This International Standard defines a general data quality model for data retained in a structured format within a computer system. This International Standard focuses on the quality of the data as part of a computer system and defines quality characteristics for target data used by humans and systems. Target data are those that the organization decides to analyse and validate through the model; the term nontarget data covers two cases: the first refers to data that are not persistent such as data handled by an operating system; the second refers to data that could be within the scope of the standard, but an organization chooses to not apply the standard to them. In Figure 2 the structure of a general system is displayed in a diagram: this can include information systems which in turn can include one or more computer systems.