Coursera Data Analysis Course Key Terms

Which of the following examples demonstrate data-driven decision-making?

- A school district uses report cards to track performance and identify areas where students need additional support. - A dentist's office uses specifics from patient records to track treatment outcomes and improve quality of care. - A financial advisor interviews clients to assess their risk tolerance and investment goals in order to create personalized plans.

Which of the following activities are elements of data-driven decision-making?

- Request observations from subject-matter experts - Find relevant data - Define the business need

What are the steps to plan a data visualization?

1. Explore the data for patterns 2. Plan your visuals 3. Create your visuals

Attribute

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

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

Self-Reporting

A data collection technique where participants provide information about themselves

Spreadsheet

A digital worksheet

Data Science

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

Gap Analysis

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

Function

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

Query

A request for data or information from a database

Formula

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

Which of the following statements accurately describe spreadsheet attributes and observations? Select all that apply.

A spreadsheet row is also referred to as an observation. Attributes are used to label spreadsheet columns. An observation includes all of the attributes contained in its row

MANAGE

Care for and maintain the data. This includes determining how and where it is stored and the tools used to do so.

Which of the following statements accurately describe data visualizations and visualization tools? Select all that apply.

Choosing the most appropriate visualization is typically driven by the amount of data and the analysis process. Spreadsheets contain built-in chart and graph features. Tableau enables the creation of interactive dashboards for users to share.

CAPTURE

Collect or bring in data from a variety of different sources.

A data professional is always interested in learning new skills and gaining knowledge. They often seek out challenging assignments at work and professional development experiences. Which analytical skill does this scenario describe?

Curiosity

PLAN

Decide what kind of data is needed, how it will be managed, and who will be responsible for it.

Which of the following activities are part of the manage phase of the data life cycle? Select all that apply.

Decide where to store data Determine how to best maintain data Think about what kinds of tools can be used to keep data safe

A business wants to grow its sales by 10% in the next 12 months. The data team helps achieve this goal by collecting data about current sales, their target market, and their competitors. This helps them identify the difference between where they are today and where they want to be in a year. What does this scenario describe?

Gap analysis

Data Design

How information if organized

ARCHIVE

Keep relevant data stored for long-term and future reference.

Fill in the blank: Data is _____ during the prepare step of the data analysis process.

NOT presented and shared

Stakeholders

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

Analytical Skills

Qualities and characteristics associated with using facts to solve problems

DESTROY

Remove data from storage and delete any shared copies of the data.

Data Analyst

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

Where

Specifies criteria that the data must meet

Select

Specifies the columns from which to retrieve data

From

Specifies the table from which to retrieve data

What tasks may occur during the ask step of the data analysis process? Select all that apply.

Stay engaged by having a dialogue with stakeholders Consider the current state compared to the ideal state Define the problem to be solved

A junior data analyst at a construction company develops a plan about a home-remodeling project. They employ analytical thinking to stay focused and on track. They also consider how to improve the quality and usefulness of the data they collect. Which aspect of analytical thinking does this scenario describe?

Strategic thinking

SQL

Structured Query Language

Technical Mindset

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

Which of the following statements correctly describe the archive and the destroy phases of the data life cycle? Select all that apply.

The archive phase involves storing data. A key reason for destroying data is to protect private company information. Shredders may be used to destroy data on paper.

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

Data Visualization

The graphical representation of data

Data Strategy

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

Analytical Thinking

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

Oversampling

The process of increasing the sample size of nondominant groups in a population. This can help you better represent them and address imbalanced datasets

Data Analytics

The science of data

Data Ecosystem

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

ANALYZE

Use the data to solve problems, make decisions, and support business goals.

Data-Driven Decision-Making

Using facts to guide business strategy

During the _____ step of the data analysis process, data analytics professionals use tools such as query languages to drive informed decision-making.

analyze

What is the data analysis process?

ask, prepare, process, analyze, share, and act

A high-tech manufacturer acquires data from an outside consumer tech association database and its own documentation about product features and pricing. This work occurs during the _____ phase of the data life cycle.

capture

Fill in the blank: An agriculture company collects data from an outside commodity market database and internal files containing information about livestock. This work occurs during the _____ phase of the data life cycle.

capture

Company leaders at a business in Egypt want to ensure all supplies are sourced within the country. So, they ask the data team to investigate the performance of local suppliers. Team members consider how to manage the data for this project and who will be responsible for it. What phase of the data life cycle does this scenario describe?

plan

Data analysts use a _____ approach in order to identify, describe, and work out challenges or issues.

problem-oriented

Data science involves using _____ data to create new ways of modeling and understanding the unknown.

raw