External data refers to information that is obtained from sources outside of an organization, which is used to make informed decisions. The spelling of this term is as follows: /ɪkˈstɜː.nəl/ + /ˈdeɪ.tə/. The first syllable, "ex-", is pronounced as "ik-s" and rhymes with "ticks". The second syllable, "tern", is pronounced as "stern" and rhymes with "burn". Finally, the word "data" is pronounced as "day-ta" or "dæ-tə" depending on pronunciation preference. External data can provide valuable insights, helping businesses make data-driven decisions.
External data refers to any information or data that is obtained from sources outside of an organization or system. It includes data that is collected or generated by sources external to the entity or data that is acquired from third-party providers.
External data can come in various forms and from multiple sources, such as public databases, government sources, research reports, surveys, social media platforms, or through partnerships with other organizations. This data is not initially created or owned by the organization using it, but is gathered from external sources to supplement their own internal data.
Organizations often rely on external data to augment their existing data assets and gain additional insights and perspectives. This external information can provide valuable context, trends, patterns, market intelligence, or customer behavior analysis. It can help organizations answer critical questions, make informed decisions, improve performance, and enhance overall understanding of their operations or the markets in which they operate.
External data can be obtained through various means, such as manual data entry, data mining, web scraping, APIs (Application Programming Interfaces), or data subscriptions. It is usually processed and integrated with internal data sets to provide a comprehensive view or to derive meaningful insights. Accuracy, reliability, and credibility of external data sources are important considerations to ensure the quality and reliability of the insights derived from it.
The word "external" originates from the Latin word "externus", which means "outward" or "from outside". It is derived from the combination of two Latin words: "ex", meaning "out of", and "ternus", meaning "to turn". Over time, "externus" evolved into the Old French word "externe", which then merged into Middle English as "external".
The word "data" comes from the Latin word "datum", which means "a thing given" or "a fact". It is the neuter form of the Latin past participle "datus", derived from the verb "dare", meaning "to give".
Thus, the term "external data" refers to information or facts that come from outside sources or are given by external entities.