Knowledge-Based Systems

14 Chapter 1 IntroduCtIon to Knowledge-Based systems

records of an enterprise’s activities, which are considered the basic building

blocks of any information system. Unfortunately, we need to process the data

before we can actually use it.

Ackoff (1989) writes, “Data are symbols that represent properties of ob-

jects, events, and their environments. They are products of observation. To

observe is to sense. The technology of sensing instrumentation is, of course,

to be highly developed.”

According to Machlup (1983), “Data are the things given to the analyst,

investigator, or problem-solver; they may be numbers, words, sentences, re-

cords, assumptions—just anything given, no matter what form and of what

origin. This used to be well known