Thinking purely using a non legal mind trying to grasp legal concepts: If source code is akin to a machine whose inner workings can be patented, then data is a

Thinking purely using a non legal mind trying to grasp legal concepts: If source code is akin to a machine whose inner workings can be patented, then data is akin to a physical object. A physical object could be a machine or it could be a creation made by a machine or both. Data is similar - it can be made by software or it could be software or both. Is this the right way to think about how the legal system views software and data? PS I’m in the US but interested to hear how this may vary from one country to another.