DATA ANALYST

BY

P/ND/21/3210019
P/ND/21/3210020
P/ND/21/3210021
P/ND/21/3210022
P/ND/21/3210023
P/ND/21/3210024

Mr. Adigun
Supervisor

February 2023
TABLE OF CONTENT
CHAPTER ONE
 INTRODUCTION TO DATA ANALYST

CHAPTER TWO
 THEORETICAL BACKGROUND OF DATA ANALYST

CHAPTER THREE
 AREAS OF APPLICATION IN DATA ANALYST

CONCLUSION

REFERENCES
CHAPTER ONE˸ Introduction to Data Analyst

Data analysis is a process of inspecting, cleansing, transforming, and

modeling data with the goal of discovering useful information, informing
conclusions, and supporting decision-making. Data analysis has multiple facets
and approaches, encompassing diverse techniques under a variety of names, and
is used in different business, science, and social science domains. In today's
business world, data analysis plays a role in making decisions more scientific
and helping businesses operate more effectively.
Data mining is a particular data analysis technique that focuses on statistical
modeling and knowledge discovery for predictive rather than purely descriptive
purposes, while
Business intelligence covers data analysis that relies heavily on aggregation,
focusing mainly on business information. In statistical applications, data
analysis can be divided into descriptive statistics, exploratory data analysis
(EDA), and confirmatory data analysis (CDA). EDA focuses on discovering
new features in the data while CDA focuses on confirming or falsifying existing
hypotheses.
Predictive analytics focuses on the application of statistical models for
predictive forecasting or classification, while text analytics applies statistical,
linguistic, and structural techniques to extract and classify information from
textual sources, a species of unstructured data . All of the above are varieties of
data analysis.
Data integration is a precursor to data analysis, and data analysis is closely
linked to data visualization and data dissemination.
Data Analysis is essential as it helps businesses understand their customers
better, improves sales, improves customer targeting, reduces costs, and allows
for the creation of better problem-solving strategies
HISTORY OF DATA ANALYST
Data analysis is rooted in statistics, which has a pretty long history. It is said
that the beginning of statistics was marked in ancient Egypt as it took a periodic
census for building pyramids. Throughout history, statistics has played an
important role for governments all across the world, for the creation of
censuses, which were used for various governmental planning activities
(including, of course, taxation). With the data collected, we can move on to the
next step, which is the analysis of that data. Data analysis is a process that
begins with retrieving data from various sources and then analyzing it with the
goal of discovering beneficial information. For example, the analysis of
population growth by district can help governments determine the number of
hospitals that would be needed in a given area.
CHAPTER TWO – Theoretical Background of Data Analyst

Data analytics is based on statistics . It has been surmised statistics were used as
far back as Ancient Egypt for building pyramids. Governments worldwide have
used statistics based on censuses, for a variety of planning activities, including
taxation.
The advent of big data analytics was a response to the rise of big data that
started in the 1990s . Very Long before the term “big data” was coined, the
concept was applied to the dawn of the computer age when businesses used
large spreadsheets to crunch numbers and find trends.
data analyst reviews data to identify key insights into a business's customers and
ways the data can be used to solve problems. They also communicate this
information to company leadership and other stakeholders.
Data Analysis as a Linear Process
A strictly linear approach to data analysis is to work through the components in
order, from beginning to end. A possible advantage of this approach is that it is
structured and organized, as the steps of the process are arranged in a fixed
order. In addition, this linear conceptualization of the process may make it
easier to learn. A possible disadvantage is that the step-by-step nature of the
decision making may obscure or limit the power of the analyses – in other
words, the structured nature of the process limits its effectiveness.

Data Analysis as a Cycle

A cyclical approach to data analysis provides much more flexibility to the
nature of the decision making and also includes more and different kinds of
decisions to be made. In this approach, different components of the process can
be worked on at different times and in different sequences – as long as
everything comes “together” at the end. A possible advantage of this approach
is that program staff are not “bound” to work on each step in order. The
potential exists for program staff to “learn by doing” and to make improvements
to the process before it is completed.
There are two simple reasons why data analytics matters. Firstly, it’s useful for
decision-making. Secondly, it’s evidence-based. Combine these two attributes,
and data analytics becomes a potent tool. Basing decisions on empirical
information (rather than relying on opinion or ‘gut feel’) is a much more
scientific way of approaching problems. While this does not mean data analytics
is always 100% accurate, it’s by far the best tool we have for predicting future
trends and drawing conclusions about past events.
Data analytics also has a wide range of applications across society. Online,
you’ll often find data analytics touted as a tool for business intelligence, e.g.
predicting future sales or informing product development and marketing spend.
Technical skills for data analysts
Hard skills sometimes have a steep learning curve. However, with a little
discipline, anyone can pick them up. Key hard skills for data analysts include:
Math and statistics: You’ll be mathematically minded. You may have an
undergraduate or Master’s degree in an area like applied math, statistics, or
computing. However, while qualifications can be useful, they’re not always
necessary if you’re a newcomer to the field. As long as you have solid math
skills, e.g. algebra and calculus, that could be sufficient.
Programming skills: To create or tweak algorithms that automate data
analytics tasks (like parsing or re-structuring large datasets) an element of
programming know-how is unavoidable. Scripting languages like Python or
MATLAB and statistical computing languages like R and SAS are all popular in
data analytics.
Database knowledge: As well as programming languages, you’ll need some
understanding of database warehousing software, e.g. Hive, and analytics
engines like Spark. You’ll also need to know database query languages like
SQL.
Excel skills: Commonly used for transforming raw data into a readable format,
or for automating complex calculations, MS Excel is core to any data analyst’s
toolset. Be sure to familiarize yourself with its key analytical functions.
Visualization skills: A core aspect of data analytics is the ability to visualize
data with charts and graphs. This helps us identify patterns, correlations, and
trends. At the very least, you should be able to create plots using Python, or
tables and charts using MS Excel.
Basic machine learning knowledge: As a beginner, nobody will expect you to
be an expert in machine learning—it’s an entire discipline in its own right.
Nevertheless, the tenets of machine learning underpin many data analytics tasks.
You should be familiar with the theory, e.g. supervised learning versus
unsupervised learning.
Non-technical skills for data analysts
While soft skills can be honed with practice, they are generally considered more
inherent. You’ll need to have a natural flair for the following:
Communication: Communication is key in any job, but especially in data
analytics. Obtaining accurate insights is the priority, but effectively
communicating these to wider audiences is vital. You should have excellent
interpersonal skills, be able to communicate complex concepts in
straightforward terms, and be confident giving presentations and answering
questions for non-technical personnel.
Critical thinking: Arguably the most important skill in data analytics, critical
thinking is the ability to question what’s in front of you to better understand it.
You’ll have a naturally inquisitive mindset, won’t take anything at face value,
and will approach tasks using logical reasoning and deduction.
Creative problem-solving: Problem-solving involves applying your reflective
way of seeing the world to specific data-related situations or problems. You’ll
take a step-by-step approach when defining a problem, devise an approach for
solving it, and carry out the necessary subsequent tasks. These tasks will be
different every time, so you’ll need a creative mindset.
Ethics: You’ll understand the importance of data privacy, be aware of your
personal biases, and be comfortable presenting outcomes—even when these are
undesirable or are unlikely to win you any praise. Adhering to a strong ethical
code is hugely important. Without it, data can be easily misused, which can
have a real-world impact on individuals and groups affected by your work.
What tools do data analysts use?
So far, we’ve covered the skills a data analyst needs and the high-level process
and tasks they need to carry out. As a beginner, this may feel a bit
overwhelming. Fortunately, there’s a huge range of applications and software to
help streamline the process. While these require a bit of technical know-how,
once you’ve covered the basics, you should find the whole process a lot easier.
Common tools for data analysts include:
MS Excel
Python
Databases and management systems
SQL
Let’s take a closer look at some of those now.
MS Excel for data analytics
A must-have for any data analyst is MS Excel. Excel allows you to sort data,
break it into smaller subsets, and use a wide variety of functions to understand it
better. These functions include pivot tables , search functions like XLOOKUP
and VLOOKUP , the AVERAGE function (which gives you the average of a
given range of numbers), and the SUMIF function (which lets you calculate the
sum of different cells).
Python for data analytics
Python can be used for almost any aspect of the data analytics process. For
instance, Pandas is excellent for manipulating time-series and other quantitative
data. Matplotlib is perfect for data visualization. And NumPy is popular for
conducting a range of complex mathematical functions. These are just three of
the many thousands of Python packages that are available.
Databases and data management systems
As the variety of data we collect becomes more complex, the way we store and
manage these data is also evolving. In data analytics, it’s vital to have an
understanding of how databases and data warehouses work. For instance,
MySQL is a relatively simple type of relational database management system
that is commonly used.
Structured Query Language (SQL)
SQL (sometimes pronounced ‘sequel’) is a programming language designed to
communicate with relational databases. In a world where data is the main
currency, this has obvious applications. While relational databases are built
using a variety of languages, such as C or C++, SQL allows you to pull, add or
edit data without needing knowledge of the database’s native language.
Industry-specific data analytics tools
In addition to the tools already described, the industry is starting to produce
ever-more sophisticated sector-specific applications to support data analytics.
These tools range from general business intelligence software like Microsoft
Power BI , to data visualization and dashboarding applications like Tableau .
CHAPTER THREE - Areas of Application In Data Analyst

1.) Policing/Security
Several cities all over the world have employed predictive analysis in predicting
areas that would likely witness a surge in crime with the use of geographical
data and historical data.

2.) Transportation.
3.) Fraud and Risk Detection
This has been known as one of the initial
applications of data science which was extracted from the discipline of Finance.
So many organizations had very bad experiences with debt and were so fed up
with it. Since they already had data that was collected during the time their
customers applied for loans, they applied data science which eventually rescued
them from the losses they had incurred
4.) Manage Risk
In the insurance industry, risk management is the major focus. What most
people aren’t aware of is that when insuring a person, the risk involved is not
obtained based on mere information but data that has been analyzed statistically
before a decision is made.
5.) Delivery Logistics
Well, data science and analytics have no limited applications. There are several
logistic companies working all over the world such as UPS, DHL, FedEx, etc.
that make use of data for improving their efficiency in operations.

6.) Web Provision

There is this general belief that “Smart Cities” have fast internet speed provided
either by their government or companies present there, therefore declaring them
smart. Well, just because people can access Facebook or YouTube at the speed
of lightning does not necessarily make a city smart.
7.) Proper Spending
Another issue with Smart Cities is the large amount of money spent on little
work. Small changes or landmark remodeling which one could dismiss as
unnecessary projects consume so much money.
8.) Customer Interactions
This is another one of the applications of data analytics in insurance. Insurers
can determine a lot about their services by conducting regular customer surveys
mainly after interacting with claim handlers. They could use this to know which
of their services are good and the ones that would need improvement.
9.) City Planning
One big mistake being made in many places is that analytics is not considered
when pursuing city planning. As a matter of fact, web traffic and marketing are
still being used instead of the creation of spaces and buildings. This really
causes a lot of issues to power over data due to its influence on things like
building zoning and amenity creation.
10.) Healthcare
One challenge most hospitals face is coping with cost pressures in treating as
many patients as possible, considering the quality of healthcare’s improvement.
Machine and instrument data use has risen drastically so as to optimize and
track treatment, patient flow as well as the use of equipment in hospitals.
11.) Travel
Data analytics applications help in the optimization of traveler’s buying
experience via social media and mobile/weblog data analysis. This is because
customers’ preferences and desires can be obtained from this, therefore, making
companies sell products from the correlation of the current sales to recent
browse-to-buy conversion through customized offers and packages.
12.) Energy Management
Data analytics application here focuses mainly on monitoring and controlling of
dispatch crew, network devices and make sure service outages are properly
managed.
13.) Internet/Web Search
search engines is as a result of data science applications because they use
algorithms to deliver the best results for any search query directed at them in
just a split second.
14.) Digital Advertisement
Apart from web search, there is another area where data analytics and data
science serves a very important purpose – digital advertisements. From the
banners displayed on several websites to the digital billboards seen in the big
cities; all are controlled by data algorithms..

BENEFIT OF DATA ANALYST TO THE SOCIETY

The primary role of a data analyst is to help businesses make more informed
decisions . Drawing on techniques from a range of disciplines, including
mathematics, statistics and programming, data analysts will collect, organise
and study data to provide a business with valuable, actionable insights.
Data analytics techniques enable a business to take raw data and uncover
patterns to extract valuable insights. As a result, data analysis helps companies
make informed decisions, create a more effective marketing strategy, improve
customer experience, streamline operations, among many other things.
 Urban planning
 Public health
 Poverty reduction
CONCLUSION
As we’ve seen, data analysis and computer technology have been developing
and affecting each other, ever since the advent of computing. As the collected
data size gets larger, new methods of data analysis have been introduced in each
stage, out of necessity. As data collection and computing gets even cheaper, we
should continue to see breakthroughs in the area of big data
However, data has become more available and accessible to more people
therefore no longer at the disposal of data scientists and analysts. Almost
everybody within an organization can make use of data for the increase of
productivity and make very important decisions. Of course, proper use of data
would have a positive impact on business and even the society in general.

REFERENCES
Jackson,S. (2023). Serminal on Data Analyst, Lagos˸ La Jackson5ive Designs.