Qualification:
Cambridge Advanced Nationals in Computing (AAQ)
Certificate:
Computing: Application Development (H029 / H129)
Unit:
F161: Developing Application Software
2.3 - Data States
Watch on YouTube:
Data States
You need to understand the characteristics and uses of the three data states (at rest, in transit (in motion) and in use)
What You Need to Know
Data States
Data states describe what is happening to data at a particular time - whether it is being stored, transferred or actively used.
At Rest
Data is at rest when it is stored on a device or storage system and is not currently being transferred or processed. It remains in a stable state until it is accessed, changed or deleted.
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It is for when data needs to be stored for later use, such as files saved on an SSD, customer details in a database or photos stored on a phone.
In Transit
Data in transit (also known as data in motion) is actively moving from one location or device to another, often across a network. It may be sent to multiple users but is susceptible to interception or security attacks while being transferred.
It is used when data needs to be sent or shared, such as loading a webpage, sending an email, uploading a file to cloud storage or streaming a video.
In Use
Data in use is currently being accessed, processed or changed by a user, application or computer system.
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It is used when an application needs to work with data, such as editing a document, calculating values in a spreadsheet, processing a database search or editing graphics.
Questo's Questions
2.3 - Data States:
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1. What is meant by a data state? ​[1]​
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2. Describe the characteristics of data at rest, data in transit and data in use. ​[2 each]
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3. Give two examples of when data would be at rest, in transit and in use. ​[2 each]
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4. Explain how the same piece of data could move between all three data states. ​[3]
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5. What might data in transit be particularly susceptible to? [2]
When you stream a film on Netflix, its data can move through different states: it is at rest on a server, in transit while being sent across the internet, and in use when your device processes it for playback.