Structured data is information arranged in a predictable shape so work can repeat. AI reads a messy transcript or email just fine, but a system that runs the same job every week needs the information in the same boxes every time. You don’t need a perfect database first: start with raw data, let AI turn it into structured records, and use a schema to say which boxes exist. A clean spreadsheet or an intake form counts too.
A tax organizer is the familiar version. Every client writes a different messy email full of income, expenses, dates, and questions. The organizer gives everyone the same boxes: name, entity, year, revenue, expenses, documents, open questions.
Why you care
This is the gap between “summarize this meeting” and “extract the client name, decision, owner, next action, and due date.” The first is pleasant to read. The second can feed a workflow. Keep the messy source for truth, then add enough structure for the work to travel.