Differentiating Structured From Unstructured Data
The modern world revolves around data. As a
matter of fact, this includes even business entities. Business entities
throughout the calendar handle large chunks of data. The data handling must be
in an organized manner or in an unorganized manner so that it can be well
arranged. There are two types of data, i.e. Structured and Unstructured Data.
In this article, let’s dive into their differences and why the classification
is necessary..
Structured
Data
Structured data complies with a data model,
has a clearly defined structure, follows a consistent order, and is simple for
a person or computer program to access and utilize. Typically, structured data
is kept in databases or other places with clear schemas. Typically, it is
tabular with well-defined headings for columns and rows in each of its
properties. To manage structured data kept in databases, SQL (Structured Query
language) is frequently utilized.
Characteristics
of Structured Data
i) Data is structured clearly and complies
with a data model.
ii) Rows and columns are the primary data
storage formats.
iii) Data is well-organized so that its
Definition, Format, and Meaning are all well understood.
iv) Within a record or file, data is stored in
fixed fields.
v) Classes or relations are formed by grouping
together similar things.
vi) The properties of entities in the same
group are the same.
vii) Data is easily accessed and queried,
making it accessible to other programmes.
viii) Addressable data pieces allow for quick
analysis and processing.
Pros of
Structured Data
i) Data can be indexed based on text strings
as well as attributes since structured data has a well-defined structure that
makes it easy to store and access data. This makes conducting searches simple.
ii) Data mining is simple, making it simple to
extract knowledge from data.
iii) Operations like updating and deleting are
simple since the data is well-structured.
iv) Operations involving business
intelligence, such as data warehousing, are simple to carry out.
v) Easily scalable in the event of an increase
in data.
vi) Data security is best ensured.
Cons of
Structured Data
i) Use is constrained by a specific goal:
Structured data has several advantages, including the ability to define data
on-write, but it is also true that data with a preset structure can only be
utilized for that purpose. This limits the use cases and flexibility of the
system.
ii) Limited storage possibilities: Data
warehouses are often where structured data is kept. Data warehouses are
structured data storage solutions. Any change in requirements necessitates
updating all of that structured data to fit the new criteria, which consumes a
significant amount of time and resources. Utilizing a cloud-based data
warehouse can reduce costs in part because it enables better scalability and
eliminates the need for on-site equipment upkeep.
Some of the sources of Structured data are
SQL, OLTP Systems, Excel sheets, and so on.
Unstructured
Data
We’ve looked into what Structured Data is and
its parameters. We’ll now dive into the concept of Unstructured Data, and its
parameters.
Unstructured data is any data that does not
adhere to a data model and has no obvious organization, making it difficult for
computer programmes to use. Unstructured data is not well suited for a common
relational database since it is not organized in a predefined way or does not
have a predefined data model.
Characteristics
of Unstructured Data
i) Data is unstructured and does not follow a
data model.
ii) Rows and columns, as used in databases,
cannot be used to store data.
iii) Data does not adhere to any rules or
semantics.
iv) Data does not follow a specific format or
order.
v) Data lacks a well-defined structure.
vi) The lack of a recognizable structure makes
it difficult for computer programs to use.
Pros of
Unstructured Data
i) It supports information that is not
properly formatted or ordered.
ii) There is no fixed schema that restricts
the data.
iii) Due to the lack of a schema, it is
flexible.
iv) Data is scalable and portable.
v) It can manage the diversity of sources with
ease.
vi) There are lots of business intelligence
and analytics applications for this type of data.
Cons of
Unstructured Data
i) Due to a lack of schema and organization,
it is challenging to store and handle unstructured data.
ii) Due to the data's ambiguous structure and
lack of pre-defined properties, indexing is challenging and error-prone. Search
results are therefore not particularly accurate.
Data security is a challenging issue.
Some of the sources of Unstructured Data
include pictures, web pages, videos, etc.
Conclusion
In this article, we have brought out the
differences between Structured and
Unstructured Data. Structured Query Language is used to extract data, and
acts as a powerful tool for the same. Structured Query Language is a powerful
backend tool. One has to be strong in SQL, to fetch a Back-end Developer role. Back-End developers are in huge
demand by top product-based organizations nowadays. There are many institutes
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