What is the difference between information and insights?

It is undeniable that data has meant a revolution for the business world. Since companies have realized the value found in their databases, the way they collect and treat it has changed a lot, both in terms of quantity and quality.

Bismart difference between data and information insights

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However, having data does not provide business intelligence, but there must be a strategy that allows us to detect the information needs of the company, to properly analyze the data and to be able to communicate the information they give us and to interpret the insights generated from them so that they become actions.

Let's review the definitions of data, information and insight:

Data is the raw facts (numbers, words, images...) that are collected according to agreed standards. These standards are paramount, as they allow for uniform data that can be processed more efficiently. One of the most important steps in a data analysis strategy is the definition of the standards to be applied. This means that when we start an analysis project, we must evaluate the client's data structure and normalize the data to ensure that we are measuring the facts correctly.

Information is the set of data points that we use to understand an aspect of what is being measured. In other words, it is data that has been processed so that it can be displayed in a much more understandable format, such as data visualizations, reports or dashboards. However, information alone does not change the world, but we must interpret it to generate strategic actions for improvement. For this there are insights.

Insights are the result of the analysis of data and information that help to understand what is happening in a specific context and to generate these strategic actions. Insights are the key to understanding our target audience, creating better products and knowing and discovering markets. Good insight is born from analysis and research, but it depends on the right objectives and good data collection methods.

The following is an example of our Customer ABC solution where you can see how to move from data to valuable insights:

Bismart from data to business data and insights

In this example, the data are presented in a way that is easy to understand, allows knowledge to be gained and decisions to be made.

For this reason, when we talk about data-driven industries or strategies, what we are saying is that data is the fuel that allows these changes or strategic actions to be reached. Knowing these definitions reminds us of the importance of dealing with data efficiently: not by having data will we get intelligence, but we must know which kind we need, how we measure it, what it shows us and how we interpret it.