Data refers to the numbers, strings, and other information that you can manipulate within Flash.

You can define data in variables within Flash, or you can load data from external files or sites using XML, web services, built-in ActionScript classes, and so on. You can store data in a database, and then represent that information in several ways in a SWF file. This can include displaying the information in text fields or components, or displaying images in movie clip instances.

Some of the most common kinds of data include strings (a sequence of characters, such as names and passages of text), numbers, objects (such as movie clips), Boolean values (true and false), and so on.