Showing papers on "Data element published in 1968"

Data base or data maze? An exploration of entry points

Abstract: What is a data base? An answer to this question could go something like this: “a collection of data, organized in some fashion, which is both the source and the repository of its creators' knowledge of a given topic”. A library can be a data base; so can a filing cabinet, or a general ledger. However, the current discussion deals primarily with computerized data bases, consisting of individually accessible elements stored on random access storage devices. Within a data base both the organization and the content assume importance. It is not enough to know that a specific data element may be there; one must also know how to find it. Without the knowledge of its organization the data base can assume the discouraging aspect of a data maze.