What is Advanced Analytics? (And Its Types)

What exactly is advanced analytics?

Advanced analytics is a catch-all term encompassing a wide range of analytics techniques and tools that collaborate mostly in a predictive manner. The word most usually refers to data mining, machine learning, prescriptive analytics, big data analytics, predictive analytics, forecasting, and detecting patterns in data in general. Under this umbrella, some professionals include more advanced techniques such as AI, neural networks, and related approaches such as data visualization.

Advanced analytics, data science, business intelligence, data analytics, machine learning, data mining, predictive analytics...all of these phrases are used interchangeably in the field of big data and analytics. That is understandable. These activities are all linked, yet they are not the same.

When we chat with firms about developing advanced analytics teams and capabilities, we frequently discover that people have different perceptions about what advanced analytics entails. Some are considering automating manual business analytics methods, while others are implementing machine learning initiatives.

What is the importance of advanced analytics?

Advanced analytics provide deeper, more advanced insight into hidden patterns, trends, and themes in data. This enables firms to better understand their clients, forecast future outcomes, decrease risk, and more.

What Types of Advanced Analytics Are There?

The concept of advanced analytics broadly refers to any analytical technique that goes beyond the boundaries of business intelligence and has forecasting and predictive purposes. Several common advanced analytics techniques are discussed below. However, the list is not inclusive.

Predictive analytics

The most well-known sort of advanced analytics is undoubtedly predictive analytics. As the name implies, this sort of analytics seeks to answer the question, "What is likely to happen in the future?" Predictive analytics goes beyond telling organizations what happened in the past and why by predicting future events using historical data and probability.

Prescriptive analytics

Prescriptive analytics includes features of both business intelligence and predictive analytics. Based on historical data, this technique attempts to predict the optimum course of action for the future. When a company wants to determine which solution is best suited for a certain business challenge, it uses prescriptive analytics.

Data mining

Data mining is the process of identifying correlations, sequences, and anomalies in massive raw data sets using computer science and statistics. Data mining also includes features of database and data administration, as well as data pre-processing. The overarching purpose of data mining is to extract information from a data source and transform it into a usable structure.

Machine learning

Machine learning employs computer approaches to discover patterns and conclusions in data and to automatically generate statistical models in order to produce trustworthy results with minimal human interaction.

Machine learning is distinguished by the huge amount of data it incorporates, which includes numbers, phrases, photographs, clicks, and everything else that can be recorded digitally. Artificial intelligence applications are generally driven by machine learning techniques.

Data science

Data Science is the study of many types of data such as structured, semi-structured, and unstructured data in any form or format to extract information. When advanced analytics begins to incorporate sophisticated technologies such as deep learning, machine learning, and artificial intelligence, this is referred to as "data science." Data science is concerned with analyzing various types of existing data in order to extract usable information and insights.

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