Suodata

Suodata is a Finnish verb meaning to filter, that is, to pass a substance or signal through a filter or sieve in order to remove unwanted parts, or to select items from a larger set by applying criteria so that only desired ones remain. The term is used in everyday language as well as in technical and computing contexts. In physical contexts, it can describe filtering liquids, air, or other materials through a filter, strain, or mesh. In data and information contexts, it refers to applying criteria to reduce a dataset, such as filtering search results, filtering email, or filtering rows in a table.

Related nouns include suodatin, which denotes a device or component that performs filtration, and suodatus, which denotes the process of filtering. The result of filtering can be described as suodatettu (filtered) in passive constructions. The concept is widely used across domains such as cooking, laboratory work, photography, and information technology, where filtering helps isolate relevant material, remove noise, or screen out undesired items.

In everyday use, suodata can imply both physical and abstract filtering. For example, one might say that water is filtered through a cartridge, or that a dataset is filtered to include only recent records. The term encompasses a range of methods, from simple sieving to complex algorithmic criteria in software applications.

See also: suodatin, suodatus, suodattaa.