Data and information management

Organisations live on data. Managing it well means collecting it accurately, storing it safely, processing it into information, and protecting it from loss or misuse.

• The data–information cycle: collect → capture → process → store → communicate.
• Accurate input matters: garbage in, garbage out (GIGO).
• Validation (is the data sensible?) and verification (was it captured correctly?) protect quality.
• Backups protect against loss; access control protects against misuse.
• POPIA (Protection of Personal Information Act) governs how South African organisations may handle personal data.

• GIGO — wrong input produces wrong output, no matter how good the program is.
• Validation — automatic checks such as range checks and format checks at input time.
• Backup — a second copy of data kept in case the original is lost or damaged.