# Source data

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{{Short description|Raw data that has not been processed for meaningful use to become information}}
'''Source data''' is [raw data](/source/raw_data) (sometimes called atomic data) that has not been processed for meaningful use to become [Information](/source/Information).<ref>[https://searchdatamanagement.techtarget.com/definition/raw-data Raw data (source data or atomic data)], Margaret Rouse, techtarget.com, retrieved 25 June 2014 </ref>
==Examples==
* Data entered at a till in a store
* A list of information about customers used in a mail merge in Word Processing<ref>[http://wordprocessing.about.com/cs/glossary/g/Datasource.htm Data Source], James Marshall, About.com</ref>
* Handwritten notes or printed documents, before they are typed in, such as an order form or CV<ref>[http://lookup.computerlanguage.com/host_app/search?cid=C999999&term=source+data&lookup.x=0&lookup.y=0 Source Data] Computer Desktop Encyclopedia</ref>
* Research data<ref>Source Data, McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms</ref> such as air temperature measurements

==Risks==
Often when [data](/source/data) is captured in one [electronic system](/source/electronic_system) and then transferred to another, there is a loss of [audit trail](/source/audit_trail) or the inherent data cannot be absolutely verified. There are systems that provide for absolute data [export](/source/export) but then the system imported into has to allow for all available data [field](/source/Field_(computer_science))s to be imported. Similarly, there are [transaction](/source/Database_transaction) logs in many modern [database](/source/database) systems. The acceptance of these transaction records into any new system could be very important for any verification of such imported data.{{cn|date=June 2014}}

In research, gaining access to source data may be cumbersome. Particularly where [sensitive personal data](/source/Information_privacy) is involved, [security](/source/Information_security) and [redaction](/source/redaction) (obscuring information) may be an issue.<ref>[https://users.ece.gatech.edu/~dblough/research/papers/amiaSummit13.pdf Redactable and Auditable Data Access for Bioinformatics Research] Jordan Brown et al, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, GA</ref>

==See also==
* [Computer Assisted Auditing Techniques](/source/Computer_Assisted_Auditing_Techniques)
* [Cooked data](/source/Cooked_data)
* [Information](/source/Information)
* [Information technology audit process](/source/Information_technology_audit_process)
* [Primary data](/source/Primary_data) and [Secondary data](/source/Secondary_data)

==References==
{{reflist}}

Category:Digital media
Category:Computer data

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Source data](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Source_data) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Source_data?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.