In computing, data is information translated into a form that is efficient for movement or processing. Relative to today's computers and transmission media, data is information converted into binary digital form. It is acceptable to use data as a singular subject or a plural subject. Raw data is a term that describes data in its most basic digital format.
The concept of data in the context of computing has its roots in the work of Claude Shannon, an American mathematician known as the father of information theory. He ushered in binary digital concepts based on applying two-value Boolean logic to electronic circuits. Binary digit formats underlie the CPUs, semiconductor memories and disk drives, as well as many of the peripheral devices common in computing today. Early computer input for control and data took the form of punch cards, followed by magnetic tape and the hard disk.
Early on, data's importance in business computing became apparent by the popularity of the terms data processing and electronic data processing, which, for a time, encompassed the full gamut of what is now known as information technology. Over the history of corporate computing, specialization occurred, and a distinct data profession emerged along with growth of corporate data processing.