Reading Notes

WEEK 1
Program description and course syllabus
Hello and welcome! The program you are about to explore is specifically designed to help every
type of learner successfully finish the certificate and become an entry-level junior or associate
data analyst. No previous data analytics, mathematics, or statistical experience is required. To
succeed, you just need to be open to learning how data influences the world.
Become job-ready
Every day, the amount of data out there gets bigger and bigger. So the ability to interpret it
effectively is more important than ever before. Data analytics is becoming one of the fastest-
growing and most rewarding career choices in the world. In the next decade, the demand for
business analytics skills will probably be higher than the demand for any other career (10.9% vs.
5.2%) (Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics). All kinds of companies all over the world need
qualified data analysts to solve problems and help them make the best possible business
decisions. And right now, fifty-nine percent of companies have plans to add even more positions
requiring data analysis skills (Source: SHRM). By the time you are done with this program, you
will be well-prepared to make smart, strategic, data-driven recommendations for organizations in
all kinds of industries.
During each course of the program, you will complete lots of hands-on assignments and projects
based on both day-to-day life and the practical activities of a data analyst. Along the way, you will
learn how to ask the right questions and understand objectives. You will also learn how to
effectively clean and organize large amounts of data to make it ready for high-quality analysis.
On top of that, you will get hands-on experience using all kinds of tools and techniques that will
help you recognize patterns and uncover relationships between data points. And to help you
communicate the results of your analysis, you will learn how to design visuals and dashboards.
There is even an opportunity to create a case study, which you can highlight in your resume to
show what you have learned to potential employers.
Course overview
The entire program has eight courses. This is the first course and it covers about five weeks of
material.
1. Foundations: Data, Data, Everywhere (this course)

2. Ask Questions to Make Data-Driven Decisions
3. Prepare Data for Exploration
4. Process Data from Dirty to Clean
5. Analyze Data to Answer Questions
6. Share Data Through the Art of Visualization
7. Data Analysis with R Programming
8. Google Data Analytics Capstone: Complete a Case Study
Course content
Course 1– Foundations: Data, Data, Everywhere
1. Introducing data analytics: Data helps us make decisions, in everyday life and in
business. In this first part of the course, you will learn how data analysts use tools of
their trade to inform those decisions. You will also get to know more about this
course and the overall program expectations.
2. Thinking analytically: Data analysts balance many different roles in their work. In
this part of the course, you will learn about some of these roles and the key skills
that are required. You will also explore analytical thinking and how it relates to data-
driven decision making.
3. Exploring the wonderful world of data: Data has its own life cycle, and data
analysts use an analysis process that cuts across and leverages this life cycle. In
this part of the course, you will learn about the data life cycle and data analysis
process. They are both relevant to your work in this program and on the job as a
future data analyst. You will be introduced to applications that help guide data
through the data analysis process.
4. Setting up a data toolbox: Spreadsheets, query languages, and data visualization
tools are all a big part of a data analyst’s job. In this part of the course, you will learn
the basic concepts to use them for data analysis. You will understand how they work
through examples provided.
5. Discovering data career possibilities: All kinds of businesses value the work that
data analysts do. In this part of the course, you will examine different types of
businesses and the jobs and tasks that analysts do for them. You will also learn how
a Google Data Analytics Certificate will help you meet many of the requirements for
a position with these organizations.
6. Completing the Course Challenge: At the end of this course, you will be able to
put everything you have learned into perspective with the Course Challenge. The
Course Challenge will ask you questions about the main concepts you have learned
and then give you an opportunity to apply those concepts in two scenarios.
What to expect
Each week of the course includes a series of lessons with many types of learning opportunities.
These include:
• Videos for instructors to teach new concepts and demonstrate the use of tools
• Readings to introduce new ideas and build on the concepts from the videos
• Discussion forums to share, explore, and reinforce lesson topics for better
understanding
• Discussion prompts to promote thinking and engagement in the discussion forums
• Practice quizzes to prepare you for graded quizzes
• Graded quizzes to measure your progress and give you valuable feedback
• Also, be sure to pay attention to the in-video questions that will pop up from time to
time. They are designed for you to check your learning.
Everyone learns differently, so this program has been designed to let you work at your own pace.
Although your personalized deadlines start when you enroll, they are just a guide. Feel free to
move through the program at the speed that works best for you. There is no penalty for late
assignments; to earn your certificate, all you have to do is complete all of the work. If you prefer,
you can extend your deadlines by returning to Overview in the navigation panel and clicking
Switch Sessions. Assessments are based on the approach taken by the course to offer a wide
variety of learning materials and activities that reinforce important skills. Graded and ungraded
quizzes will help the content sink in. Ungraded practice quizzes are a chance for you to prepare
for the graded quizzes. Both types of quizzes can be taken more than one time.
Optional speed track for those experienced in data analytics

The Google Data Analytics Certificate provides instruction and feedback for learners hoping to
earn a position as an entry-level data analyst. While many learners will be brand new to the world
of data analytics, others may be familiar with the field and simply wanting to brush up on certain
skills.
If you believe this course will be primarily a refresher for you, we recommend taking the practice
diagnostic quiz (you can find it in this week's content). It will enable you to determine if you
should follow the speed track, which is an opportunity to proceed to Course 2 after having taken
each of the Course 1 Weekly Challenges and the overall Course Challenge. Learners who score
100% on the diagnostic quiz can treat Course 1 videos, readings, and activities as optional.
Learners following the speed track are still able to earn the certificate.
Tips
• It is strongly recommended to take these courses—and go through the items in each
lesson—in the order they appear because new information and concepts build on
previous knowledge.
• Use the additional resources that are linked throughout the program. They are
designed to support your learning.
• When you encounter useful links in the course, remember to bookmark them so you
can refer to the information for study or review.
• Additional resources are free, but some sites place limits on how many articles can
be accessed for free each month. Sometimes you can register on the site for full
access, but you can always bookmark a resource and come back to view it later.
• If something is confusing, don’t hesitate to re-watch a video, go through a reading
again, and so on.
• Take part in all learning opportunities to gain as much knowledge and experience
possible.
Congratulations on choosing to take this first step toward becoming part of the wonderful world of
data analytics. Enjoy the journey!
Learning Log: Think about data in daily life
Overview
By now, you've started to discover how powerful data can be. Throughout this course, you’ll be
asked to make entries in a learning log. Your log will be a personal space where you can keep
track of your thinking and reflections about the experiences you will have collecting and
analyzing data. Reflections may include what you liked, what you would change, and questions
that were raised. By the time you complete the entry for this activity, you will have a stronger
understanding of data analytics.
Everyday data
Before you write an entry in your learning log, think about where and how you use data to make
decisions. You will create a list of at least five questions that you might use data to answer.
Here are a few examples to inspire you:
• What’s the best time to go to the gym?

• How does the length of your commute to work vary by day of the week?
• How many cups of coffee do you drink each day?
• What flavor of ice cream do customers buy?
• How many hours of sleep do you get each day?
Then, you will select one of the five questions from your list to explore further and write down the
types of data you might collect in order to make a decision. That’s data analysis in action!
Access your learning log
To use the learning log for this course item, click the link below and select Use Template.
Link to learning log template: Think about data in daily life
OR
If you don’t have a Google account, you can download the template directly from the attachment
below.
Learning Log Template_ Think about data in daily lifeDOCX File
Download file
Reflection
After you consider how you use data analysis in your own life, take a moment to reflect on what
you discovered. Reflections may include what you liked, what you would change, and questions
that were raised. In your new learning log entry, you will write 2-3 sentences (40-60 words) in
response to each question below:
• What are some considerations or preferences you want to keep in mind when
making a decision?
• What kind of information or data do you have access to that will influence your
decision?
• Are there any other things you might want to track associated with this decision?
When you’ve finished your entry in the learning log template, make sure to save the document so
your response is somewhere accessible. This will help you continue applying data analysis to
your everyday life. You will also be able to track your progress and growth as a data analyst.
Helpful resources to get started
The Google Data Analytics Certificate is designed to provide you with new lessons every week.
As you’ve learned, each one includes a series of videos, readings, peer discussions, in-video
questions, practice quizzes, and graded quizzes. In this reading, you’ll learn about providing
feedback on course content, obtaining the Google Data Analytics Certificate, and helpful habits
for successfully completing the certificate.
Providing feedback or getting help on course content

Please remember to give feedback on videos, readings, and materials. Just open the resource,
and look for the thumbs-up and thumbs-down symbols.
• Click thumbs-up for materials that are helpful.

• Click thumbs-down for materials that are not helpful.
That feedback goes to the course developers, not other learners, and helps improve this course.
For technical help on Coursera, visit the Learner Help Center. For help accessing course
materials, click the Contact us link at the bottom of the page.
Obtaining the Google Data Analytics Certificate

After you complete all eight courses, you qualify for the Google Data Analytics Certificate.
To receive your certificate, you must:

• Pass all required assignments in the course or meet the course-passing threshold.
Each graded assignment is part of a cumulative graded score, and the passing
grade for the Google Data Analytics Certificate is 80%.
AND
• Pay the Course Certificate fee ($39/month, with most learners completing the
material in 6 months or less), or apply and be approved for a Coursera scholarship.
You can review videos, readings, discussion forums, in-video questions, and practice quizzes in
the program for free. However, you won’t have access to graded assignments. If you choose to
go ahead and earn your certificate, you’ll need to upgrade to the certificate program, unlock the
graded assessments, and finish those steps.
Helpful habits for successfully completing the certificate
As a learner, you’re bringing all of your past experiences and best learning practices to this
program. The designers of this course have also put together a list of helpful habits that they
believe will help you to be the most successful:
1. Plan your time: Setting regular study times and sticking with them each week can
help you make learning a part of your routine. Use a calendar or timetable to create
a schedule. Listing what you plan to do each day will break your work down into
achievable goals. And creating a quiet place to watch the videos, review the
readings, and complete the activities is important, so you can really focus on the
material.
2. Learn in order: We recommend taking these courses — and the items in each
lesson — in the order they appear, as new information and concepts build on
previous ones. By following the order, you’ll be able to get comfortable with ideas,
then practice and build on them.
3. Be curious: If you find an idea that gets you excited, please act on it! Ask
questions, search for more details online, check out the links that interest you, and
take notes on your discoveries. The little things you do to support your learning
along the way will take your knowledge even further; open more doors in this new,
high-growth field; and help you qualify for all kinds of new jobs.
4. Take notes: Notes are useful when researching something you’re curious about.
This is especially helpful when a task seems important and you think it might be
useful later. Or, sometimes you might come across a subject that you want to
explore in more detail. Keeping notes can help you keep track of what you learn.
Finally, taking notes is an effective way to help make connections between topics
and gain a better understanding of them. You can use your notes to build your very
own data analytics journal — a place where you can capture ideas, information, and
any questions you might have. You’ll probably want to keep your notes together in
one place-- whether that’s a physical journal or a document on your computer. This
will make it easier to stay organized. Feel free to revisit your journal as you progress
through the program, during your job hunt, and even as you settle into your new role
as a data analyst.
5. Chat (responsibly) with other learners: If you have a question, chances are,
you’re not alone. Feel free to reach out in the discussion forum to ask for help from
other learners taking this program. You can also visit Coursera’s Global Online
Community. Other important things to know while you’re making friends can be
found in the Coursera Honor Code and the Code of Conduct.
Deciding if you should take the speed

track
This reading provides an overview of a speed track we offer to those already familiar with
data analytics.
If you are brand new to data analytics, you can skip the diagnostic quiz after this reading,
and move directly to the next activity: Data analytics in everyday life.
The Google Data Analytics Certificate is a program for anyone. A background in data analysis
isn’t required. But you might be someone who has some experience already. If you are this type
of learner, we have designed a speed track for this course. Learners who opt for the speed track
can refresh on the basic topics and take each of the weekly challenges and the Course
Challenge at a faster pace.
To help you decide if you’re a good match for the speed track for this course:
1. Take the optional diagnostic quiz.

2. Refer to the scoring guide to determine if you’re a good fit for the speed track. A
score of 90% or higher is the target goal for someone on the speed track.
3. Based on your individual score, follow the recommendations in the scoring guide for
your next steps.
Important reminder: If you’re eligible for the speed track, you’re still responsible to complete all
graded activities. In order to earn your certificate, you will need an overall score of 80% or higher
on all graded materials in the program.
Optional: Your diagnostic quiz score and

what it means
Use your score to help you determine whether you should take the speed track. The speed track
allows you to skip over the lesson material and go straight to the weekly challenges and the
course challenge, which lead to your final course score. In order to earn your certificate, you will
need an overall score of 80% or higher on all graded materials in this program. Read on to figure
out your next steps based on your quiz score:
If you scored 100% on the diagnostic quiz:
• You’re probably very familiar with the fundamental concepts involved in data
analytics and can take the speed track to move on to Course 2.
• You must take each of the weekly challenges and the course challenge, which will
count toward the 80% overall score needed to earn the certificate. To help you find
these items more quickly, we’ve identified them with asterisks in the course
materials (for example: *course challenge*).
• After you complete the weekly challenges and course challenge, proceed to Course
2.
• You’re welcome to review videos, readings, and activities throughout the course
based on your interests.
If you scored between 90% and 99% on the diagnostic quiz:
• You’re probably familiar with the fundamental concepts involved in data analytics
and might consider taking the speed track to move on to Course 2.
• However, we still recommend that you go through the Course 1 lesson materials to
review areas where you might have some gaps before proceeding to Course 2.
• You must take each of the weekly challenges and the course challenge, which will
count toward the 80% overall score needed to earn the certificate. To help you find
these items more quickly, we’ve identified them with asterisks in the course
materials (for example: *course challenge*).
• After you complete the weekly challenges and course challenge, proceed to Course
2.
• You’re welcome to review videos, readings, and activities throughout the course
based on your interests.
If you scored between 80% and 89% on the diagnostic quiz:
• You likely have some background knowledge on fundamental concepts involved in

data analytics.
• However, we recommend that you go through the Course 1 lesson materials to
review areas where you might have some gaps before proceeding to Course 2.
• You must take the weekly challenges and the course challenge, which will count
toward the 80% overall score needed to earn the certificate. To help you find these
items more quickly, we’ve identified them with asterisks in the course materials (for
example: *course challenge*).
If you scored less than 80% on the diagnostic quiz:
• No problem — this course was made for you!
• We strongly recommend that you go through all of the Course 1 videos, readings,
and activities, as the concepts taught are building blocks that will set you up for
success on your learning path.
• You must take the weekly challenges and the course challenge, which will count
toward the 80% overall score needed to earn the certificate.
Regardless of your score, the course material can help you supplement or fill gaps in your
knowledge. Whether you take the speed track or complete the certificate at the provided pace,
good luck on your data endeavors!
Case Study: New data perspectives
As you have been learning, you can find data pretty much everywhere. Any time you observe
and evaluate something in the world, you’re collecting and analyzing data. Your analysis helps
you find easier ways of doing things, identify patterns to save you time, and discover surprising
new perspectives that can completely change the way you experience things.
Here is a real-life example of how one group of data analysts used the six steps of the data
analysis process to improve their workplace and its business processes. Their story involves
something called people analytics — also known as human resources analytics or workforce
analytics. People analytics is the practice of collecting and analyzing data on the people who
make up a company’s workforce in order to gain insights to improve how the company operates.
Being a people analyst involves using data analysis to gain insights about employees and how
they experience their work lives. The insights are used to define and create a more productive
and empowering workplace. This can unlock employee potential, motivate people to perform at
their best, and ensure a fair and inclusive company culture.
The six steps of the data analysis process that you have been learning in this program are: ask,
prepare, process, analyze, share, and act. These six steps apply to any data analysis.
Continue reading to learn how a team of people analysts used these six steps to answer a
business question.
An organization was experiencing a high turnover rate among new hires. Many employees left
the company before the end of their first year on the job. The analysts used the data analysis
process to answer the following question: how can the organization improve the retention
rate for new employees?
Here is a break down what this team did, step by step.

First up, the analysts needed to define what the project would look like and what would qualify as
a successful result. So, to determine these things, they asked effective questions and
collaborated with leaders and managers who were interested in the outcome of their people
analysis. These were the kinds of questions they asked:
• What do you think new employees need to learn to be successful in their first year
on the job?
• Have you gathered data from new employees before? If so, may we have access to
the historical data?
• Do you believe managers with higher retention rates offer new employees
something extra or unique?
• What do you suspect is a leading cause of dissatisfaction among new employees?
• By what percentage would you like employee retention to increase in the next fiscal
year?
It all started with solid preparation. The group built a timeline of three months and decided how
they wanted to relay their progress to interested parties. Also during this step, the analysts
identified what data they needed to achieve the successful result they identified in the previous
step - in this case, the analysts chose to gather the data from an online survey of new
employees. These were the things they did to prepare:
• They developed specific questions to ask about employee satisfaction with different
business processes, such as hiring and onboarding, and their overall compensation.
• They established rules for who would have access to the data collected - in this
case, anyone outside the group wouldn't have access to the raw data, but could
view summarized or aggregated data. For example, an individual's compensation
wouldn't be available, but salary ranges for groups of individuals would be viewable.
• They finalized what specific information would be gathered, and how best to present
the data visually. The analysts brainstormed possible project- and data-related
issues and how to avoid them.
The group sent the survey out. Great analysts know how to respect both their data and the
people who provide it. Since employees provided the data, it was important to make sure all
employees gave their consent to participate. The data analysts also made sure employees
understood how their data would be collected, stored, managed, and protected. Collecting
and using data ethically is one of the responsibilities of data analysts. In order to maintain
confidentiality and protect and store the data effectively, these were the steps they took:
• They restricted access to the data to a limited number of analysts.

• They cleaned the data to make sure it was complete, correct, and relevant. Certain
data was aggregated and summarized without revealing individual responses.
• They uploaded raw data to an internal data warehouse for an additional layer of
security.
Then, the analysts did what they do best: analyze! From the completed surveys, the data
analysts discovered that an employee’s experience with certain processes was a key indicator
of overall job satisfaction. These were their findings:
• Employees who experienced a long and complicated hiring process were most likely
to leave the company.
• Employees who experienced an efficient and transparent evaluation and feedback
process were most likely to remain with the company.
The group knew it was important to document exactly what they found in the analysis, no matter
what the results. To do otherwise would diminish trust in the survey process and reduce their
ability to collect truthful data from employees in the future.
Just as they made sure the data was carefully protected, the analysts were also careful sharing
the report. This is how they shared their findings:
• They shared the report with managers who met or exceeded the minimum number
of direct reports with submitted responses to the survey.
• They presented the results to the managers to make sure they had the full picture.
• They asked the managers to personally deliver the results to their teams.
This process gave managers an opportunity to communicate the results with the right context.
As a result, they could have productive team conversations about next steps to improve
employee engagement.
The last stage of the process for the team of analysts was to work with leaders within their
company and decide how best to implement changes and take actions based on the findings.
These were their recommendations:
• Standardize the hiring and evaluation process for employees based on the most
efficient and transparent practices.
• Conduct the same survey annually and compare results with those from the
previous year.
A year later, the same survey was distributed to employees. Analysts anticipated that a
comparison between the two sets of results would indicate that the action plan worked. Turns
out, the changes improved the retention rate for new employees and the actions taken by leaders
were successful!
Is people analytics right for you?

One of the many things that makes data analytics so exciting is that the problems are always
different, the solutions need creativity, and the impact on others can be great — even life-
changing or life-saving. As a data analyst, you can be part of these efforts. Maybe you’re even
inspired to learn more about the field of people analytics. If so, consider learning more about this
field and adding that research to your data analytics journal. You never know: One day soon, you
could be helping a company create an amazing work environment for you and your colleagues!
Additional Resource
To learn more about some recent applications of data analytics in the business world, check out
the article “4 Examples of Business Analytics in Action” from Harvard Business School. The
article reveals how corporations use data insights to optimize their decision-making process.
Please note that the first example in the article contains a minor error in the second paragraph,
but the example is still a valid one.
Correction to article in bold below: Microsoft’s Workplace Analytics team hypothesized that
moving the 1,200-person group from five buildings to four could improve collaboration by
increasing the number of employees per building and by reducing the distance that staff needed
to travel for meetings.
Learning Log: Consider how data analysts

approach tasks
Overview
Earlier you learned about how data analysts at one organization used data to improve employee
retention. Now, you’ll complete an entry in your learning log to track your thinking and reflections
about those data analysts' process and how they approached this problem. By the time you
complete this activity, you will have a stronger understanding of how the six phases of the data
analysis process can be used to break down tasks and tackle big questions. This will help you
apply these steps to future analysis tasks and start tackling big questions yourself.
Review the six phases of data analysis
Before you write your entry in your learning log, reflect on the case study from earlier. The data
analysts wanted to use data to improve employee retention. In order to do that, they had to break
this larger project into manageable tasks. The analysts organized those tasks and activities
around the six phases of the data analysis process:
1. Ask
2. Prepare
3. Process
4. Analyze
5. Share
6. Act
The analysts asked questions to define both the issue to be solved and what would equal a
successful result. Next, they prepared by building a timeline and collecting data with employee
surveys that were designed to be inclusive. They processed the data by cleaning it to make sure
it was complete, correct, relevant, and free of errors and outliers. They analyzed the clean
employee survey data. Then the analysts shared their findings and recommendations with team
leaders. Afterward, leadership acted on the results and focused on improving key areas.
To use the template for this course item, click the link below and select “Use Template.”
Link to learning log template: Consider how data analysts approach tasks
OR
below.
Learning Log Template_ Consider how data analysts approach tasksDOCX File
Download file
Reflection
In your learning log template, write 2-3 sentences (40-60 words) reflecting on what you’ve
learned from the case study by answering each of the questions below:
• Did the details of the case study help to change the way you think about data
analysis? Why or why not?
• Did you find anything surprising about the way the data analysts approached their
task?
• What else would you like to learn about data analysis?
Data and gut instinct
Detectives and data analysts have a lot in common. Both depend on facts and clues to make
decisions. Both collect and look at the evidence. Both talk to people who know part of the story.
And both might even follow some footprints to see where they lead. Whether you’re a detective
or a data analyst, your job is all about following steps to collect and understand facts.
Analysts use data-driven decision-making and follow a step-by-step process. You have learned
that there are six steps to this process:
1. Ask questions and define the problem.

2. Prepare data by collecting and storing the information.
3. Process data by cleaning and checking the information.
4. Analyze data to find patterns, relationships, and trends.
5. Share data with your audience.
6. Act on the data and use the analysis results.
But there are other factors that influence the decision-making process. You may have read
mysteries where the detective used their gut instinct, and followed a hunch that helped them
solve the case. Gut instinct is an intuitive understanding of something with little or no
explanation. This isn’t always something conscious; we often pick up on signals without even
realizing. You just have a “feeling” it’s right.
Why gut instinct can be a problem
At the heart of data-driven decision making is data. Therefore, it's essential that data analysts
focus on the data to ensure they make informed decisions. If you ignore data by preferring to
make decisions based on your own experience, your decisions may be biased. But even worse,
decisions based on gut instinct without any data to back them up can cause mistakes.
Consider an example of a real estate developer bidding to redevelop a part of a city's central
district. They were well-known for preservation of historical buildings. Banking on their reputation,
the agency's planners followed gut instinct and included the preservation of several buildings to
gain support and win approval for the project. However, private donations fell short and a
partnership failed to materialize and save the day. The buildings eventually had to be torn down
after much delay and an expensive dispute with the city.
The more you understand the data related to a project, the easier it will be to figure out what is
required. These efforts will also help you identify errors and gaps in your data so you can
communicate your findings more effectively. Sometimes past experience helps you make a
connection that no one else would notice. For example, a detective might be able to crack open a
case because they remember an old case just like the one they’re solving today. It's not just gut
instinct.
Data + business knowledge = mystery solved

Blending data with business knowledge, plus maybe a touch of gut instinct, will be a common
part of your process as a junior data analyst. The key is figuring out the exact mix for each
particular project. A lot of times, it will depend on the goals of your analysis. That is why analysts
often ask, “How do I define success for this project?”
In addition, try asking yourself these questions about a project to help find the perfect balance:
• What kind of results are needed?

• Who will be informed?
• Am I answering the question being asked?
• How quickly does a decision need to be made?
For instance, if you are working on a rush project, you might need to rely on your own knowledge
and experience more than usual. There just isn’t enough time to thoroughly analyze all of the
available data. But if you get a project that involves plenty of time and resources, then the best
strategy is to be more data-driven. It’s up to you, the data analyst, to make the best possible
choice. You will probably blend data and knowledge a million different ways over the course of
your data analytics career. And the more you practice, the better you will get at finding that
perfect blend.
Origins of the data analysis process
When you decided to join this program, you proved that you are a curious person. So let’s tap
into your curiosity and talk about the origins of data analysis. We don’t fully know when or why
the first person decided to record data about people and things. But we do know it was useful
because the idea is still around today!
We also know that data analysis is rooted in statistics, which has a pretty long history itself.
Archaeologists mark the start of statistics in ancient Egypt with the building of the pyramids. The
ancient Egyptians were masters of organizing data. They documented their calculations and
theories on papyri (paper-like materials), which are now viewed as the earliest examples of
spreadsheets and checklists. Today’s data analysts owe a lot to those brilliant scribes, who
helped create a more technical and efficient process.
It is time to enter the data analysis life cycle—the process of going from data to decision. Data
goes through several phases as it gets created, consumed, tested, processed, and reused. With
a life cycle model, all key team members can drive success by planning work both up front and at
the end of the data analysis process. While the data analysis life cycle is well known among
experts, there isn't a single defined structure of those phases. There might not be one single
architecture that’s uniformly followed by every data analysis expert, but there are some shared
fundamentals in every data analysis process. This reading provides an overview of several,
starting with the process that forms the foundation of the Google Data Analytics Certificate.
The process presented as part of the Google Data Analytics Certificate is one that will be
valuable to you as you keep moving forward in your career:
1. Ask: Business Challenge/Objective/Question

2. Prepare: Data generation, collection, storage, and data management
3. Process: Data cleaning/data integrity
4. Analyze: Data exploration, visualization, and analysis
5. Share: Communicating and interpreting results
6. Act: Putting your insights to work to solve the problem
Understanding this process—and all of the iterations that helped make it popular—will be a big
part of guiding your own analysis and your work in this program. Let’s go over a few other
variations of the data analysis life cycle.
EMC's data analysis life cycle

EMC Corporation's data analytics life cycle is cyclical with six steps:
1. Discovery
2. Pre-processing data
3. Model planning
4. Model building
5. Communicate results
6. Operationalize
EMC Corporation is now Dell EMC. This model, created by David Dietrich, reflects the cyclical
nature of real-world projects. The phases aren’t static milestones; each step connects and leads
to the next, and eventually repeats. Key questions help analysts test whether they have
accomplished enough to move forward and ensure that teams have spent enough time on each
of the phases and don’t start modeling before the data is ready. It is a little different from the data
analysis life cycle this program is based on, but it has some core ideas in common: the first
phase is interested in discovering and asking questions; data has to be prepared before it can be
analyzed and used; and then findings should be shared and acted on.
For more information, refer to The Genesis of EMC's Data Analytics Lifecycle.
SAS's iterative life cycle

An iterative life cycle was created by a company called SAS, a leading data analytics solutions
provider. It can be used to produce repeatable, reliable, and predictive results:
1. Ask
2. Prepare
3. Explore
4. Model
5. Implement
6. Act
7. Evaluate
The SAS model emphasizes the cyclical nature of their model by visualizing it as an infinity
symbol. Their life cycle has seven steps, many of which we have seen in the other models, like
Ask, Prepare, Model, and Act. But this life cycle is also a little different; it includes a step after the
act phase designed to help analysts evaluate their solutions and potentially return to the ask
phase again.
For more information, refer to Managing the Analytics Life Cycle for Decisions at Scale.
Project-based data analytics life cycle

A project-based data analytics life cycle has five simple steps:
1. Identifying the problem

2. Designing data requirements
3. Pre-processing data
4. Performing data analysis
5. Visualizing data
This data analytics project life cycle was developed by Vignesh Prajapati. It doesn’t include the
sixth phase, or what we have been referring to as the Act phase. However, it still covers a lot of
the same steps as the life cycles we have already described. It begins with identifying the
problem, preparing and processing data before analysis, and ends with data visualization.
For more information, refer to Understanding the data analytics project life cycle.
Big data analytics life cycle

Authors Thomas Erl, Wajid Khattak, and Paul Buhler proposed a big data analytics life cycle in
their book, Big Data Fundamentals: Concepts, Drivers & Techniques. Their life cycle
suggests phases divided into nine steps:
1. Business case evaluation

2. Data identification
3. Data acquisition and filtering
4. Data extraction
5. Data validation and cleaning
6. Data aggregation and representation
7. Data analysis
8. Data visualization
9. Utilization of analysis results
This life cycle appears to have three or four more steps than the previous life cycle models. But
in reality, they have just broken down what we have been referring to as Prepare and Process
into smaller steps. It emphasizes the individual tasks required for gathering, preparing, and
cleaning data before the analysis phase.
For more information, refer to Big Data Adoption and Planning Considerations.
Key takeaway
From our journey to the pyramids and data in ancient Egypt to now, the way we analyze data has
evolved (and continues to do so). The data analysis process is like real life architecture, there are
different ways to do things but the same core ideas still appear in each model of the process.
Whether you use the structure of this Google Data Analytics Certificate or one of the many other
iterations you have learned about, we are here to help guide you as you continue on your data
journey.
Program surveys
During this program, you will be asked to complete a few short surveys. These are part of a
research study to understand how effective the certificate has been for you. Please see below for
a summary of what each survey will cover. Your survey participation is optional, but extremely
helpful in making this course as effective as possible. There are no correct answers, and your
responses and personal data will:
• Not affect your course experience, scores, or ability to receive a certificate or job in
any way.
• Be kept confidential, with your name separated from your data.
• Not be shared outside of our research team, except where you give permission to
share contact information with hiring partners.
Thanks for your consideration and time!
Entry survey
Up next, you will have the opportunity to fill out a brief survey to help us understand why you
have enrolled in this certificate program. If you don’t fill it out now, you will receive an invitation to
fill out the survey after completing one lecture or assignment.
The survey will ask about your experiences leading up to this course and the goals you hope to
accomplish. This is critical information for making sure we can meet the needs of learners like
you, and can continue offering this program in the future.
Individual course feedback

When you complete the last graded assignment within an individual course, you may be asked to
complete a survey that revisits earlier questions and asks what you have learned up to that point
in the program. Again, filling out this information is voluntary, but extremely beneficial to the
program and future learners.
Certificate completion survey
After you complete the last graded assignment in the final course of the certificate, you will be
asked to answer a survey that revisits some earlier questions and asks what you have learned
throughout the duration of the program. This survey also asks if you would like to share your
contact information with prospective employers. Both filling out the survey and sharing your
contact information with prospective employers is completely optional. Again, participating in the
survey or sharing your information with future employers will not affect your course experience,
scores, or ability to receive a certificate or job in any way.
Discussion forums
Overview
Working well with your classmates is an important part of an online course. At the beginning of
this course, take some time to "break the ice" and get to know each other using the discussion
forums and prompts. Discussion prompts are course items that have associated threads in the
discussion forums. When you answer a discussion prompt, your response goes to the associated
forum, along with the responses of your peers.
Establishing personal interaction with other learners will make your online learning experience
much more enjoyable and engaging. We encourage you to use the forums to deepen your
learning and peer relationships.
Meet and greet

How should you begin? Tell everyone a bit about yourself! Then, read some of your classmates'
postings. Pick at least two postings that are the most interesting to you and add a friendly or
encouraging response back.
You can go to the discussion forum and click the New Thread button to begin a new thread. You
can also go to the Meet and Greet discussion prompt to add your introduction story there.
Updating your profile
Additionally, consider updating your profile, which can be accessed by clicking the Profile link.
This link appears in the menu when you click on your name at the top-right corner of this screen.
When classmates find you in the discussion forums, they can click on your name to view your
complete profile and get to know you more.
Upvoting posts
When you enter the discussion forum for your course, you will find an Upvote button under each
post. We encourage you to upvote posts that you find thoughtful, interesting, or helpful. This is
the best way to ensure that quality posts will be read by other learners in the course. Upvoting
will also increase the likelihood that important questions get addressed and answered.
Reporting abuse
Coursera's Code of Conduct prohibits:
• Bullying or threatening other users

• Posting spam or promotional content
• Posting mature content
• Posting assignment solutions (or other violations of the Honor Code)
Please report any posts that infringe upon copyright, are abusive, offensive, or that otherwise
violate Coursera's Honor Code. You can report posts by using the Report This option found
under the menu arrow to the right of each post.
Following
If you find a particular thread interesting, click the follow button under the original post of that
thread page. When you follow a post, you will receive an email notification any time a new post is
made.
Improving your posts

Course discussion forums are your chance to interact with thousands of like-minded individuals
around the world. In any social interaction, certain rules of etiquette are expected and contribute
to more enjoyable and productive communication.
Stay on topic in existing forums and threads. Off-topic posts make it hard for other learners to
find information they need. Post in the most appropriate forum for your topic, and don’t post the
same thing in multiple forums.
1. Use the filters at the top of the forum page (Latest, Top, and Unanswered) to find
active, interesting content.
2. Upvote posts that you find helpful and interesting.
3. Be civil. If you disagree, explain your position with respect and refrain from any and
all personal attacks.
4. Make sure you are understood. To be helpful to learners using English as a second
language, try to write full sentences, and avoid text-message abbreviations or slang.
Be careful when you use humor and sarcasm since these messages are easy to
misinterpret.
5. If you are asking a question, provide as much information as possible before or after
posing your question. For example, you might write what you’ve already
considered, what you’ve already read, etc.
6. Cite appropriate references when using someone else’s ideas, thoughts, or words.
7. Don’t use a forum to promote your product, service, or business.
8. Invite other learners to extend the discussion with an open-ended statement or
question. For example, you might write something like, “I would love to understand
what others think.”
9. Don’t post personal information about other posters or yourself in the forum.
10. Report spam and spammers.
For more details, please refer to Coursera's Code of Conduct.
These tips and tools for interacting in this course via the forums were adapted from guidelines
originally outlined by The University of Illinois. Curtis, S.. Professional Responsibility and Ethics
for Accountants [MOOC]. Coursera. https://www.coursera.org/learn/ethics"
Week 2
Learning Log: Explore data from your
daily life
Overview
In a previous learning log, you reflected on how you use data analysis in your own life to make
everyday decisions. Now, you’ll complete an entry in your learning log exploring data from an
area of your life. By the time you complete this activity, you will have a stronger understanding of
how you can apply your data analysis skills to more specific activities and situations in your life--
starting with your own everyday decisions! Later, you are going to use the data you generate for
this entry to practice organizing data to draw insights from it.
Create a list
Before you start, pick one area of your everyday life you would like to explore further. Think
about how many times in the past few weeks you made decisions about anything related to this
area. Then, create a list and include details, such as the date, time, cost, quantity, size, etc. Try
to focus on things that can be represented by a number or category.
Here are a few thought-starters:

• Number of cups of coffee you drink daily
• Popular workout times at the gym
• Nightly bedtime
For example, you could create a list exploring your daily coffee intake like this:
Daily coffee intake
• Jan. 8th 8 am - bought coffee - one 10 oz. cup

• Jan. 8th 10 am - made coffee at home - one 12 oz. cup
• Jan. 9th 8 am - bought coffee - mug
• Jan 10th 11 am - bought large coffee - 20 oz.
• Jan 11th 8 am - made coffee at home - mug
This example includes a few different details like date and time, whether the coffee was
purchased or homemade, and the quantity. You can choose to focus on any area of your life you
want and track the details you are interested in exploring. Try to record a week or two of data.
Then, you will compile this list in a learning log template, linked below.
Link to learning log template: Explore data from your daily life
OR
below:
Learning Log Template_ Explore data from your daily lifeDOCX File
Download file
Reflection
After you have finished creating your detailed list exploring data from your own life, take a
moment to reflect on that data. In your learning log entry, write 2-3 sentences (40-60 words) in
response to each question below:
• Are there any trends you noticed in your behavior?

• Are there factors that influence your decision-making?
• Is there anything you identified that might influence your future behavior?
Learning Log: Reflect on your skills and

expectations
Overview
You have already learned about the five essential aspects of analytical skills: curiosity,
understanding context, having a technical mindset, data design, and data strategy. You
have also discovered that you’re already practicing these skills. Now, you’ll complete an entry in
your learning log exploring your own analytical strengths and weaknesses and your goals for the
future. By the time you complete this activity, you will have a stronger understanding of your
analytical skill set and how you can practice and improve them. These analytical skills are key to
helping you solve problems and create insights using data analysis. Thinking about them now will
help you grow as a data analyst!
The analytical skills table
First, you’ll fill out an Analytical Skills Table in your learning log entry. The table will appear like
this in the template:
Analytical skill column: -Curiosity -Context -Technical mindset -Data design -Data strategy
The table has a row for each essential aspect of analytical skills:
• Curiosity: a desire to know more about something, asking the right questions
• Understanding context: understanding where information fits into the “big picture”
• Having a technical mindset: breaking big things into smaller steps
• Data design: thinking about how to organize data and information
• Data strategy: thinking about the people, processes, and tools used in data
analysis
You will put an X in the column that you think best describes your current level with each aspect.
The three ratings are:
• Strength: This is an area you feel is one of your strengths

• Developing: You have some experience with this area, but there’s still significant
room for growth
• Emerging: This is new to you, and will gain experience in this area from this course
Then update the Comments/Plans/Goals column with a quick note to yourself about why you
chose those ratings.
Link to learning log template: Reflect on your skills and expectations
OR
below.
Learning Log Template_ Reflect on your skills and expectationsDOCX File

Download file
Reflection
After you have completed the Analytical Skills Table, take a moment to reflect on your
evaluations. In your learning log entry, write 2-3 sentences (40-60 words) in response to each
question below:
• What do you notice about the ratings you gave yourself in each area? How did you
rate yourself in the areas that appeal to you most?
• If you are asked to rate your experience level in these areas again in a week, what
do you think the ratings will be, and why do you think that?
• How do you plan on developing these skills from now on?
Week 3
Variations of the data life cycle
You learned that there are six stages to the data life cycle. Here is a recap:
1. Plan: Decide what kind of data is needed, how it will be managed, and who will be
responsible for it.
2. Capture: Collect or bring in data from a variety of different sources.
3. Manage: Care for and maintain the data. This includes determining how and where
it is stored and the tools used to do so.
4. Analyze: Use the data to solve problems, make decisions, and support business
goals.
5. Archive: Keep relevant data stored for long-term and future reference.
6. Destroy: Remove data from storage and delete any shared copies of the data.
Warning: Be careful not to mix up or confuse the six stages of the data life cycle (Plan, Capture,
Manage, Analyze, Archive, and Destroy) with the six phases of the data analysis life cycle (Ask,
Prepare, Process, Analyze, Share, and Act). They shouldn't be used or referred to
interchangeably.
The data life cycle provides a generic or common framework for how data is managed. You may
recall that variations of the data analysis life cycle were described in Origins of the data analysis
process. The same can be done for the data life cycle. The rest of this reading provides a
glimpse of how government, finance, and education institutions can view data life cycles a little
differently.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service uses the following data life cycle:
1. Plan
2. Acquire
3. Maintain
4. Access
5. Evaluate
6. Archive
For more information, refer to U.S. Fish and Wildlife's Data Management Life Cycle page.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)

The USGS uses the data life cycle below:
1. Plan
2. Acquire
3. Process
4. Analyze
5. Preserve
6. Publish/Share
Several cross-cutting or overarching activities are also performed during each stage of their life
cycle:
• Describe (metadata and documentation)

• Manage Quality
• Backup and Secure
For more information, refer to the USGS Data Lifecycle page.
Financial institutions
Financial institutions may take a slightly different approach to the data life cycle as described in
The Data Life Cycle, an article in Strategic Finance magazine:
1. Capture
2. Qualify
3. Transform
4. Utilize
5. Report
6. Archive
7. Purge
Harvard Business School (HBS)

One final data life cycle informed by Harvard University research has eight stages:
1. Generation
2. Collection
3. Processing
4. Storage
5. Management
6. Analysis
7. Visualization
8. Interpretation
For more information, refer to 8 Steps in the Data Life Cycle.
Key takeaway
Understanding the importance of the data life cycle will set you up for success as a data analyst.
Individual stages in the data life cycle will vary from company to company or by industry or
sector. Historical data is important to both the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the USGS, so
their data life cycle focuses on archiving and backing up data. Harvard's interests are in research
and teaching, so its data life cycle includes visualization and interpretation even though these are
more often associated with a data analysis life cycle. The HBS data life cycle also doesn't call out
a stage for purging or destroying data. In contrast, the data life cycle for finance clearly identifies
archive and purge stages. To sum it up, although data life cycles vary, one data management
principle is universal. Govern how data is handled so that it is accurate, secure, and available to
meet your organization's needs.
The data analysis process and this
program
You can save this reading for future reference. Feel free to download a PDF version of this
reading below
DAC1 The data analysis process.pdfPDF File
Open file
1. Ask: Ask effective questions, Define the problem, Use structure thinking, Communicate
with others 2. Process: Create and transform data, Maintain data integrity, Test data, Clean
data, Verify and report on cleaning results 3. Share: Understand visualization, Create
effective visuals, Bring data to life, Use data storytelling, Communicate to help others
understand results 4. Prepare: Understand how data is generated and collected, Identify and
use different data formats, types, and structures, Make sure data is unbiased and credible,
Organize and protect data 5. Analyze: Use tools to format and transform data, Sort and filter
data, Identify patterns and draw conclusions, Make predictions and recommendations, Make
data-driven decisions 6. Act: Apply your insights, Solve problems, Make decisions, Create
something new
Learn about the process through the program:

1. Learn more about the Ask phase of the process in the Ask Questions to Make Data-
Driven Decisions course.
2. Learn more about the Prepare phase of the process in the Prepare Data for
Exploration course.
3. Learn more about the Process phase of the process in the Process Data from Dirty
to Clean course.
4. Learn more about the Analyze phase of the process in the Analyze Data to Answer
Questions and Data Analysis with R Programming courses.
5. Learn more about the Share phase of the process in the Share Data Through the
Art of Visualization and Data Analysis with R Programming courses.
6. Learn more about the Act phase of the process in the Google Data Analytics
Capstone: Complete a Case Study course.
Note: The course links are for you to preview and not complete the courses at this time. You
may mark this activity as complete after you understand how the courses align to the data
analysis process.
Learning Log: Organize your data in a

table
Overview
By now, you have started to think about data in your daily life and how you use this data to make
decisions. Earlier in this course, you completed a learning log where you recorded some data
from your daily life. Next, you will consider how to organize this data. In this activity, you’ll write
an entry in your learning log to track your thinking and reflections about how to organize data. By
the time you complete your entry, you will understand how to create and format a table to store
the data that you collect. Tables are one of the most common ways data is organized for
analysis. This foundational skill will help you more easily analyze data, and will serve as a go-to
tool in your data analyst’s toolkit.
Structuring your data
To get started, consider the data you have collected in your learning log entries so far in this
course. Now, take a moment and prepare to organize this data. One of the simplest ways to add
structure to your data is to put it in a table.
To record your data in a table, you need to understand how a table is structured:
• A table consists of rows and columns

• Each row is a different observation
•Each column is a different attribute of that observation
For example, here is a collection of observations in a learning log about how many cups of coffee
are consumed each day:
1. 10/19, 2.5 cups of coffee

2. 10/20, 2 cups of coffee
3. 10/21, 1 cup of coffee
There are five data points. Each piece of data consists of a date and the number of cups of
coffee consumed that day. You can structure this as a table with six rows and two columns. This
includes five rows of data and one header row with titles:
Date Cups of Coffee / Day
10/19 2.5
10/20 2
10/21 1
10/22 1.5
10/23 1.5
You can also create a table with more detailed data. For instance, if your data also contained
information about whether there was cream and sugar in the coffee, it might appear like this:
1. 10/19, 2.5 cups, cream, sugar
2. 10/20, 2 cups, no cream, no sugar
3. 10/21, 1 cup, cream, sugar
4. 10/22, 1.5 cups, cream, no sugar
5. 10/23 1.5 cups, cream, sugar
You can represent this by adding two more columns to your table, one titled “Cream” and one
titled “Sugar.”
Date Cups Coffee/Day Cream Sugar
10/19 2.5 yes yes
10/20 2 no no
10/21 1 yes yes
10/22 1.5 yes no
10/23 1.5 yes yes
Now it’s your turn!
You have been collecting data from the beginning of the course. Take a moment to consider the
data you have gathered in your learning log. Now, determine how you could organize your data
in a table.
Before you begin, you should decide what software you’d like to use to create your table. We
suggest using Google Docs or Microsoft Word for this example; you will have a chance to use
tables in spreadsheets later on. You will find detailed instructions on how to create tables when
you access your learning log, below.
Link to learning log template: Organize your data in a table
OR
below.
Learning Log Template_ Organize your data in a tableDOCX File
Download file
Reflection
In a new learning log entry, follow the instructions in the template, and add a table to organize
your data. Then, write 3-5 sentences (60-100 words) on opportunities in your personal life or
current job to organize data into tables.
Key data analyst tools
As you are learning, the most common programs and solutions used by data analysts include
spreadsheets, query languages, and visualization tools. In this reading, you will learn more about
each one. You will cover when to use them, and why they are so important in data analytics.
Spreadsheets
Data analysts rely on spreadsheets to collect and organize data. Two popular spreadsheet
applications you will probably use a lot in your future role as a data analyst are Microsoft Excel
and Google Sheets.
Spreadsheets structure data in a meaningful way by letting you
• Collect, store, organize, and sort information

• Identify patterns and piece the data together in a way that works for each specific
data project
• Create excellent data visualizations, like graphs and charts.
Databases and query languages

A database is a collection of structured data stored in a computer system. Some popular
Structured Query Language (SQL) programs include MySQL, Microsoft SQL Server, and
BigQuery.
Query languages
• Allow analysts to isolate specific information from a database(s)

• Make it easier for you to learn and understand the requests made to databases
• Allow analysts to select, create, add, or download data from a database for analysis
Visualization tools
Data analysts use a number of visualization tools, like graphs, maps, tables, charts, and more.
Two popular visualization tools are Tableau and Looker.
These tools
• Turn complex numbers into a story that people can understand

• Help stakeholders come up with conclusions that lead to informed decisions and
effective business strategies
• Have multiple features
- Tableau's simple drag-and-drop feature lets users create interactive graphs in dashboards and
worksheets
- Looker communicates directly with a database, allowing you to connect your data right to the
visual
tool you choose

A career as a data analyst also involves using programming languages, like R and Python, which
are used a lot for statistical analysis, visualization, and other data analysis.
Key takeaway
You have a lot of tools as a data analyst. This is a first glance at the possibilities, and you will
explore many of these tools in-depth throughout this program.
Choosing the right tool for the job
As a data analyst, you will usually have to decide which program or solution is right for the
particular project you are working on. In this reading, you will learn more about how to choose
which tool you need and when.
Depending on which phase of the data analysis process you’re in, you will need to use different
tools. For example, if you are focusing on creating complex and eye-catching visualizations, then
the visualization tools we discussed earlier are the best choice. But if you are focusing on
organizing, cleaning, and analyzing data, then you will probably be choosing between
spreadsheets and databases using queries. Spreadsheets and databases both offer ways to
store, manage, and use data. The basic content for both tools are sets of values. Yet, there are
some key differences, too:
Spreadsheets Databases
Data stores - accessed using a

Software applications
query language (e.g. SQL)
Structure data in a row Structure data using rules and

and column format relationships
Organize information in Organize information in

cells complex collections
Provide access to a Provide access to huge

limited amount of data amounts of data
Manual data entry Strict and consistent data entry
Generally one user at a

Multiple users
time
Controlled by a database
Controlled by the user
management system
You don’t have to choose one or the other because each serves its own purpose. Generally, data
analysts work with a combination of the two, as both tools are very useful in data analytics. For
example, you can store data in a database, then export it to a spreadsheet for analysis. Or, if you
are collecting information in a spreadsheet, and it becomes too much for that particular platform,
you can import it into a database. And, later in this course, you will learn about programming
languages like R that give you even greater control of your data, its analysis, and the
visualizations you create.
As you continue learning about these important tools, you will gain the knowledge to choose the
right tool for any data job.
Week 4
More spreadsheet resources
In the spirit of lifelong learning, it is good to have resources to turn to when you want to know
more about using spreadsheets. Two of the most well known and used spreadsheet platforms
are Google Sheets and Microsoft Excel. Both provide free online training resources that you can
access anytime you need them. Bookmark these links if you want to access them later.
Google Sheets Training and Help
Learn even more ways to move, store, and analyze your data with the Google Sheets Training
and Help page, located in the Google Workspace Learning Center. This hub offers an expanded
list of tips, from beginner to advanced, along with cheat sheets, templates, guides, and tutorials.
Google Sheets Cheat Sheet
Want to learn more about Google Sheets? This online help article features a short list of the most
important functions you will use, including rows, columns, cells, and functions.
Microsoft Excel for Windows Training
Get to know Excel spreadsheets a little better by visiting this free online training center. Offering
everything from a quick-start guide and introduction to tutorials and templates, you will find
everything you need to know, all in one place.
SQL Guide: Getting started

Just as humans use different languages to communicate with others, so do computers.
Structured Query Language (or SQL, often pronounced “sequel”) enables data analysts to talk
to their databases. SQL is one of the most useful data analyst tools, especially when working
with large datasets in tables. It can help you investigate huge databases, track down text
(referred to as strings) and numbers, and filter for the exact kind of data you need—much faster
than a spreadsheet can.
If you haven’t used SQL before, this reading will help you learn the basics so you can appreciate
how useful SQL is and how useful SQL queries are in particular. You will be writing SQL queries
in no time at all.
What is a query?
A query is a request for data or information from a database. When you query databases, you
use SQL to communicate your question or request. You and the database can always exchange
information as long as you speak the same language.
Every programming language, including SQL, follows a unique set of guidelines known as
syntax. Syntax is the predetermined structure of a language that includes all required words,
symbols, and punctuation, as well as their proper placement. As soon as you enter your search
criteria using the correct syntax, the query starts working to pull the data you’ve requested from
the target database.
The syntax of every SQL query is the same:
• Use SELECT to choose the columns you want to return.

• Use FROM to choose the tables where the columns you want are located.
• Use WHERE to filter for certain information.
A SQL query is like filling in a template. You will find that if you are writing a SQL query from
scratch, it is helpful to start a query by writing the SELECT, FROM, and WHERE keywords in the
following format:
Next, enter the table name after the FROM; the table columns you want after the SELECT; and,
finally, the conditions you want to place on your query after the WHERE. Make sure to add a new
line and indent when adding these, as shown below:
Following this method each time makes it easier to write SQL queries. It can also help you make
fewer syntax errors.
Example of a query
Here is how a simple query would appear in BigQuery, a data warehouse on the Google Cloud
Platform.
The above query uses three commands to locate customers with the first name Tony:
1. SELECT the column named first_name

2. FROM a table named customer_name (in a dataset named customer_data) (The
dataset name is always followed by a dot, and then the table name.)
3. But only return the data WHERE the first_name is Tony
The results from the query might be similar to the following:
first_name
Tony
Tony
Tony
As you can conclude, this query had the correct syntax, but wasn't very useful after the data was
returned.
Multiple columns in a query
In real life, you will need to work with more data beyond customers named Tony. Multiple
columns that are chosen by the same SELECT command can be indented and grouped together.
If you are requesting multiple data fields from a table, you need to include these columns in your
SELECT command. Each column is separated by a comma as shown below:
Here is an example of how it would appear in BigQuery:
The above query uses three commands to locate customers with the first name Tony.
1. SELECT the columns named customer_id, first_name, and last_name

3. But only return the data WHERE the first_name is Tony
The only difference between this query and the previous one is that more data columns are
selected. The previous query selected first_name only while this query selects customer_id and
last_name in addition to first_name. In general, it is a more efficient use of resources to select
only the columns that you need. For example, it makes sense to select more columns if you will
actually use the additional fields in your WHERE clause. If you have multiple conditions in your
WHERE clause, they may be written like this:
Notice that unlike the SELECT command that uses a comma to separate
fields/variables/parameters, the WHERE command uses the AND statement to connect
conditions. As you become a more advanced writer of queries, you will make use of other
connectors/operators such as OR and NOT.
Here is a BigQuery example with multiple fields used in a WHERE clause:
The above query uses three commands to locate customers with a valid (greater than 0)
customer ID whose first name is Tony and last name is Magnolia.
1. SELECT the columns named customer_id, first_name, and last_name

3. But only return the data WHERE customer_id is greater than 0, first_name is Tony,
and last_name is Magnolia.
Note that one of the conditions is a logical condition that checks to see if customer_id is greater
than zero.
If only one customer is named Tony Magnolia, the results from the query could be:
customer_id first_name last_name
1967 Tony Magnolia

If more than one customer has the same name, the results from the query could be:
customer_id first_name last_name
1967 Tony Magnolia
7689 Tony Magnolia
Key takeaway
The most important thing to remember is how to use SELECT, FROM, and WHERE in a query.
Queries with multiple fields will become simpler after you practice writing your own SQL queries
later in the program.
Endless SQL possibilities
You have learned that a SQL query uses SELECT, FROM, and WHERE to specify the data to be
returned from the query. This reading provides more detailed information about formatting
queries, using WHERE conditions, selecting all columns in a table, adding comments, and using
aliases. All of these make it easier for you to understand (and write) queries to put SQL in action.
The last section of this reading provides an example of what a data analyst would do to pull
employee data for a project.
Capitalization, indentation, and semicolons

You can write your SQL queries in all lowercase and don’t have to worry about extra spaces
between words. However, using capitalization and indentation can help you read the information
more easily. Keep your queries neat, and they will be easier to review or troubleshoot if you need
to check them later on.
Notice that the SQL statement shown above has a semicolon at the end. The semicolon is a
statement terminator and is part of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) SQL-92
standard, which is a recommended common syntax for adoption by all SQL databases. However,
not all SQL databases have adopted or enforce the semicolon, so it’s possible you may come
across some SQL statements that aren’t terminated with a semicolon. If a statement works
without a semicolon, it’s fine.
WHERE conditions
In the query shown above, the SELECT clause identifies the column you want to pull data from
by name, field1, and the FROM clause identifies the table where the column is located by name,
table. Finally, the WHERE clause narrows your query so that the database returns only the data
with an exact value match or the data that matches a certain condition that you want to satisfy.
For example, if you are looking for a specific customer with the last name Chavez, the WHERE
clause would be:
WHERE field1 = 'Chavez'
However, if you are looking for all customers with a last name that begins with the letters “Ch,"
the WHERE clause would be:
WHERE field1 LIKE 'Ch%'
You can conclude that the LIKE clause is very powerful because it allows you to tell the database
to look for a certain pattern! The percent sign (%) is used as a wildcard to match one or more
characters. In the example above, both Chavez and Chen would be returned. Note that in some
databases an asterisk (*) is used as the wildcard instead of a percent sign (%).
SELECT all columns

Can you use SELECT * ?
In the example, if you replace SELECT field1 with SELECT * , you would be selecting all of the
columns in the table instead of the field1 column only. From a syntax point of view, it is a correct
SQL statement, but you should use the asterisk (*) sparingly and with caution. Depending on
how many columns a table has, you could be selecting a tremendous amount of data. Selecting
too much data can cause a query to run slowly.
Comments
Some tables aren’t designed with descriptive enough naming conventions. In the example, field1
was the column for a customer’s last name, but you wouldn’t know it by the name. A better name
would have been something such as last_name. In these cases, you can place comments
alongside your SQL to help you remember what the name represents. Comments are text placed
between certain characters, /* and */, or after two dashes (--) as shown below.
Comments can also be added outside of a statement as well as within a statement. You can use
this flexibility to provide an overall description of what you are going to do, step-by-step notes
about how you achieve it, and why you set different parameters/conditions.
The more comfortable you get with SQL, the easier it will be to read and understand queries at a
glance. Still, it never hurts to have comments in a query to remind yourself of what you’re trying
to do. This also makes it easier for others to understand your query if your query is shared. As
your queries become more and more complex, this practice will save you a lot of time and energy
to understand complex queries you wrote months or years ago.
Example of a query with comments
Here is an example of how comments could be written in BigQuery:
In the above example, a comment has been added before the SQL statement to explain what the
query does. Additionally, a comment has been added next to each of the column names to
describe the column and its use. Two dashes (--) are generally supported. So it is best to use --
and be consistent with it. You can use # in place of -- in the above query, but # is not recognized
in all SQL versions; for example, MySQL doesn’t recognize #. You can also place comments
between /* and */ if the database you are using supports it.
As you develop your skills professionally, depending on the SQL database you use, you can pick
the appropriate comment delimiting symbols you prefer and stick with those as a consistent style.
As your queries become more and more complex, the practice of adding helpful comments will
save you a lot of time and energy to understand queries that you may have written months or
years prior.
Aliases
You can also make it easier on yourself by assigning a new name or alias to the column or table
names to make them easier to work with (and avoid the need for comments). This is done with a
SQL AS clause. In the example below, the alias last_name has been assigned to field1 and the
alias customers assigned to table. These aliases are good for the duration of the query only. An
alias doesn’t change the actual name of a column or table in the database.
Example of a query with aliases
Putting SQL to work as a data analyst

Imagine you are a data analyst for a small business and your manager asks you for some
employee data. You decide to write a query with SQL to get what you need from the database.
You want to pull all the columns: empID, firstName, lastName, jobCode, and salary. Because
you know the database isn’t that big, instead of entering each column name in the SELECT
clause, you use SELECT *. This will select all the columns from the Employee table in the
FROM clause.
Now, you can get more specific about the data you want from the Employee table. If you want all
the data about employees working in the SFI job code, you can use a WHERE clause to filter out
the data based on this additional requirement.
Here, you use:

A portion of the resulting data returned from the SQL query might look like this:
empID firstName lastName jobCode salary
0002 Homer Simpson SFI 15000
0003 Marge Simpson SFI 30000
0034 Bart Simpson SFI 25000
0067 Lisa Simpson SFI 38000
0088 Ned Flanders SFI 42000
0076 Barney Gumble SFI 32000

Suppose you notice a large salary range for the SFI job code. You might like to flag all
employees in all departments with lower salaries for your manager. Because interns are also
included in the table and they have salaries less than $30,000, you want to make sure your
results give you only the full time employees with salaries that are $30,000 or less. In other
words, you want to exclude interns with the INT job code who also earn less than $30,000. The
AND clause enables you to test for both conditions.
You create a SQL query similar to below, where <> means "does not equal":
The resulting data from the SQL query might look like the following (interns with the job code INT
aren't returned):
empID firstName lastName jobCode salary
0002 Homer Simpson SFI 15000
0003 Marge Simpson SFI 30000
0034 Bart Simpson SFI 25000
0108 Edna Krabappel TUL 18000
0099 Moe Szyslak ANA 28000

With quick access to this kind of data using SQL, you can provide your manager with tons of
different insights about employee data, including whether employee salaries across the business
are equitable. Fortunately, the query shows only an additional two employees might need a
salary adjustment and you share the results with your manager.
Pulling the data, analyzing it, and implementing a solution might ultimately help improve
employee satisfaction and loyalty. That makes SQL a pretty powerful tool.
Resources to learn more

Nonsubscribers may access these resources for free, but if a site limits the number of free
articles per month and you already reached your limit, bookmark the resource and come back to
it later.
• W3Schools SQL Tutorial: If you would like to explore a detailed tutorial of SQL, this
is the perfect place to start. This tutorial includes interactive examples you can edit,
test, and recreate. Use it as a reference or complete the whole tutorial to practice
using SQL. Click the green Start learning SQL now button or the Next button to
begin the tutorial.
• SQL Cheat Sheet: For more advanced learners, go through this article for standard
SQL syntax used in PostgreSQL. By the time you are finished, you will know a lot
more about SQL and will be prepared to use it for business analysis and other tasks.
Planning a data visualization
Earlier, you learned that data visualization is the graphical representation of information. As a
data analyst, you will want to create visualizations that make your data easy to understand and
interesting to look at. Because of the importance of data visualization, most data analytics tools
(such as spreadsheets and databases) have a built-in visualization component while others
(such as Tableau) specialize in visualization as their primary value-add. In this reading, you will
explore the steps involved in the data visualization process and a few of the most common data
visualization tools available.
Steps to plan a data visualization
Let’s go through an example of a real-life situation where a data analyst might need to create a
data visualization to share with stakeholders. Imagine you’re a data analyst for a clothing
distributor. The company helps small clothing stores manage their inventory, and sales are
booming. One day, you learn that your company is getting ready to make a major update to its
website. To guide decisions for the website update, you’re asked to analyze data from the
existing website and sales records. Let’s go through the steps you might follow.
Step 1: Explore the data for patterns
First, you ask your manager or the data owner for access to the current sales records and
website analytics reports. This includes information about how customers behave on the
company’s existing website, basic information about who visited, who bought from the company,
and how much they bought.
While reviewing the data you notice a pattern among those who visit the company’s website most
frequently: geography and larger amounts spent on purchases. With further analysis, this
information might explain why sales are so strong right now in the northeast—and help your
company find ways to make them even stronger through the new website.
Step 2: Plan your visuals
Next it is time to refine the data and present the results of your analysis. Right now, you have a
lot of data spread across several different tables, which isn’t an ideal way to share your results
with management and the marketing team. You will want to create a data visualization that
explains your findings quickly and effectively to your target audience. Since you know your
audience is sales oriented, you already know that the data visualization you use should:
• Show sales numbers over time
• Connect sales to location
• Show the relationship between sales and website use
• Show which customers fuel growth
Step 3: Create your visuals
Now that you have decided what kind of information and insights you want to display, it is time to
start creating the actual visualizations. Keep in mind that creating the right visualization for a
presentation or to share with stakeholders is a process. It involves trying different visualization
formats and making adjustments until you get what you are looking for. In this case, a mix of
different visuals will best communicate your findings and turn your analysis into the most
compelling story for stakeholders. So, you can use the built-in chart capabilities in your
spreadsheets to organize the data and create your visuals.
1) line charts can track sales over time 2) maps can connect sales to locations 3) donut
charts can show customer segments 4) bar charts can compare total visitors that make
a purchase
Build your data visualization toolkit

There are many different tools you can use for data visualization.
• You can use the visualizations tools in your spreadsheet to create simple
visualizations such as line and bar charts.
• You can use more advanced tools such as Tableau that allow you to integrate data
into dashboard-style visualizations.
• If you’re working with the programming language R you can use the visualization
tools in RStudio.
Your choice of visualization will be driven by a variety of drivers including the size of your data,
the process you used for analyzing your data (spreadsheet, or databases/queries, or
programming languages). For now, just consider the basics.
Spreadsheets (Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets)

In our example, the built-in charts and graphs in spreadsheets made the process of creating
visuals quick and easy. Spreadsheets are great for creating simple visualizations like bar graphs
and pie charts, and even provide some advanced visualizations like maps, and waterfall and
funnel diagrams (shown in the following figures).
But sometimes you need a more powerful tool to truly bring your data to life. Tableau and
RStudio are two examples of widely used platforms that can help you plan, create, and present
effective and compelling data visualizations.
Visualization software (Tableau)

Tableau is a popular data visualization tool that lets you pull data from nearly any system and
turn it into compelling visuals or actionable insights. The platform offers built-in visual best
practices, which makes analyzing and sharing data fast, easy, and (most importantly) useful.
Tableau works well with a wide variety of data and includes an interactive dashboard that lets
you and your stakeholders click to explore the data interactively.
You can start exploring Tableau from the How-to Video resources. Tableau Public is free, easy to
use, and full of helpful information. The Resources page is a one-stop-shop for how-to videos,
examples, and datasets for you to practice with. To explore what other data analysts are sharing
on Tableau, visit the Viz of the Day page where you will find beautiful visuals ranging from the
Hunt for (Habitable) Planets to Who’s Talking in Popular Films.
Programming language (R with RStudio)

A lot of data analysts work with a programming language called R. Most people who work with R
end up also using RStudio, an integrated developer environment (IDE), for their data
visualization needs. As with Tableau, you can create dashboard-style data visualizations using
RStudio.
Check out their website to learn more about RStudio.

You could easily spend days exploring all the resources provided at RStudio.com, but the
RStudio Cheatsheets and the RStudio Visualize Data Primer are great places to start. When you
have more time, check out the webinars and videos which offer advice and helpful perspectives
for both beginners and advanced users.
Key takeaway
The best data analysts use lots of different tools and methods to visualize and share their data.
As you continue learning more about data visualization throughout this course, be sure to stay
curious, research different options, and continuously test new programs and platforms to help
you make the most of your data.
Week 5
Learning Log: Reflect on the data analysis

process
Overview
By now, you have started getting familiar with the data analysis process. Now, you’ll complete an
entry in your learning log reflecting on your experience with the data analysis process and your
progress in this course. By the time you complete this activity, you will have a stronger
understanding of how to use the steps of this process to organize data analysis tasks and solve
big problems with data. This framework will continue to help guide you through your own work in
this course--and as a junior data analyst!
The data analysis process so far

Take a moment to appreciate all the work you have done in this course. You identified a question
to answer, and systematically worked your way through the data analysis process to answer that
question—just like professional data analysts do every day!
In reviewing the data analysis process so far, you have already performed a lot of these steps.
Here are some examples to think about before you begin writing your learning log entry:
• You asked an interesting question and defined a problem to solve through data
analysis to answer that question.
• You thought deeply about what data you would need and how you would collect it in
order to prepare for analysis.
• You processed your data by organizing and structuring it in a table and then
moving it to a spreadsheet.
• You analyzed your data by inspecting and scanning it for patterns.
• You shared your first data visualization: a bar chart.
• Finally, after completing all the other steps, you acted: You reflected on your results,
made decisions, and gained insight into your problem--even if that insight was that
you didn't have enough data, or that there were no obvious patterns in your data.
As you progress through the rest of the program, you will continue using and revisiting these
steps to help guide you through your own analysis tasks. You will also learn more about different
tools that can help you along the way!
To use the template for this course item, click the link below and select Use Template.
Link to learning log template: Reflect on the data analysis process
OR
below.
Learning Log Template_ Reflect on the data analysis processDOCX File
Download file
Reflection
In your learning log, write 2-3 sentences (40-60 words) reflecting on the data analysis process
and your experiences so far by answering each of the questions below:
• Which part(s) of the data analysis process did you enjoy the most? What did you
enjoy about it?
• What were some of the key ideas you learned in this course?
• Are there concepts or portions of the content that you would like to learn more
about? If so, what are they? Which upcoming course do you think would teach you
the most about this area?
• Now that you’ve gained experience doing data analysis, how do you feel about
becoming a data analyst? Have your feelings changed since you began this course?
If so, how?
Data analyst roles and job descriptions
As technology continues to advance, being able to collect and analyze the data from that new
technology has become a huge competitive advantage for a lot of businesses. Everything from
websites to social media feeds are filled with fascinating data that, when analyzed and used
correctly, can help inform business decisions. A company’s ability to thrive now often depends on
how well it can leverage data, apply analytics, and implement new technologies.
This is why skilled data analysts are some of the most sought-after professionals in the world. A
study conducted by IBM estimates that companies in the United States will fill 2,720,000 Data
Science and Analytics jobs by 2020*. Because the demand is so strong, you’ll be able to find job
opportunities in virtually any industry. Do a quick search on any major job site and you’ll notice
that every type of business from zoos, to health clinics, to banks are seeking talented data
professionals. Even if the job title doesn’t use the exact term “data analyst,” the job description
for most roles involving data analysis will likely include a lot of the skills and qualifications you’ll
gain by the end of this program. In this reading, we’ll explore some of the data analyst-related
roles you might find in different companies and industries.
* “The Quant Crunch: How the Demand for Data Science Skills is Disrupting the Job Market,” by
Will Markow, Soumya Braganza, and Bledi Taska, with Steven M. Miller and Debbie Hughes.
https://www.ibm.com/downloads/cas/3RL3VXGA
Decoding the job description
The data analyst role is one of many job titles that contain the word “analyst.”
To name a few others that sound similar but may not be the same role:
• Business analyst — analyzes data to help businesses improve processes, products,

or services
• Data analytics consultant — analyzes the systems and models for using data
• Data engineer — prepares and integrates data from different sources for analytical
use
• Data scientist — uses expert skills in technology and social science to find trends
through data analysis
• Data specialist — organizes or converts data for use in databases or software
systems
• Operations analyst — analyzes data to assess the performance of business
operations and workflows
Data analysts, data scientists, and data specialists sound very similar but focus on different
tasks. As you start to browse job listings online, you might notice that companies’ job
descriptions seem to combine these roles or look for candidates who may have overlapping
skills. The fact that companies often blur the lines between them means that you should take
special care when reading the job descriptions and the skills required.
The table below illustrates some of the overlap and distinctions between them:
Title: Decoding the job description data analysts: -problem solving: Use existing tools and
methods to solve problems with existing types of data -analysis: Analyze collected data to
help stakeholders make better decisions -other relevant skills: database queries, data
visualization, dashboards, reports and spreadsheets data scientists: -problem solving: Invent
new tools and models, ask open-ended questions, and collect new types of data -analysis:
Analyze and interpret complex data to make business predictions -other relevant skills:
advanced statistics, machine learning, deep learning, data optimization, and programming
data specialists: -problem solving: Use in-depth knowledge of databases as a tool to solve
problems and manage data -analysis: Organize large volumes of data for use in data analytics
or business operations -other relevant skills: data manipulation, information security, data
models, scalability of data, and disaster recovery
We used the role of data specialist as one example of many specializations within data analytics,
but you don’t have to become a data specialist! Specializations can take a number of different
turns. For example, you could specialize in developing data visualizations and likewise go very
deep into that area.
Job specializations by industry

We learned that the data specialist role concentrates on in-depth knowledge of databases. In
similar fashion, other specialist roles for data analysts can focus on in-depth knowledge of
specific industries. For example, in a job as a business analyst you might wear some different
hats than in a more general position as a data analyst. As a business analyst, you would likely
collaborate with managers, share your data findings, and maybe explain how a small change in
the company’s project management system could save the company 3% each quarter. Although
you would still be working with data all the time, you would focus on using the data to improve
business operations, efficiencies, or the bottom line.
Other industry-specific specialist positions that you might come across in your data analyst job
search include:
• Marketing analyst — analyzes market conditions to assess the potential sales of

products and services
• HR/payroll analyst — analyzes payroll data for inefficiencies and errors
• Financial analyst — analyzes financial status by collecting, monitoring, and
reviewing data
• Risk analyst — analyzes financial documents, economic conditions, and client data
to help companies determine the level of risk involved in making a particular
business decision
• Healthcare analyst — analyzes medical data to improve the business aspect of
hospitals and medical facilities
Key takeaway
Explore data analyst job descriptions and industry-specific analyst roles. You will start to get a
better sense of the different data analyst jobs out there and which types of roles you’re most
interested to go after.
Beyond the Numbers: A Data Analyst

Journey
Rather than a reading, we invite you to watch Anna Leach's TED talk on YouTube or on the TED
platform to learn about another interesting journey as a data analyst.
Test-taking strategies
As you know, this program asks you to complete graded assessments at the end of each module
and course. Assessments can sometimes feel overwhelming, but approaching them with a
strategy can make them more manageable. Here is a list of tips you can use to prime yourself for
success.
Before taking an assessment:

• Review your notes, the videos, the readings, and the most recent glossary to refresh
yourself on the content.
• Find a picture of something or an object that makes you feel happy. For example,
you might look at a photograph of a beautiful beach or a peaceful forest when you
feel overwhelmed.
During the assessment:

• Review the test before filling in answers. Remember to check your work before you
click submit.
• Take your time. You are given a full five minutes per question on all graded
assessments.
• Answer the easy questions first; skip the ones you don’t know the answer to right
away.
• For multiple choice questions, focus on eliminating the wrong answers first.
• Read each question twice. There are often clues that are easy to miss the first time.
• Remember to slow down and trust your knowledge. You probably know more than
you give yourself credit for.
• Take a deep breath and give yourself positive feedback.
• Take some time during the assessment to rest for a few seconds, stretch, and shake
out your hands. This can really help calm your nerves.
If you start to feel anxious:

• Spell your name backwards or do an easy math problem. This brings you back to
the frontal lobe of your brain, which helps you recall information more easily.
• Focus on calm, steady breathing.
• Visualize success.
Before you submit the assessment:

• Check your work, but be confident. Sometimes people change correct answers
because they feel wrong, but they’re actually right. Your first instinct is usually
correct.

Reading Notes

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Reading Notes

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WEEK 1

Program description and course syllabus

1. Foundations: Data, Data, Everywhere (this course)

Optional speed track for those experienced in data analytics

Learning Log: Think about data in daily life

• What’s the best time to go to the gym?

Access your learning log

Link to learning log template: Think about data in daily life

Learning Log Template_ Think about data in daily lifeDOCX File

Helpful resources to get started

Providing feedback or getting help on course content

• Click thumbs-up for materials that are helpful.

Obtaining the Google Data Analytics Certificate

To receive your certificate, you must:

Helpful habits for successfully completing the certificate

Deciding if you should take the speed

1. Take the optional diagnostic quiz.

Optional: Your diagnostic quiz score and

If you scored 100% on the diagnostic quiz:

• You likely have some background knowledge on fundamental concepts involved in

Case Study: New data perspectives

Here is a break down what this team did, step by step.

• They restricted access to the data to a limited number of analysts.

Is people analytics right for you?

Learning Log: Consider how data analysts

Review the six phases of data analysis

Access your learning log

Data and gut instinct

1. Ask questions and define the problem.

Data + business knowledge = mystery solved

• What kind of results are needed?

Origins of the data analysis process

1. Ask: Business Challenge/Objective/Question

EMC's data analysis life cycle

SAS's iterative life cycle

Project-based data analytics life cycle

1. Identifying the problem

Big data analytics life cycle

1. Business case evaluation

Individual course feedback

Meet and greet

Updating your profile

Coursera's Code of Conduct prohibits:

• Bullying or threatening other users

Improving your posts

Here are a few thought-starters:

Daily coffee intake

• Jan. 8th 8 am - bought coffee - one 10 oz. cup

Access your learning log

• Are there any trends you noticed in your behavior?

Learning Log: Reflect on your skills and

The analytical skills table

• Strength: This is an area you feel is one of your strengths

Access your learning log

Link to learning log template: Reflect on your skills and expectations

Learning Log Template_ Reflect on your skills and expectationsDOCX File

Variations of the data life cycle

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)

• Describe (metadata and documentation)

Harvard Business School (HBS)

DAC1 The data analysis process.pdfPDF File

Learn about the process through the program:

Learning Log: Organize your data in a

Structuring your data

• A table consists of rows and columns

1. 10/19, 2.5 cups of coffee

Date Cups of Coffee / Day

Date Cups Coffee/Day Cream Sugar

10/19 2.5 yes yes

10/21 1 yes yes

10/22 1.5 yes no

10/23 1.5 yes yes

Now it’s your turn!

Access your learning log

Link to learning log template: Organize your data in a table