Data Processing Task

A Data Processing Task is an processing task that requires the processing of datasets.

• AKA: DPT, Data Manipulation Task, Data Transformation Task.
• Context:
  • Input: dataset
    • optional: processing parameters
    • optional: data format specification
  • Output: Processed Dataset
  • Measure: Data Processing Quality Measures
  • ...
  • It can (typically) transform raw data into information
  • It can (typically) require computer programs
  • It can (typically) manipulate data structures
  • It can (often) perform data conversion
  • It can (often) involve data storage
  • ...
  • It can range from being a Small-Data Processing Task to being a Big-Data Processing Task, depending on its data volume
  • It can range from being a Data Pre-Processing Task to being a Data Post-Processing Task, depending on its processing stage
  • It can range from being a Batch Data Processing Task to being a Stream Data Processing Task, depending on its processing mode
  • It can range from being a Structured Data Processing Task to being an Unstructured Data Processing Task, depending on its data type
  • It can range from being a Data-Intensive Task to being a Data-Unintensive Task, depending on its computational requirement
  • It can range from being a Standalone Data Processing Task to being a Distributed Data Processing Task, depending on its processing architecture
  • ...
  • It can be solved by a Data Processing System (that implements a data processing algorithm)
  • It can be composed of a Data Import Task, a Data Manipulation Task and a Data Export Task
  • It can maintain Processing History (for tracking)
  • It can produce Processing Results (for evaluation)
  • ...
• Examples:
  • Data Acquisition Tasks, such as:
    • Data Entry Tasks for manual input
    • Data Import Tasks for automated input
    • Data Collection Tasks for distributed input
    • ...
  • Data Transformation Tasks, such as:
    • Data Validation Tasks for quality control
    • Data Sorting Tasks for organization
    • Extract-Transform-Load Tasks for data warehouses
    • ...
  • Data Preparation Tasks, such as:
    • Predictive Modeling Data Preparation Tasks for machine learning
    • Information Extraction Tasks for text mining
    • Taxonomy Processing Tasks, such as CoA processing
    • ...
  • Signal Processing Tasks, such as:
    • ....
  • Information Processing Tasks, such as:
    • ....
  • ...
• Counter-Example(s):
  • Data Analysis Tasks, which interpret rather than process data
  • Sensing Tasks, which collect rather than process data
  • Data Storage Tasks, which maintain rather than transform data
• See: Data Processing Act, Calculation Task, Information Processing Task, Data Management Task.

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References

2009

• (WordNet, 2009) ⇒ http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=data%20processing
  • S: (n) data processing ((computer science) a series of operations on data by a computer in order to retrieve or transform or classify information)
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_data_processing
  • Computer data processing is any process that uses a computer program to enter data and summarise, analyse or otherwise convert data into usable information. The process may be automated and run on a computer. It involves recording, analysing, sorting, summarising, calculating, disseminating and storing data. Because data are most useful when well-presented and actually informative, data-processing systems are often referred to as information systems. Nevertheless, the terms are roughly synonymous, performing similar conversions; data-processing systems typically manipulate raw data into information, and likewise information systems typically take raw data as input to produce information as output.

    Data processing may or may not be distinguished from data conversion, when the process is merely to convert data to another format, and does not involve any data manipulation.

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