The data as an asset
How to value data inside a company that is being bought
Updated
When a company is bought, its data stops being part of a multiple and becomes an asset on the buyer's books with its own value.
The price is split across assets
Under IFRS 3 the acquirer measures the cost at the fair value of what it paid, allocates that cost to the identifiable assets and liabilities at their fair values, and puts the rest to goodwill. In the US, section 1060 has the price in an asset acquisition allocated among the assets the same way as under section 338(b)(5).
Fair value has a definition
IFRS 13 defines fair value, sets a framework for measuring it and requires disclosures, and applies whenever another standard requires a fair value measurement.