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Information about Data File

A data file is a computer file which stores data for use by a computer application or system. It generally does not refer to files that contain instructions or code to be executed (typically called program files), or to files which define the operation or structure of an application or system (which include configuration files, directory files, etc.); but specifically to information used as input, and/or written as output by some other software program.

Data files come in two broad categories: open and closed.

Closed data file formats

Closed data (frequently referred to as proprietary format files) files have their metadata data elements hidden, obscured or unavailable to users of the file. Application developers do this to discourage users from tampering with or corrupting the data files or importing the data into a competitor's application. See vendor lock-in.

Open data file formats

Open data files have their internal structures available to users of the through a process of metadata publishing. Metadata publishing implies that the structure and semantics of all the possible data elements within a file are available to users.

Examples of open data files include XML formats such as HTML for storing web pages or SVG for storing scalable graphics.

Binary and ASCII data file formats

Data files are frequently stored in binary or ASCII file formats. ASCII file formats can usually be inspected and modified with an appropriate text or word-processor.

Binary files are usually not editable with a text or word processor.

Note that binary file formats are not necessarily closed. Some application vendors store data in a compressed file structure.

See also

computer file is a block of arbitrary information, or resource for storing information, which is available to a computer program and is usually based on some kind of durable storage.
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Application software is a subclass of computer software that employs the capabilities of a computer directly and thoroughly to a task that the user wishes to perform. This should be contrasted with system software which is involved in integrating a computer's various capabilities,
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System software is a generic term referring to any computer software which manages and controls the hardware so that application software can perform a task. It is an essential part of the computer system.
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Metadata is data about data. An item of metadata may describe an individual datum, or content item, or a collection of data including multiple content items.

Metadata (sometimes written 'meta data') is used to facilitate the understanding, use and management of data.
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In metadata, the term data element is an atomic unit of data that has:
  1. An identification such as a data element name
  2. A clear data element definition
  3. One or more representation terms
  4. Optional enumerated values Code (metadata)

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In economics, vendor lock-in, also known as proprietary lock-in, customer lock-in, lock-in is where a customer is dependent on a vendor for products and services and cannot move to another vendor without substantial switching costs, real and/or perceived.
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Metadata publishing is the process of making metadata data elements available to external users, both people and machines using a formal review process and a commitment to change control processes.
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The introduction to this article provides insufficient context for those unfamiliar with the subject matter.
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HTML (Hypertext Markup Language)

File extension: .html, .htm
MIME type: text/html
Type code: TEXT
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Scalable Vector Graphics

File extension: .svg, .svgz
MIME type: image/svg+xml[1]
Developed by: World Wide Web Consortium
Type of format: vector image format
Extended from: XML


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American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII), generally pronounced ask-ee IPA: /ˈæski/ ( [1] ), is a character encoding based on the English alphabet.
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A database index is a data structure that improves the speed of operations in a table. Indexes can be created using one or more columns, providing the basis for both rapid random lookups and efficient ordering of access to records.
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database is a structured collection of records or data that is stored in a computer system so that a computer program or person using a query language can consult it to answer queries. The records retrieved in answer to queries are information that can be used to make decisions.
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