A dictionary of data terminology, striving to be witty.
Data (noun, plural; singular: datum): a list of things (singular: a thing), where each thing has attributes. A good example of a ~dataset~ is a contact list, where you have people, and people have attributes like Name, Email, Address, Phone, Super Powers, Favorite Bubble Tea flavor, etc.
Excel (noun): a Microsoft program that captures data in a spreadsheet. Sometimes people mean Excel the program; other times they mean Excel, a single spreadsheet. For example, “Can you open up the Excel?”
Single Source of Truth (noun): a fantasy of data nerds where people’s contact information is up to date. An actual, agreed upon spreadsheet, document or database that is widely trusted and frequently updated with contact info, donation info, action info, or anything else you want to keep track of!