A newer type of database that’s more flexible than SQL. Great for unstructured data like social posts.

Data that’s too huge and complex for traditional databases. Requires special tools to store and analyze.

Analyzing large data sets to uncover patterns and insights. Machine learning plays a big role here.

1,024 GB. The usual size of a computer hard drive these days.

An organized collection of data, typically stored electronically. Excel spreadsheets are like mini databases.

Structured Query Language. The programming language most databases use for managing data. Pronounced “sequel”.

8 bits lumped together. Represents a single character, like the letter ‘A’ or a dollar sign.

1,048,576 bytes, or 1024 kilobytes. A typical MP3 song is a few MB.

1,024 MB. About the size of a movie download or modern video game.

The smallest unit of data. It’s either a 1 or a 0, corresponding to an electrical switch being on or off.