Thumb Rules for Data Analysis
Introduction
There are two major thumb rules for data analysis. The first is to not rely too much on your gut. And the second is to not be afraid to ask questions and explore other interpretations of data.
This blog post will teach you how to use these thumb rules so that you can successfully complete a data analysis project. It will also teach you to think like how proper visualization can communicate information better than just numbers and words, the importance of checking for bias in the sources and methods used. If you want to learn more about Data Science and Machine Learning, you can check out Data Science courses in Kochi.
Importance of Data Analysis
Data analysis is an important skill in many fields. Data analysis can mean many things, but ultimately it is the process of extracting meaning from large sets of data. Data analysts don’t just look at numbers; they do calculations that allow them to draw conclusions about trends and patterns in the data, as well as perform exploratory data analysis and predictive modelling.
Best practices for data analysis can help you learn more about your field and get closer to making a valid conclusion about what your findings indicate about the world around you. There are many ways to do data analysis, but all of them follow the same basic steps. Here’s a handy thumb rule that you can use to be a good Data Analyst.
Thumb Rule #1: Trust Your Gut, but Verify
As a data analyst, you’ve probably heard it said before, “Follow your gut.” This is good advice, as long as you also verify your gut. What this means is that you should take a trial and error approach to analyzing data. You should try things out and see what happens. When you find something that works, write it down and then continue on with your project. Otherwise, you could write down a bad conclusion because you didn’t try different methods and only relied on what seemed to be the best method at the time.
Thumb Rule #2: Don’t Be Afraid To Ask Questions
As data analysts, we often develop a strong intuition about what is “normal” when it comes to certain data sets. For example, if a certain data set has many variables that fall into specific ranges (i.e. normal distribution), we may feel comfortable drawing conclusions about the whole data set based on just those ranges. But this is not always accurate. Sometimes there are outliers in our data set that skew our conclusions and make it seem like everything is normal when it really isn’t. Other times we may be looking at data that is fake; for example, the data might have been fabricated to meet certain expectations (i.e. biased).
The best way to get around these problems is to ask questions. Ask yourself things like: “Are there any outliers?” and “Are there any biases?” If you can answer these questions, then you will find that it is much easier to draw conclusions about your data set. Then you can use those conclusions to make sense of your data, and ultimately make better decisions as a result of your data analysis.
Thumb Rule #3: Don’t Let Your Data Analysis Turn Into an Opinion
One of the most common problems data analysts encounter is when they get too caught up in their own opinion. When this happens, it’s called confirmation bias. Confirmation bias happens when two sets of evidence point in two different directions, but one person likes one direction and the other person likes another direction. As a result, when the two sets of evidence are analyzed together, people will come up with a conclusion that supports their preferred opinion.
Conclusion
Data analysis can mean many different things, but ultimately it is extracting meaning from large sets of data. Data analysts don’t just look at numbers; they do calculations that allow them to draw conclusions about trends and patterns in the data. Here’s a handy thumb rule that you can use to be a good Data Analyst. As data analysts, we often develop strong intuition about what is “normal” when it comes to certain data sets. Sometimes there are outliers in our data set that make it seem like everything is normal when it isn’t. Don’t let your data analysis turn into an opinion. If you want to be a Data Analyst, you can check out Best Data Science training institute in Kochi.