Data Presentation and Analysis
Data Presentation and Analysis
Data Presentation and Analysis
Textual
Tabular
Diagrammatic
Bar Diagram
Simple Bar Diagram
Simple Bar Diagram is composed of rectangular bars. All of these bars
have the same width and they are placed at an equal distance from each
other. The bars are placed on the X-axis. The height or length of the bars is
used as the means of measurement. So on the Y-axis, you have the
measurement relevant to the data.
Suppose, you want to present the run scored by each batsman in a game
in the form of a bar chart. Mark the runs on the Y-axis - in ascending order
from the bottom. So the lowest scorer will be represented in the form of
the smallest bar and highest scorer in the form of the longest bar.
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Component Bar Diagram
Sometimes, a bar is divided into two or more parts. For example, if there is
a Bar Diagram, the bars of which show the percentage of male voters who
voted and who didn’t and the female voters who voted and who didn’t.
Instead of creating separate bars for who did and who did not, you can
divide one bar into who did and who did not.
Pie Chart
A pie chart is a chart where you divide a pie (a circle) into different parts
based on the data. Each of the data is first transformed into percentage
and then that percentage figure is multiplied by 3.6 degrees. The result
that you get is the angular degree of that corresponding data to be drawn
in the pie chart. So, for example, you get 30 degrees as the result, on the
pie chart you draw that angle from the centre.
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Frequency Diagram
Suppose you want to present data that shows how many students have 1
to 2 pens, how many have 3 to 5 pens, how many have 6 to 10 pens
(grouped frequency) you do that with the help of a Frequency Diagram. A
Frequency Diagram can be of many kinds:
Histogram
Where the grouped frequency of pens (from the above example) is written
on the X-axis and the numbers of students are marked on the Y-axis. The
data is presented in the form of bars.
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Frequency Polygon
When you join the midpoints of the upper side of the rectangles in a
histogram, you get a Frequency Polygon
Frequency Curve
When you draw a freehand line that passes through the points of the
Frequency Polygon, you get a Frequency Curve.
Ogive
Suppose 2 students got 0-20 marks in maths, 5 students got 20-30 marks
and 4 students got 30-50 marks in Maths. So how many students got less
than 50 marks? Yes, 5+2=7. And how many students got more than 20
marks? 5+4=9. This type of more than and less than data are represented
in the form of the ogive. The meeting point of the less than and more than
line will give you the Median.
If you want to make a table that would inform in which year’s world cup,
which team won. The classifying variable, here, is year or time. This kind of
classification is called Temporal classification.
If you want to list the top 5 coldest places in the world. The classifying
variable here would be a place in each case. Such kind of classification is
called Spatial Classification.
2. Are Bar Charts and Histograms the Same?
No, they are not the same. With a histogram, you measure the frequency of
quantitative data. With bar charts, you compare categorical data.
1. Cluster analysis
The action of grouping a set of data elements in a way that said elements are more similar
(in a particular sense) to each other than to those in other groups – hence the term ‘cluster.’
Since there is no target variable when clustering, the method is often used to find hidden
patterns in the data. The approach is also used to provide additional context to a trend or
dataset.
Let's look at it from a business perspective. In a perfect world, marketers would be able to
analyze each customer separately and give them the best-personalized service, but let's face
it, with a large customer base, it is timely impossible to do that. That's where clustering
comes in. By grouping customers into clusters based on demographics, purchasing
behaviors, monetary value, or any other factor that might be relevant for your company,
you will be able to immediately optimize your efforts and give your customers the best
experience based on their needs.
2. Cohort analysis
This type of data analysis method uses historical data to examine and compare a
determined segment of users' behavior, which can then be grouped with others with similar
characteristics. By using this data analysis methodology, it's possible to gain a wealth of
insight into consumer needs or a firm understanding of a broader target group.
Cohort analysis can be really useful to perform analysis in marketing as it will allow you to
understand the impact of your campaigns on specific groups of customers. To exemplify,
imagine you send an email campaign encouraging customers to sign up to your site. For this
you create two versions of the campaign with different designs, CTAs, and ad content. Later
on, you can use cohort analysis to track the performance of the campaign for a longer
period of time and understand which type of content is driving your customers to sign up,
repurchase, or engage in other ways.
A useful tool to start performing cohort analysis method is Google Analytics. You can learn
more about the benefits and limitations of using cohorts in GA in this useful guide. In the
bottom image you see an example of how you visualize a cohort analysis in this tool. The
segments (devices traffic) are divided into date cohorts (usage of devices) and then analyzed
week by week to extract insights into performance.
3. Regression analysis
The regression analysis uses historical data to understand how a dependent variable's value
is affected when one (linear regression) or more independent variables (multiple regression)
change or stay the same. By understanding each variable's relationship and how they
developed in the past, you can anticipate possible outcomes and make better business
decisions in the future.
Let's bring it down with an example. Imagine you did a regression analysis of your sales in
2019 and discovered that variables like product quality, store design, customer service,
marketing campaigns, and sales channels affected the overall result. Now you want to use
regression to analyze which of these variables changed or if any new ones appeared during
2020. For example, you couldn’t sell as much in your physical store due to COVID
lockdowns. Therefore, your sales could’ve either dropped in general or increased in your
online channels. Like this, you can understand which independent variables affected the
overall performance of your dependent variable, annual sales.
If you want to go deeper into this type of analysis, check out this article and learn more
about how you can benefit from regression.
4. Neural networks
The neural network forms the basis for the intelligent algorithms of machine learning. It is a
form of data-driven analytics that attempts, with minimal intervention, to understand how
the human brain would process insights and predict values. Neural networks learn from
each and every data transaction, meaning that they evolve and advance over time.
A typical area of application for neural networks is predictive data analysis. There are BI
reporting tools that have this feature implemented within them, such as the Predictive
Analytics Tool from datapine. This tool enables users to quickly and easily generate all kinds
of predictions. All you have to do is select the data to be processed based on your KPIs, and
the software automatically calculates forecasts based on historical and current data. Thanks
to its user-friendly interface, anyone in your organization can manage it; there’s no need to
be an advanced data scientist.
Here is an example of how you can use the predictive analysis tool from datapine:
**click to enlarge**
5. Factor analysis
The factor analysis, also called “dimension reduction,” is a type of data analysis used to
describe variability among observed, correlated variables in terms of a potentially lower
number of unobserved variables called factors. The aim here is to uncover independent
latent variables, an ideal analysis method for streamlining specific data segments.
A good example to understand this data analysis method is a customer evaluation of a
product. The initial assessment is based on different variables like color, shape, wearability,
current trends, materials, comfort, place where they bought the product, frequency of
usage. Like this, the list can be endless, depending on what you want to track. In this case,
factor analysis comes to the picture by summarizing all of these variables into homogenous
groups, for example, by grouping the variables color, materials, quality, and trends into a
brother latent variable of design.
If you want to start analyzing data using factor analysis we recommend you to take a look at
this practical guide from UCLA.
6. Data mining
A method of analysis that is the umbrella term for engineering metrics and insights for
additional value, direction, and context. By using exploratory statistical evaluation, data
mining aims to identify dependencies, relations, data patterns, and trends to generate and
advanced knowledge. When considering how to analyze data, adopting a data mining
mindset is essential to success - as such, it’s an area that is worth exploring in greater detail.
An excellent example of data mining is datapine intelligent data alerts. With the help of
artificial intelligence and machine learning, they provide automated signals based on
particular commands or occurrences within a dataset. For example, if you’re monitoring
supply chain KPIs, you could set an intelligent alarm to trigger when invalid or low-quality
data appears. By doing so, you will be able to drill down deep into the issue and fix it swiftly
and effectively.
In the following picture you can see an example of how the intelligent alarms from datapine
work. By setting up ranges on daily orders, sessions and revenues, the alarms will notify you
if the goal was not completed or if it exceeded the expectations.
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7. Text analysis
Text analysis, also known in the industry as text mining, is the process of taking large sets of
textual data and arranging it in a way that makes it easier to manage. By working through
this cleansing process in stringent detail, you will be able to extract the data that is truly
relevant to your business and use it to develop actionable insights that will propel you
forward.
Modern data analyst tools and techniques accelerate the process of text analytics. Thanks to
the combination of machine learning and intelligent algorithms, you can perform advanced
analytical processes such as sentiment analysis. This technique allows you to understand the
intentions and emotions of a text, for example, if it's positive, negative, or neutral, and then
give it a score depending on certain factors and categories that are relevant for your brand.
Sentiment analysis is often used to monitor brand and product reputation and to
understand how successful your customer experience is. To learn more about the topic
check out this insightful article.
By analyzing data from various word-based sources, including product reviews, articles,
social media communications, and survey responses, you will gain invaluable insights into
your audience, as well as their needs, preferences, and pain points. This will allow you to
create campaigns, services, and communications that meet your prospects’ needs on a
personal level, growing your audience while boosting customer retention. One of the most
effective data analysis tools and techniques you will ever invest in.
Now that we’ve answered the questions “what is data analysis’”, why is it important, and
covered the different types of data analysis methods, it’s time to dig deeper into how to
perform your analysis by working through these 15 essential techniques.
3. Data democratization
After giving your data analytics methodology some real direction, and knowing which
questions need answering to extract optimum value from the information available to your
organization, you should continue with data democratization.
Data democratization is a process that aims to connect data from various sources efficiently
and quickly so that anyone in your organization can access it at any given moment. You can
extract data in text, images, videos, numbers, or any other format. And then perform cross-
database analysis to achieve more advanced insights to share with the rest of the company
interactively.
Once you have decided on your most valuable data sources, you need to take all of this
information into a structured format to start collecting your insights. For this purpose,
datapine offers an easy all-in-one data connectors feature to integrate all your internal and
external data sources and manage them at your will. Additionally, datapine’s end-to-end
solution automatically updates your data, allowing you to save time and focus on
performing the right analysis to grow your business.
8. Integrate technology
There are many ways to analyze data, but one of the most vital aspects of analytical success
in a business context is integrating the right decision support software and technology.
Robust analysis platforms will not only allow you to pull critical data from your most
valuable sources while working with dynamic KPIs that will offer you actionable insights; it
will also present the information in a digestible, visual, interactive format from one central,
live dashboard. A data analytics methodology you can count on.
By integrating the right technology for your statistical method data analysis and core data
analytics methodology, you’ll avoid fragmenting your insights, saving you time and effort
while allowing you to enjoy the maximum value from your business’s most valuable insights.
For a look at the power of software for the purpose of analysis and to enhance your
methods of analyzing data, glance over our selection of dashboard examples.
**click to enlarge**
Primary KPIs:
This visual, dynamic, and interactive online dashboard is designed to give Chief Marketing
Officers (CMO) an overview of relevant metrics to help them understand if they achieved
their monthly goals.
In detail, this dashboard displays interactive charts for monthly revenues, costs, net income,
and net income per customer; all of them compared with the previous month so that you
can understand how the data fluctuated. In addition, it shows a detailed summary of the
number of users, customers, SQLs, and MQLs per month to visualize the whole picture and
extract relevant insights or trends for your marketing reports.
The CMO dashboard is perfect for c-level management as it can help them monitor the
strategic outcome of their marketing efforts and make data-driven decisions that can
benefit the business exponentially.
11. Interpretation of data
We already dedicated an entire post to data interpretation as it is a fundamental part of the
data analysis process. It gives meaning to the analytical information and aims to drive a
concise conclusion from the analysis results. Since most of the time companies are dealing
with data from many different sources, the interpretation stage needs to be done carefully
and properly in order to avoid misinterpretations.
To help you through the process of data interpretation, here we list three common practices
that you need to avoid at all costs when looking at your data:
Correlation vs. causation: The human brain is formatted to find patterns. This
behavior leads to one of the most common mistakes when performing data
interpretation: confusing correlation with causation. Although these two aspects can
exist simultaneously, it is not correct to assume that because two things happened
together, one provoked the other. A piece of advice to avoid falling into this mistake
is never to trust just intuition, trust the data. If there is no objective evidence of
causation, then always stick to correlation.
Confirmation bias: This phenomenon describes the tendency to select and interpret
only the data necessary to prove one hypothesis, often ignoring the elements that
might disprove it. Even if it's not done on purpose, confirmation bias can represent a
real problem for a business, as excluding relevant information can lead to false
conclusions and, therefore, bad business decisions. To avoid it, always try to
disprove your hypothesis instead of proving it, share your analysis with other team
members, and avoid drawing any conclusions before the entire data analysis process
is finalized.
Statistical significance: To put it in short words, statistical significance helps analysts
understand if a result is actually accurate or if it happened because of a sampling
error or pure chance. The level of statistical significance needed might depend on
the sample size and the industry being analyzed. In any case, ignoring the
significance of a result when it might influence decision-making can be a huge
mistake.