Course 3: Prepare Data for Exploration

SQL

(Refer to Structured Query Language)

Equation

A calculation that involves addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division (also called a math expression)

Pivot chart

A chart created from the fields in a pivot table

Database

A collection of data stored in a computer system

Dataset

A collection of data that can be manipulated or analyzed as one unit

Data

A collection of facts

Video file

A collection of images, audio files, and other data usually encoded in a compressed format such as MP4, MV4, MOV, AVI, or FLV

Record

A collection of related data in a data table, usually synonymous with row

Range

A collection of two or more cells in a spreadsheet

Query language

A computer programming language used to communicate with a database

Structured Query Language

A computer programming language used to communicate with a database

Bias

A conscious or subconscious preference in favor of or against a person, group of people, or thing

Long data

A dataset in which each row is one time point per subject, so each subject has data in multiple rows

Math function

A function that is used as part of a mathematical formula

Agenda

A list of scheduled appointments

Data element

A piece of information in a dataset

Cloud

A place to keep data online, rather than a computer hard drive

Algorithm

A process or set of rules followed for a specific task

Relevant question

A question that has significance to the problem to be solved

Text data type

A sequence of characters and punctuation that contains textual information (also called string data type)

Cookie

A small file stored on a computer that contains information about its users

Metadata

Data about data

Problem domain

The area of analysis that encompasses every activity affecting or affected by a problem

Observer bias

The tendency for different people to observe things differently (also called experimenter bias)

Interpretation bias

The tendency to interpret ambiguous situations in a positive or negative way

Data ethics

Well-founded standards of right and wrong that dictate how data is collected, shared, and used

Ethics

Well-founded standards of right and wrong that prescribe what humans ought to do, usually in terms of rights, obligations, benefits to society, fairness, or specific virtues

Data bias

When a preference in favor of or against a person, group of people, or thing systematically skews data analysis results in a certain direction

Redundancy

When the same piece of data is stored in two or more places

Unbiased sampling

When the sample of the population being measured is representative of the population as a whole

Function

A preset command that automatically performs a specified process or task using the data in a spreadsheet

Data governance

A process for ensuring the formal management of a company's data assets

Sponsor

A professional advocate who is committed to moving forward the career of another

Fairness

A quality of data analysis that does not create or reinforce bias

Specific question

A question that is simple, significant, and focused on a single topic or a few closely related ideas

Unfair question

A question that makes assumptions or is difficult to answer honestly

Time-bound question

A question that specifies a timeframe to be studied

Leading question

A question that steers people toward a certain response

Measurable question

A question whose answers can be quantified and assessed

Action-oriented question

A question whose answers lead to change

Query

A request for data or information from a database

String data type

A sequence of characters and punctuation that contains textual information (also called text data type)

Formula

A set of instructions used to perform a calculation using the data in a spreadsheet

Schema

A way of describing how something, such as data, is organized

World Health Organization

An organization whose primary role is to direct and coordinate international health within the United Nations system

Continuous data

Data that is measured and can have almost any numeric value

Unstructured data

Data that is not organized in any easily identifiable manner

External data

Data that lives and is generated outside of an organization

Internal data

Data that lives within a company's own systems

Audio file

Digitized audio storage usually in an MP3, AAC, or other compressed format

Small data

Small, specific data points typically involving a short period of time, which are useful for making day-to-day decisions

Relational database

A database that contains a series of tables that can be connected to form relationships

Operator

A symbol that names the operation or calculation to be performed

Wide data

A dataset in which every data subject has a single row with multiple columns to hold the values of various attributes of the subject

Fill handle

A box in the lower-right-hand corner of a selected spreadsheet cell that can be dragged through neighboring cells in order to continue an instruction

Math expression

A calculation that involves addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division (also called an equation)

Cell reference

A cell or a range of cells in a worksheet typically used in formulas and functions

Attribute

A characteristic or quality of data used to label a column in a table

Bad data source

A data source that is not reliable, original, comprehensive, current, and cited (ROCCC)

Good data source

A data source that is reliable, original, comprehensive, current, and cited (ROCCC)

Pivot table

A data summarization tool used to sort, reorganize, group, count, total, or average data

Boolean data

A data type with only two possible values, usually true or false

Metadata repository

A database created to store metadata

Normalized database

A database in which only related data is stored in each table

Nominal data

A type of qualitative data that is categorized without a set order

CSV (comma-separated values) file

A delimited text file that uses a comma to separate values

Spreadsheet

A digital worksheet

Data science

A field of study that uses raw data to create new ways of modeling and understanding the unknown

Foreign key

A field within a database table that is a primary key in another table (Refer to primary key)

Return on investment (ROI)

A formula that uses the metrics of investment and profit to evaluate the success of an investment

Metric goal

A measurable goal set by a company and evaluated using metrics

Gap analysis

A method for examining and evaluating the current state of a process in order to identify opportunities for improvement in the future

Field

A single piece of information from a row or column of a spreadsheet; in a data table, typically a column in the table

Metric

A single, quantifiable type of data that is used for measurement

Quantitative data

A specific and objective measure, such as a number, quantity, or range

SUM

A spreadsheet function that adds the values of a selected range of cells

COUNT

A spreadsheet function that counts the number of cells in a range that meet a specified criteria

AVERAGE

A spreadsheet function that returns an average of the values from a selected range

MAX

A spreadsheet function that returns the largest numeric value from a range of cells

MIN

A spreadsheet function that returns the smallest numeric value from a range of cells

Report

A static collection of data periodically given to stakeholders

Qualitative data

A subjective and explanatory measure of a quality or characteristic

SMART methodology

A tool for determining a question's effectiveness based on whether it is specific, measurable, action-oriented, relevant, and time-bound

Data model

A tool for organizing data elements and how they relate to one another

Dashboard

A tool that monitors live, incoming data

United States Census Bureau

An agency in the U.S. Department of Commerce that serves as the nation's leading provider of quality data about its people and economy

Scope of work (SOW)

An agreed-upon outline of the tasks to be performed during a project

Data type

An attribute that describes a piece of data based on its values, its programming language, or the operations it can perform

Digital photo

An electronic or computer-based image usually in BMP or JPG format

Primary key

An identifier in a database that references a column in which each value is unique (Refer to foreign key)

Notebook

An interactive, editable programming environment for creating data reports and showcasing data skills

Networking

Building relationships by meeting people both in person and online

Naming conventions

Consistent guidelines that describe the content, creation date, and version of a file in its name

Open data

Data that is available to the public

Discrete data

Data that is counted and has a limited number of values

Second-party data

Data collected by a group directly from its audience and then sold

First-party data

Data collected by an individual or group using their own resources

Structured data

Data organized in a certain format such as rows and columns

Third-party data

Data provided from outside sources who didn't collect it directly

Data-inspired decision-making

Exploring different data sources to find out what they have in common

Access control

Features such as password protection, user permissions, and encryption that are used to protect a spreadsheet

Data design

How information is organized

Sample

In data analytics, a segment of a population that is representative of the entire population

Population

In data analytics, all possible data values in a dataset

Pixel

In digital imaging, a small area of illumination on a display screen that, when combined with other adjacent areas, forms a digital image

Big data

Large, complex datasets typically involving long periods of time, which enable data analysts to address far-reaching business problems

Borders

Lines that can be added around two or more cells on a spreadsheet

Descriptive metadata

Metadata that describes a piece of data and can be used to identify it at a later point in time

Structural metadata

Metadata that indicates how a piece of data is organized and whether it is part of one or more than one data collection

Administrative metadata

Metadata that indicates the technical source of a digital asset

Sampling bias

Overrepresenting or underrepresenting certain members of a population as a result of working with a sample that is not representative of the population as a whole

Stakeholders

People who invest time and resources into a project and are interested in its outcome

General Data Protection Regulation of the European Union (GDPR)

Policy-making body in the European Union created to help protect people and their data

Data privacy

Preserving a data subject's information any time a data transaction occurs

Data security

Protecting data from unauthorized access or corruption by adopting safety measures

Ordinal data

Qualitative data with a set order or scale

Analytical skills

Qualities and characteristics associated with using facts to solve problems

Data analyst

Someone who collects, transforms, and organizes data in order to draw conclusions, make predictions, and drive informed decision-making

Mentor

Someone who shares knowledge, skills, and experience to help another grow both professionally and personally

Technical mindset

The ability to break things down into smaller steps or pieces and work with them in an orderly and logical way

Data interoperability

The ability to integrate data from multiple sources and a key factor leading to the successful use of open data among companies and governments

Transaction transparency

The aspect of data ethics that presumes all data-processing activities and algorithms should be explainable and understood by the individual who provides the data

Consent

The aspect of data ethics that presumes an individual's right to know how and why their personal data will be used before agreeing to provide it

Ownership

The aspect of data ethics that presumes individuals own the raw data they provide and have primary control over its usage, processing, and sharing

Currency

The aspect of data ethics that presumes individuals should be aware of financial transactions resulting from the use of their personal data and the scale of those transactions

Openness

The aspect of data ethics that promotes the free access, usage, and sharing of data

Observation

The attributes that describe a piece of data contained in a row of a table

Data analysis

The collection, transformation, and organization of data in order to draw conclusions, make predictions, and drive informed decision-making

Context

The condition in which something exists or happens

Header

The first row in a spreadsheet that labels the type of data in each column

Geolocation

The geographical location of a person or device by means of digital information

Data visualization

The graphical representation of data

Visualization

The graphical representation of data

Data strategy

The management of the people, processes, and tools used in data analysis

Sorting

The process of arranging data into a meaningful order to make it easier to understand, analyze, and visualize

Analytical thinking

The process of identifying and defining a problem, then solving it by using data in an organized, step-by-step manner

Data anonymization

The process of protecting people's private or sensitive data by eliminating identifying information

Structured thinking

The process of recognizing the current problem or situation, organizing available information, revealing gaps and opportunities, and identifying options

Reframing

The process of restating a problem or challenge, then redirecting it toward a potential resolution

Filtering

The process of showing only the data that meets a specified criteria while hiding the rest

Business task

The question or problem data analysis resolves for a business

Turnover rate

The rate at which employees voluntarily leave a company

Root cause

The reason why a problem occurs

Data analytics

The science of data

SELECT

The section of a query that indicates the subset of a dataset

FROM

The section of a query that indicates where the selected data comes from

WHERE

The section of a query that specifies criteria that the requested data must meet

Data life cycle

The sequence of stages that data experiences, which include plan, capture, manage, analyze, archive, and destroy

Data analysis process

The six phases of ask, prepare, process, analyze, share, and act whose purpose is to gain insights that drive informed decision-making

Experimenter bias

The tendency for different people to observe things differently (Refer to Observer bias)

Confirmation bias

The tendency to search for or interpret information in a way that confirms pre-existing beliefs

Revenue

The total amount of income generated by the sale of goods or services

Data ecosystem

The various elements that interact with one another in order to produce, manage, store, organize, analyze, and share data

Problem types

The various problems that data analysts encounter, including categorizing things, discovering connections, finding patterns, identifying themes, making predictions, and spotting something unusual

Data-driven decision-making

Using facts to guide business strategy

Order of operations

Using parentheses to group together spreadsheet values in order to clarify the order in which operations should be performed

Social media

Websites and applications through which users create and share content or participate in social networking