Infrastructure as data

We say "infrastructure as code", but I think what we really mean is "infrastructure as data". Let me explain. What comes to mind when we think of "infrastructure as code"? What are the benefits we want to gain from the "as code" part? I first think of the way we handle code using version control and continuous integration. The version control system gives us global atomic changes, history, test and approval workflows, and the ability to trigger downstream processes based on the changes. We can easily compar