2 Ask Questions to Make Data-Driven Decisions - Speed Track

In the SMART methodology, questions that encourage change are described how?

Action-oriented

Fill in the blank: "How many people filled out the survey?" is an example of a question that is _____ in the context of data analysis.

measureable

Next, you calculate the total sales over 52 weeks for feminist zines. What is the correct syntax?

=SUM(E2:E53)

Which of the following statements describes an algorithm?

A process or set of rules to be followed for a specific task

A pivot table is a data-summarization tool used in data processing. Which of the following tasks can pivot tables perform? Select all that apply.

Calculate totals from data; Group data; Reorganize data

A data analyst for an electrical utility company is investigating the reasons why electricity consumption has increased in a particular area. They request household usage data from the team that directly interacts with people who purchase power from the company. What is this team?

Customer-facing team

Let's say you want to share information about an upcoming event with stakeholders. It's important that they're able to access and interact with the data in real time. Would you create a report or a dashboard?

Dashboard

In data analytics, reports use live, incoming data from multiple datasets; dashboards use static collections of data.

False

Question 8 In the function =SUM(G1:G35), identify the range.

G1:G35

Based on what you find in the organizational chart, which individuals are considered the secondary stakeholders? Select all that apply.

Project manager, analytics; Data analytics coordinator

A data analyst is collecting data. They decide to gather lots of data to make sure that a few unusual responses do not skew the results later in the process. What element of data collection does this describe?

Sample size

A data analyst joins an online meeting on time. After reviewing the agenda, they see that their project comes at the very end. They're extremely busy and can use this time to stay on top of their current projects. How should they proceed?

Stay focused and attentive during the entire meeting. Even though some items on the agenda don't affect their projects, they could still learn something or have something to contribute.

The qualitative data includes information from which columns? Select all that apply.

Column F (Survey Q6: What types of books would you like to see more of at Athena's Story?); Column E (Survey Q5: What do you like most about Athena's Story?); Column B (Survey Q2: If answered "Yes" to Q1, how do you plan to celebrate?)

Which of the following tasks might be performed using spreadsheets?

Maintain information about accounts

Let's say we just completed a big event for a client and wanted to find out if they were satisfied with their experience. Provide some examples of measurable questions that you could include in the customer feedback survey. Select all that apply.

On a scale from 1 to 5, with 1 being not at all likely and 5 being very likely, how likely are you to recommend Patel Events Plus?; Would you recommend Patel Events Plus to a colleague or friend? Yes or no?

When leading a meeting, it is important to respect your team members' time. What are some ways of doing this? Select all that apply.

Pay attention to what others are saying; Arrive to the meeting on time; Be prepared to talk about your work

A garden center wants to attract more customers. A data analyst in the marketing department suggests advertising in popular landscaping magazines. This is an example of what practice?

Reaching your target audience

In data analytics, how are dashboards different from reports?

Dashboards monitor live, incoming data from multiple datasets and organize the information into one central location. Reports are static collections of data.

In data analytics, the structured thinking process includes recognizing the current problem and organizing the available information. What are the additional aspects of this process? Select all that apply.

Identifying the relevant options; Revealing gaps and opportunities;

What is the purpose of the fill handle in a spreadsheet cell?

It auto-fills other cells in the row or column with the same formula or function.

Which of the following best describes what analysts use big data for?

Large-scale questions that help companies make big decisions

What is a pie chart effective for demonstrating?

Percentages that make up a whole

Fill in the blank: A _____ goal is measurable and evaluated using single, quantifiable data.

metric

Fill in the blank: Return on investment compares the cost of an investment to the _____ of that investment.

net profit

Describe the key difference between the problem types of categorizing things and identifying themes.

Categorizing things involves assigning items to categories. Identifying themes takes those categories a step further, grouping them into broader themes.

Fill in the blank: _____ are preset commands that perform calculations.

Functions

Finding patterns is one of the six problem types data analysts aim to solve. This type of problem might involve which of the following?

Identifying trends from historical data

A data analytics team is working on a project to measure the success of a company's new financial strategy. Select the person most likely to be the primary stakeholder for this project.

The vice president of finance

Fill in the blank: In data analytics, qualitative data _____. Select all that apply.

measures qualities and characteristics; is subjective

Fill in the blank: If a data analyst is measuring qualities and characteristics, they are considering _____ data.

qualitative

Fill in the blank: A metric is a single, _____ type of data that an analyst can use for measurement.

quantifiable

Fill in the blank: In the _____ step of the data analysis process, an analyst would create visualizations to summarize their results.

share

You're working with a dataset that the data analytics coordinator should have cleaned, but it turns out that it wasn't. Your supervisor thought the dataset was ready for use, but you discover nulls, redundant data, and other issues. The project is due in less than two weeks. How would you handle that situation?

Communicate with the data analytics coordinator about the issue and offer to work together to clean the data so the project doesn't fall behind.

Asking questions including, "Does my analysis answer the original question?" and "Are there other angles I haven't considered?" enable data analysts to accomplish what tasks? Select all that apply.

Consider the best ways to share data with others; Help team members make informed, data-driven decisions; Use data to get to a solid conclusion

Using historical data to make informed decisions about how things may be in the future is an example of spotting something unusual.

False

If we asked you to calculate the return on investment of this purchase, the metrics to consider would be the cost of the investment and what else?

Net profit in 2019

After reading the email, you notice that the acronym WHM appears in multiple places. You look it up online, and the most common result is web host manager. That doesn't seem right to you, as it doesn't fit the context of a feminist bookstore. How do you proceed?

Send your supervisor a polite, concise email, asking them to confirm the meaning of WHM.

Small data differs from big data in what ways? Select all that apply.

Small data focuses on short, well-defined time periods. Big data focuses on change over a long period of time; Small data is effective for analyzing day-to-day decisions. Big data is effective for analyzing more substantial decisions; Small data involves datasets concerned with a small number of specific metrics. Big data involves datasets that are larger and less specific.

Which of the following examples are vague questions? Select all that apply.

What's the best place to purchase the things we need?; Do you generally prefer hot or cold?

Which of the following questions are unfair because they make assumptions? Select all that apply.

You want this as soon as possible, right?

Fill in the blank: Some of the most common symbols used in formulas include + (addition), - (subtraction), * (multiplication), and / (division). These are called _____.

operators

Fill in the blank: To apply structured thinking, a data analyst should ______ the available information in order to reveal gaps and opportunities and recognize the current problem or situation.

organize

What do data analysts use to label the type of data contained in each column in a spreadsheet?

Attributes

What calculations can you carry out within a spreadsheet? Select all that apply.

Average; Maximum; Minimum;

To address a vague, complex problem, a data analyst breaks it down into smaller steps. They use a process to help them recognize the current problem or situation, organize available information, reveal gaps and opportunities, and identify options. What does this scenario describe?

Structured thinking

What is the correct spreadsheet formula for multiplying cell D5 times cell D7?

=D5*D7

Categorizing things is one of the six problem types data analysts solve. This type of problem might involve which of the following actions?

Classifying or grouping items

Conflict is a natural part of working on a team. What are some ways to help shift a situation from problematic to productive? Select all that apply.

Reframe the question by asking, "How can I help?"; Ask for a conversation to help you better understand the big picture.; Take a moment to check your emotions before engaging in an argument.

What are some questions you can ask to reduce potential bias? Select all that apply.

When was the data collected?; What is the data about?; Who collected the data?

Making predictions is one of the six data analytics problem types. How does data factor into such problem types?

The data informs the predictions.

A data analyst feels overworked. They often stay late to finish work, and have started missing deadlines. Their supervisor emails them another project to complete, and this causes the analyst even more stress. How should they handle this situation?

Wait a few minutes to think it over, then respond with a meeting request to discuss this project and the general workload

To communicate clearly with stakeholders and team members, there are four key questions data analysts ask themselves. One of them is: What does my audience need to know? Identify the remaining three questions. Select all that apply.

What does my audience already know?; How can I communicate effectively to my audience?; Who is my audience?