Curriculum Course Content Modules 1.

Introduction to Market Research & Data Analytics

Market Research Role of Market Research & Data Analytics Data Analytics for Management Data collection - primary and secondary Preparing Data Sheet & Data Processing Data Summarization: Tabulation, Cross Tabulation, Frequency distribution Analysis of variance

2. Multivariate Data Analysis-I

Regression Analysis Simple and Multiple Regression Analysis Logistic regression Cluster analysis Tree Classification Factor analysis

3. Multivariate Data Analysis-II

Conjoint analysis Correspondence analysis Advanced Multivariate Data Analysis Neural Network Models & Structural Equation Models

4. Forecasting Methods

Moving average and Exponential methods Decomposition method ARIMA models

5. Data Analytics @ Work

Data Management: validation and cleaning Working with Clients Presentation and report writing

6. Project <script type="text/javascript">

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First off, Who is a Data Analyst ? What is Data Analysis ? Why do companies hire Data Analysts ?

In simple words, Data Analyst refers to someone who produces meaningful results or valuable results from raw data using various Data Analysis tools.This results help the Business identify various informational facts.

According to Wikipedia, data analysis is the process of looking at and summarizing data with the intent to extract useful information and develop conclusions.

I would define a Data Analyst as someone who asks a question to a huge data set or database in a systematic predefined and standard way and then that database anwers back to your question.

Few examples of Data Analysis would be:

Scenario 1: You work as a Data Analyst for a Bank in the Accounts department. You receive large data file (in excel) from your boss, which would contain all customer's information. Now your role would be to identify a.)all customers in Age Group of 20 to 40 b.)Male to Female Ratio c.)Number of customers who have checking account only d.) Total Number of customers etc....

Scenario 2: You work as a Data Analyst for an Insurance Company. You receive large data file (in sql database format) which would contain customer's information. You are asked to produce the following details: a.) Number of customers whose insurance policy is about to expire on a particular date. b.) Number of customers who have not paid the insurance premium since a particular month. etc..

Scenario 3: You work as a Data Analyst for a local school's administration department. You are asked to produce following results: a.) Total number of students studying in the school b.) total number of students who passed in a particular year c.) Total Number of students who have scored higher than 95% or have GPA > 3.7% d.)male to female ratio

e.)total number of students who had gap of more than 1 semester during there academic curriculum.

Scenario 4: You work as a Data Analyst for an Online Web Analytics Company. Your day to day DA responsiblities would be to identify a.)Total Number of visitors on a particular website b.)Total Number of visitors who visited an ecommerce website and further purchased the product.

Scenario 5: You work as a DA for E-Commerce company who sells chocolates. Your tasks would be to: a.) Identify which chocolates were sold the most. b.) How much was the total profit made from a particular chocolate brand c.) Total number of customers shopping from European Region... d.) Increase the prices of all chocolates by 5% or by a particular value.

The above scenarios are some of the basic examples that you might face as a Data Analyst. However please note that in Data Analysis the possibilities are enormous and depending on your skills and level of expertise you can product extremely valuable results which would make huge impact on the Business.

There are several tools out there for Data Analysis, however I would strongly recommend you to focus on: "Microsoft Excel" and "SQL Programming".

Microsoft Excel :- Is an application software, part of Microsoft Office Suite. SQL Programming :- [Please refer to "SQL Basics" article]

Question: What kind of education is required to become a Data Analyst ? Which degree should I pursue ? Answer: This question depends on your geographical location. I am unaware of any custom eductional program/degree which is focussed towards "Data Analysis".

However, my article is focussed towards those readers who want to become Data Analyst irrespective of there educational background.

HOW TO GET STARTED ? In my opinion, best way to get started OR an ideal career path would be:

a.)Learn Excel Basics

b.)Learn Microsoft Excel Commands (Very Important)

Best way would be to make a list of all Excel commands and what they do !! Read it once every morning, thats it !!

c.)Learn Excel VBA (This is optional for beginners)

d.)Learn or Get an idea about SQL Basics

e.)Learn SQL Commands (Focus more on the logic rather than on the syntax, atleast in the beginning)

and then PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE

and still if you get stuck somewhere, then we are here to help you anytime, just mail us your doubts !!

Once you get hold of this 2, you will definately landup with an Data Analysis internship.

Most small to mid-sized businesses used Microsoft excel and SQL for Data Analysis, so it would be easy for you to get started. However, large organizations, use more robust tools which have the capability to handle huge data !!

Frequently Asked Questions about Careers in Analytics

1.What are the skills that are required to build a career in the Analytics industry? The most essential skills that are required for the Analytics industry are: Extensive knowledge of Data Mining Tools like SAS, Excel, SQL, R etc Sound knowledge and appreciation of statistical concepts like Logistic Regression, Cluster and Factor Analysis, Predictive Modeling etc Sound Domain Knowledge (Clinical, Retail etc) Strong Communication and Presentation Skills Knowledge of latest developments in business/economy Common Sense 2.I am new to the Analytics industry and I want to join as a Business Analyst. What is the role of a Business Analyst? A Business Analysts (BA) primary role is to use data to take better business decisions. A BA would be expected to give intelligent insights about a situation after evaluating the data at hand. For eg, a BA would be expected to predict the sales for the following year.

A BA would need to find the statistical indicators presented in the data. A BA would be required to be skilful at extracting, transforming and integrating data to arrive at sound business decisions.

3.What is the most feasible method to provide a business solution? The most feasible method to develop and deploy business solutions is CRISP DM (Cross Industry Standard Process for Data Mining)

4.I have substantial work experience and sound domain knowledge. I also have a good Post Graduate Degree. Even though I am new to the Analytics industry, I want to join as a Business Analyst as I have the necessary qualifications and experience. But why am I being asked to start as a Data Analyst?

Would you trust a doctor who has not practiced on sufficient number of patients or a lawyer who has not dealt with many cases? A professional in the Analytics industry is no different from a doctor or a lawyer. Before getting into complex analytical work, one has to first demonstrate competence in working with and managing data. Data is to analytics what patients are to the field of medicine or cases are to the field of law. To even begin doing statistical modeling, one has to know how to prepare data.

If you think data mining is about sorting and filtering endless amounts of data, then think again, Often the data that one has to work on is not clean. Data cleaning also requires complex alogorithms. There is nothing which prevents you from applying to statistics to data mining and wowing your boss and peers. To work in the Analytics industry, remember that you have to work with data. So it is essential to ones growth in the Analytics industry to work extensively with data, especially live client data. So if you ever have reservations about being offered the role of a data analyst, then just think of the doctor whom you consult.

5.How can I fast track my career in the Analytics offshoring industry?

To grow in the Offshoring sector, some areas you can focus on are: Continuously provide value addition to your client. Predictions that you make must help the client make better decisions. More often clients are not interested in which statistical concept or tool you are using. They want something they can easily understand and which is useful to them. Develop good client relationship skills. Give your client the confidence that you are there to help them. Develop good Business Development Skills and sound statistical knowledge

6.How can I fast track my career if I am interested in growing in Analytics within a core industry? If you are interested in growing in Analytics within a core industry, then some areas to work on are: Develop sound domain expertise Improve technical skills Learn to network well within the organization 7.What are the few steps that I can take to continuously grow in my career in Analytics? There are some important aspects that are essential to continuously grow in your career irrespective of where you choose to work in Analytics. These are: Acquiring knowledge Your salary is dependant on your ability to analyze, and your knowledge about technology, business and statistics. You need to invest atleast an hour a day in enhancing your knowledge whether it is practicing on data mining software, reading books or newsletters on statistics or your domain. In this era of cost cutting, it is in your best interest to be technically sound. Improving communication skills In the process of conducting analysis, you will be required to interact with senior people in various organizations across the world. Therefore, you need to have not only written but good verbal communication to be able to engage your clients. A good way to improve verbal communication, is to read the newspaper aloud with a recording device and playback your recording. If you invest 15 20 minutes a day on this, within 6 months you will see a significant improvement in your verbal communication. Develop a network in the Analytics industry In a highly competitive industry like ours, prospective employers are always looking for the best and brightest resources. Keeping in touch with peers in the industry will help in getting your profile out there. Keep working on analytics projects and upload the best on relevant sites and blogs. Be active in networking sites like www.linkedin.com. Long Term Focus This is not a career for professionals looking at 2-3 year horizon. If you are thinking long term, then over the next 2 -4 years, focus on becoming proficient in two to three areas in Analytics. Thereafter dedicate the next 4 -8 years at building strong relationships with clients, bosses and others in your team. 8.What is the typical career path in Analytics? The typical career path in any Analytics organization would be: Data Analyst

Business Analyst Team Manager Client Engagement Manager Engagement Head Business Head 9.What is the salary that I can expect in the Analytics industry? To begin with, you can be expected to be paid between INR 1.8 3 lakhs. However, there is no upper limit to the salary that you can get in this industry. If the predictions that you make are sound, then salary will not be a constraint, irrespective of the years of experience you have in Analytics.