You can find data almost anywhere in your business operations—across transactions, processes, marketing and sales initiatives, etc.

However, raw data doesn’t offer much value unless you extract valuable insights.

Survey data shows that 90% of data is unstructured with no defined schema.  

This is why learning data analysis is important.

Data analysis empowers you to unleash the power of raw data, allowing you to make sound, impactful business decisions.

This guide aims to jumpstart your efforts to navigate, understand, and bolster your mastery of data analysis.

Who is this data analysis guide for?

This comprehensive data analysis guide is perfect for the following:

• Business owners who want to learn about data analysis
• Budding data analysts who want to learn how seasoned analysts work.
• Staff, managers, and executives who have access to the company, customer, competitor, and other business data and want to analyze the data to improve processes and fuel decision-making.   

Essentially, anyone wanting to learn about data analysis, including professionals and beginners looking to advance their knowledge, skills, and mastery, can benefit from this guide.  

Chapter 1: Fundamentals of Data Analysis: Basics For Everyone

Data analysis is about filtering, examining, adapting, and modeling a specific data set to solve problems. 

The common goal of data analysis is to determine what’s working and provide actionable insights to optimize current processes and reach goals. 

Understanding the basics of data analysis includes diving deep into the following:

• Types of data analysis, including predictive analysis, regression analysis, diagnostic analysis, descriptive analysis and more
• Data types like qualitative and quantitative data
• The tools and skills required to perform data analysis
• The stages of the data analysis process

Demystifying these core concepts helps newbies and seasoned analysts uncover what makes data analysis important and the role of data-driven insights for effective analysis.

What you’ll learn in this chapter:

• What is data analysis?
• Importance of data analysis
• How long does it take to learn data analytics?
• Data analysis terms
• Data analysis FAQs

Click to read “Fundamentals of Data Analysis: Basics For Everyone.”

Chapter 2: Data Collection: Definition, Steps, Methods, & Examples

Uncover the nuts and bolts of data collection for data analysis, including the step-by-step process, various methods, practical applications, and use cases of data gathering.  

By the end of this guide, you will have a better and deeper understanding of data gathering as a critical stage in your data analysis process. 

What you’ll learn in this chapter:

• What is data collection?
• Purpose of data collection
• Sources and challenges of data collection
• The data collection process
• How to create a data collection plan?
• Data Collection FAQs

Click to read “Data Collection: Definition, Steps, Methods, & Examples.”

Chapter 3: Data Optimization: Why it Matters & How to Optimize Your Data

Understand the importance of data optimization and its critical role in effective data analysis. 

Uncover the data analysis technique that best suits your dynamics, including the pivotal part that automation plays in optimizing your data’s efficiency, relevance, and quality.    

What you’ll learn in this chapter:

• What is data optimization
• Why data optimization is important
• Data optimization techniques
• Data cleaning techniques
• Automated data processing tips
• Data optimization FAQs

Click to read “Data Optimization: Why it Matters & How to Optimize Your Data.”

Chapter 4: 15 Data Analysis Questions For Efficient Analytics

Asking the right questions is crucial for data analysis.

The right questions help you identify patterns, trends, and meaningful insights from your data to make strategic decision-making and improve future outcomes.  

What you’ll learn in this chapter:

• Importance of asking the right data analysis questions
• Data analysis questions
• Formulating data hypothesis

Click to read “15 Data Analysis Questions For Efficient Analytics.” 

Chapter 5: 15 Data Analysis Techniques & Methods

Learn essential techniques and methods for effective and efficient data analysis.  

Discover the various strategies, from traditional to more sophisticated approaches, to break down, decipher, and extract actionable insights from your data, unlocking the knowledge to make informed, data-driven decisions.   

What you’ll learn in this chapter:

• Importance of using the correct data analysis techniques
• What is the data analysis process
• Top data analysis techniques
• How to choose the correct data analysis techniques
• FAQs on data analysis techniques

Click to read “15 Data Analysis Techniques & Methods.”

Chapter 6: 6 Ways of Presenting Data Insights

Explore dynamic methods to convey key data insights to stakeholders, from brief narratives to comprehensive visualizations. 

Find the best ways to turn your raw, complex data into easy-to-understand, meaningful presentations to fuel informed decision-making and action planning. 

What you’ll learn in this chapter:

• What is data presentation
• Importance of presenting data
• What to include in data presentations
• Mistakes to avoid in presenting data
• FAQS for creating data presentations

Click to read “6 Ways of Presenting Data Insights.”

Chapter 7: 9 Data Analysis Examples

Have a better understanding of data analysis through case studies, use cases, and other real-world examples.  

Learn from the analytical techniques, tools, and unique approaches other companies in similar niches or industries use that lead to effective and impactful data analysis.  

What you’ll learn in this chapter:

• Importance of data analysis examples
• What to look out for when reading data analysis examples
• Data analysis examples by category

Click to read “9 Data Analysis Examples.”

Chapter 8: Automated Data Analysis: Everything You Need to Know

Modern data analysis software and technology, such as machine learning algorithms combined with analytics mastery and data science proficiency, led to the emergence of automation.

Dive into the world of automation and how it can streamline and optimize tedious and time-consuming data analysis-related tasks and processes.  

According to 92% of data leaders, their companies gained measurable business value from their investments in data and analytics. 

Harness the power of sophisticated Business Intelligence (BI) software like Polymer to automate and supercharge your data analysis tasks. 

Leverage Polymer’s smart and intuitive features to eliminate manual work by generating comprehensive reports and building stunning visualizations quickly for instant data analysis of your big data.     

What you’ll learn in this chapter:

• What is automated data analysis?
• Advantages of automated data analysis
• When do you need automated data analysis?
• Steps for running automated data analysis
• Automated data analysis FAQs

Click to read “Automated Data Analysis: Everything You Need to Know.” 

What’s next?

This guide is a great starting point if you’re dead serious about learning data analysis.

We simplified the concepts, used easy-to-understand words, and added actionable tips to help you with your journey to mastering data analysis.

Remember to bookmark this page, read, and follow the tips in this guide.

Let’s start!

Click to read Fundamentals of Data Analysis: Basics for Everyone now.