Leon MutisyaIntroduction
In this article, we look into what is data analysis and techniques/tools commonly used in the domain. Understanding these concepts is essential to cope up with humongous data generated in many industries today and for its effective management and retrieval of useful information from it.
Data Analysis
Data analysis is the process of inspecting, cleansing, transforming, and modeling data with the goal of discovering useful information, informing conclusions, and supporting decision-making. Data analysis therefore plays a crucial role in the growth of diverse industries as we need to manage the countless bits of data that are streaming in to make informed business decisions.
Types of Data Analytics
Data Analysis can be divided into four main types among them;
Descriptive Data Analysis : which is the simplest type of analytics and the foundation the other types are built on by involving understanding past data
Diagnostic Analytics : which asks why a particular thing happened in regards to data and thus analyses past data
Predictive Analytics : which makes predictions as to future events by use of historical data and;
Prescriptive Analytics which deals with what next in regards to data recommending actions based on predictive analytics
Data Analytics Tools
1.Programming Languages
Python which is a popular close to human programming language with libraries like Pandas, NumPy, and SciPy
SQL which queries and manages databases
2.Data Visualization Tools & Statistical Analysis Tools
R which is a language tailored for statistical analysis and data visualization
Tableau which creates interactive dashboards
Power BI which is Microsoft's business analytics tool
Matplotlib and Seaborn which are python libraries for creating static, animated, and interactive visualizations
MS Excel which is a widely used spreadsheet software that offers basic statistical tool
SAS which is a premium statistical analysis platform offering GUI and scripting options for advanced analyses and publication of worthy graphics and charts
3.Machine Learning Libraries
- Python Libraries such as NumPy for high level mathematical functions
4.Big Data Tools such as NoSQL Databases like MongoDB which is designed for storing, retrieving, and managing big data
5.Business Intelligence Tools
QlikView which is a BI tool for transforming raw data into knowledge.
Looker which is a modern data platform that creates real-time dashboards and reports
Data Analytics Techniques
1.Data Collection which is where data is collected from a variety of sources either through interviews, downloads from online sources, or reading documentation and in different file formats and datasets
2.Data Processing where data is processed for analysis and may involve putting data into rows and columns
3.Data Cleaning where data is cleaned and processed . Here missing values are handled and we ensure that data is consistent.
4.Exploratory Data Analysis which is a method of taking a look at a dataset, summing up the essential elements; it often employs statistical graphics, along with other data visualization techniques. The additional cleaning of the data or some further transformations may be required in this step based on the preliminary findings.
In this stepEDA can have further cleaning and requests to the data and data visualization is also a technique used.
5.Data Classification and Clustering where this method identifies structures within a dataset. It’s like sorting objects into different boxes (clusters) based on their similarities. The data points within a similar group are similar to each other (homogeneous). Cluster analysis aims to find hidden patterns in the data.
6.Time Series Analysis
This process is used for those data points that are collected or recorded at regular time intervals. Analysis of time series enables identification of trends, cycles, and patterns over some time, thus very useful in projecting future events.
Conclusion
In today's data-driven world, a person has to understand data analysis and its processes. Data analysis plays a significant role in current operations, beginning with business and proceeding further to sports, medicine and marketing among other fields . This information enables an organization to make informed decisions that better equip it to forge ahead into the ever-changing global environment
