely on data just because it appears in the context of a Web page, a well-formatted report, or a
fancy query. It is sometimes hard to be skeptical of data delivered with beautiful, active graphics.
Do not be misled. When you begin to use a new information system, be skeptical. Cross-check

• Accurate
• Timely
• Relevant
– To context
– To subject
Figure 1-7 • Just sufficient
Data Characteristics Required • Worth its cost
for Good Information