aggregate (computer) definition

The term “aggregate” can refer to a number of things, including data that is made up of smaller segments of information that come together to create a greater whole.  The term may also refer to a software program created to gather data from several sources.  For instance, a computer user could employ a RSS aggregator that gathers common web pages RSS gives and immediately view all the latest details on the pages without needing to go to every site individually.  In computer programming, the term “aggregate” refers to a kind of object composition in which only some of the containing objects will be eradicated when the owning object is eradicated.