📋 Data Formats
There are different types of data formats...
Types:
- Program files, Document (word processes) files, images, videos, Sound/music, spreadsheets.
Formats:
Document/Word Process: .docx, .txt, .pages, .rtf, .odt
Spreadsheet: .xlsx, .numbers, .ods, .csv, .tsv
Images: .jpg, .jpeg, .png, .bmp, .tiff, .svg
Sound: .mp3, .wav, .ogg, .wma
Video: .mp4, .mov, .avi, .mkv
Compress: .zip, .rar, .7zip, .gz, .tar
We have different file formats because:
- Standards
- File size
- Compatibility
- Quality
- Editing
Compression:
- Lossy
- Loose quality, file size smaller
- Lossless
- Keep quality, file size a little smaller
PNG vs JPG
PNG will be the same after compression, it is lossless compression.
JPG quality is lower than PNG, it is lossy compression.
File structures
File based structure (flat files)
Data grouped based on a type of file.
One file, that stores data in a logical format.
Example
Spreadsheet
Directory Based Structure
Data in files within separate organised folders. Structure tends to be hierarchical.
Realational database models
Organised data in tables, which are linked together. Data is a particular scenario.
Advantages
- Flexible in handline data
- Organised data in separate tables
- Simpler compared to other models
- Easy to back up data
Disadvantages
- Initial setup costs are expensive
- Can get slow peformance, depending on data stored
- Can be complex to store large amounts of data
Flat files vs Relational database structure
Disadvantages
- Flat files are less secure
- Flat files can get data entry errors
- Flat files have repeated data, causing confusion and update errors
- Difficult to update
Advantages
- Flat files are easy to manage, due to one file
- Flat files require less hardware/software
- Easier to unserstand and setup