Structured data is data that is organized in a way that is highly formatted and easily searchable. Structured data is arranged in rows and columns, with each piece of information being of a defined type (numbers, dates, text, times, etc). Structured data makes it easy to perform searches, queries, or analysis procedures.
The data in structured data follows a very specific scheme, meaning each item in a column fits a defined data type. Because it’s well-organized, it’s easy to work with. It’s consistent, making it reliable and predictable for analysis. This is important because consistent data is a key to making accurate data-driven decisions. Structured data is often stored in relational databases where relationships between different tables of data can be easily managed. The easy to understand format of structured data makes it ideal for efficient data management.