Google Data Analytics

Course 1
Module 1
6 Step (Phase) Process for Data Analysis:

Ask (asked) - business challenge, objective, or question

questions and define the problem

Prepare (preparation) - data generation, collection, storage, and data management

data by collecting and storing the information

Process (collected, stored, managed, and protected) - data cleaning and data integrity

data by cleaning and checking the information.

Analyze (discovered) - data exploration, visualization, and analysis

data to find patterns, relationships, and trends

Share (communicate the results) - communicating and interpreting results

ata with your audience.

Act (implement changes and take actions) - putting insights to work to solve the problem

on the data and use the analysis results

Skills:

Curiosity

Understanding of context

Technical mindset

Data design

Data strategy

Use the five whys for root cause analysis

Terms and definitions for Course 1, Module

1
Analytical skills: Qualities and characteristics associated with using facts to solve
problems

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

Context: The condition in which something exists or happens

Data: A collection of facts

Data analysis: The collection, transformation, and organization of data in order to

draw conclusions, make predictions, and drive informed decision-making

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

Data analytics: The science of data

Data design: How information is organized

Data-driven decision-making: Using facts to guide business strategy

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

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

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

Data visualization: The graphical representation of data

Dataset: A collection of data that can be manipulated or analyzed as one unit

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

Root cause: The reason why a problem occurs

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

Visualization: (Refer to data visualization)

Module 2
data life cycle:

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

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

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

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

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

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

Terms and definitions for Course 1, Module

2
Database: A collection of data stored in a computer system

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

spreadsheet

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

Query language: A computer programming language used to communicate with a

database

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

Structured Query Language: A computer programming language used to

communicate with a database

Spreadsheet: A digital worksheet

SQL: (Refer to Structured Query Language)

Glossary terms from course 1, module 3

Terms and definitions for Course 1, Module
3
Attribute: A characteristic or quality of data used to label a column in a table

Observation: The attributes that describe a piece of data contained in a row of a table

Module 4

Data analyst roles and job descriptions

As technology continues to advance, being able to collect and analyze the data from that new
technology has become a huge competitive advantage for a lot of businesses. Everything
from websites to social media feeds are filled with fascinating data that, when analyzed and
used correctly, can help inform business decisions. A company’s ability to thrive now often
depends on how well it can leverage data, apply analytics, and implement new technologies.

This is why skilled data analysts are some of the most sought-after professionals in the world.
A study conducted by IBM estimates that there are over 380,000 job openings in the Data
Analytics field in the United States*. Because the demand is so strong, you’ll be able to find
job opportunities in virtually any industry. Do a quick search on any major job site and you’ll
notice that every type of business from zoos, to health clinics, to banks are seeking talented
data professionals. Even if the job title doesn’t use the exact term “data analyst,” the job
description for most roles involving data analysis will likely include a lot of the skills and
qualifications you’ll gain by the end of this program. In this reading, we’ll explore some of
the data analyst-related roles you might find in different companies and industries.

* Burning Glass data, Feb 1, 2021 - Jan 31, 2022, US

Decoding the job description

The data analyst role is one of many job titles that contain the word “analyst.”

To name a few others that sound similar but may not be the same role:

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  Business analyst—analyzes data to help businesses improve processes, products, or
services

 Data analytics consultant—analyzes the systems and models for using data

 Data engineer—prepares and integrates data from different sources for analytical use

 Data scientist—uses expert skills in technology and social science to find trends
through data analysis

 Data specialist—organizes or converts data for use in databases or software systems

 Operations analyst—analyzes data to assess the performance of business operations

and workflows

Data analysts, data scientists, and data specialists sound very similar but focus on different
tasks. As you start to browse job listings online, you might notice that companies’ job
descriptions seem to combine these roles or look for candidates who may have overlapping
skills. The fact that companies often blur the lines between them means that you should take
special care when reading the job descriptions and the skills required.

The table below illustrates some of the overlap and distinctions between them:

We used the role of data specialist as one example of many specializations within data
analytics, but you don’t have to become a data specialist! Specializations can take a
number of different turns. For example, you could specialize in developing data
visualizations and likewise go very deep into that area.

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Job specializations by industry
We learned that the data specialist role concentrates on in-depth knowledge of databases.
In similar fashion, other specialist roles for data analysts can focus on in-depth knowledge
of specific industries. For example, in a job as a business analyst you might wear some
different hats than in a more general position as a data analyst. As a business analyst, you
would likely collaborate with managers, share your data findings, and maybe explain how
a small change in the company’s project management system could save the company 3%
each quarter. Although you would still be working with data all the time, you would focus
on using the data to improve business operations, efficiencies, or the bottom line.

Other industry-specific specialist positions that you might come across in your data
analyst job search include:

 Marketing analyst—analyzes market conditions to assess the potential sales of

products and services

 HR/payroll analyst—analyzes payroll data for inefficiencies and errors

 Financial analyst—analyzes financial status by collecting, monitoring, and

reviewing data

 Risk analyst—analyzes financial documents, economic conditions, and client data

to help companies determine the level of risk involved in making a particular
business decision

 Healthcare analyst—analyzes medical data to improve the business aspect of

hospitals and medical facilities
Glossary terms from course 1, module 4
Terms and definitions for Course 1, Module
4
Business task: The question or problem data analysis resolves for a business

Fairness: A quality of data analysis that does not create or reinforce bias

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

Self-reporting: A data collection technique where participants provide information

about themselves

learned about data analytics, including the data life cycle, analysis process, and tools like
spreadsheets, SQL, R, and Tableau, which will help you explore the data landscape and make
informed decisions.

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 Course 2
Six common problem types
Data analytics is so much more than just plugging information into a platform to find
insights. It is about solving problems. To get to the root of these problems and find
practical solutions, there are lots of opportunities for creative thinking. No matter the
problem, the first and most important step is understanding it. From there, it is good to
take a problem-solver approach to your analysis to help you decide what information
needs to be included, how you can transform the data, and how the data will be used.

Data analysts typically work with six problem types

Making predictions

A company that wants to know the best advertising method to bring in new customers is
an example of a problem requiring analysts to make predictions. Analysts with data on
location, type of media, and number of new customers acquired as a result of past ads

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can't guarantee future results, but they can help predict the best placement of advertising
to reach the target audience.

Categorizing things

An example of a problem requiring analysts to categorize things is a company's goal to

improve customer satisfaction. Analysts might classify customer service calls based on
certain keywords or scores. This could help identify top-performing customer service
representatives or help correlate certain actions taken with higher customer satisfaction
scores.

Spotting something unusual

A company that sells smart watches that help people monitor their health would be
interested in designing their software to spot something unusual. Analysts who have
analyzed aggregated health data can help product developers determine the right
algorithms to spot and set off alarms when certain data doesn't trend normally.

Identifying themes

User experience (UX) designers might rely on analysts to analyze user interaction data.
Similar to problems that require analysts to categorize things, usability improvement
projects might require analysts to identify themes to help prioritize the right product
features for improvement. Themes are most often used to help researchers explore
certain aspects of data. In a user study, user beliefs, practices, and needs are examples of
themes.

By now you might be wondering if there is a difference between categorizing things and
identifying themes. The best way to think about it is: categorizing things involves
assigning items to categories; identifying themes takes those categories a step further by
grouping them into broader themes.

Discovering connections

A third-party logistics company working with another company to get shipments delivered
to customers on time is a problem requiring analysts to discover connections. By
analyzing the wait times at shipping hubs, analysts can determine the appropriate
schedule changes to increase the number of on-time deliveries.

Finding patterns

Minimizing downtime caused by machine failure is an example of a problem requiring

analysts to find patterns in data. For example, by analyzing maintenance data, they might
discover that most failures happen if regular maintenance is delayed by more than a 15-
day window.

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More about SMART questions
Companies in lots of industries today are dealing with rapid change and rising uncertainty.
Even well-established businesses are under pressure to keep up with what is new and
figure out what is next. To do that, they need to ask questions. Asking the right questions
can help spark the innovative ideas that so many businesses are hungry for these days.

The same goes for data analytics. No matter how much information you have or how
advanced your tools are, your data won’t tell you much if you don’t start with the right
questions. Think of it like a detective with tons of evidence who doesn’t ask a key suspect
about it. Coming up, you will learn more about how to ask highly effective questions,
along with certain practices you want to avoid.

Highly effective questions are SMART questions:

Examples of SMART questions

Here's an example that breaks down the thought process of turning a problem question
into one or more SMART questions using the SMART method: What features do
people look for when buying a new car?

 Specific: Does the question focus on a particular car feature?

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  Measurable: Does the question include a feature rating system?

 Action-oriented: Does the question influence creation of different or new

feature packages?

 Relevant: Does the question identify which features make or break a potential
car purchase?

 Time-bound: Does the question validate data on the most popular features
from the last three years?

Questions should be open-ended. This is the best way to get responses that will help
you accurately qualify or disqualify potential solutions to your specific problem. So, based
on the thought process, possible SMART questions might be:

 On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being the most important) how important is your car
having four-wheel drive? Explain.

 What are the top five features you would like to see in a car package?

 What features, if included with four-wheel drive, would make you more inclined to
buy the car?

 How does a car having four-wheel drive contribute to its value, in your opinion?

Things to avoid when asking questions

Leading questions: questions that only have a particular response

 Example: This product is too expensive, isn’t it?

This is a leading question because it suggests an answer as part of the question. A better
question might be, “What is your opinion of this product?” There are tons of answers to
that question, and they could include information about usability, features, accessories,
color, reliability, and popularity, on top of price. Now, if your problem is actually focused
on pricing, you could ask a question like “What price (or price range) would make you
consider purchasing this product?” This question would provide a lot of different
measurable responses.

Closed-ended questions: questions that ask for a one-word or brief response only

 Example: Were you satisfied with the customer trial?

This is a closed-ended question because it doesn’t encourage people to expand on their

answer. It is really easy for them to give one-word responses that aren’t very informative.

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A better question might be, “What did you learn about customer experience from the
trial.” This encourages people to provide more detail besides “It went well.”

Vague questions: questions that aren’t specific or don’t provide context

 Example: Does the tool work for you?

This question is too vague because there is no context. Is it about comparing the new tool
to the one it replaces? You just don’t know. A better inquiry might be, “When it comes to
data entry, is the new tool faster, slower, or about the same as the old tool? If faster, how
much time is saved? If slower, how much time is lost?” These questions give context (data
entry) and help frame responses that are measurable (time).

Glossary terms from course 2, module 1

Terms and definitions for Course 2, Module
1
Action-oriented question: A question whose answers lead to change

Cloud: A place to keep data online, rather than a computer hard drive

Data analysis process: The six phases of ask, prepare, process, analyze, share,
and act whose purpose is to gain insights that drive informed decision-making

Data life cycle: The sequence of stages that data experiences, which include plan,
capture, manage, analyze, archive, and destroy

Leading question: A question that steers people toward a certain response

Measurable question: A question whose answers can be quantified and assessed

Problem types: The various problems that data analysts encounter, including
categorizing things, discovering connections, finding patterns, identifying themes, making
predictions, and spotting something unusual

Relevant question: A question that has significance to the problem to be solved

SMART methodology: A tool for determining a question’s effectiveness based on

whether it is specific, measurable, action-oriented, relevant, and time-bound

Specific question: A question that is simple, significant, and focused on a single

topic or a few closely related ideas

Structured thinking: The process of recognizing the current problem or situation,

organizing available information, revealing gaps and opportunities, and identifying
options

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Time-bound question: A question that specifies a timeframe to be studied

Unfair question: A question that makes assumptions or is difficult to answer

honestly

Glossary terms from course 2, module 2

Terms and definitions for Course 2, Module
2
Algorithm: A process or set of rules followed for a specific task

Big data: Large, complex datasets typically involving long periods of time, which
enable data analysts to address far-reaching business problems

Dashboard: A tool that monitors live, incoming data

Data-inspired decision-making: The process of exploring different data sources

to find out what they have in common

Metric: A single, quantifiable type of data that is used for measurement

Metric goal: A measurable goal set by a company and evaluated using metrics

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Pivot chart: A chart created from the fields in a pivot table

Pivot table: A data summarization tool used to sort, reorganize, group, count, total, or
average data

Problem types: The various problems that data analysts encounter, including
categorizing things, discovering connections, finding patterns, identifying themes, making
predictions, and spotting something unusual

Qualitative data: A subjective and explanatory measure of a quality or characteristic

Quantitative data: A specific and objective measure, such as a number, quantity, or

range

Report: A static collection of data periodically given to stakeholders

Return on investment (ROI): A formula that uses the metrics of investment and
profit to evaluate the success of an investment

Revenue: The total amount of income generated by the sale of goods or services

Small data: Small, specific data points typically involving a short period of time, which
are useful for making day-to-day decisions

Activity Overview

You have been learning about the role of a data analyst and how to manage, analyze, and
visualize data. Now, you will consider a valuable tool to help you practice structured
thinking and avoid mistakes: a scope-of-work (SOW).

In this activity, you’ll get practical experience developing an SOW document with the help
of a handy template. You will then complete an example SOW for an imaginary project of
your choosing and learn how analysts outline the work they are going to perform. By the
time you complete this activity, you will be familiar with an essential, industry-standard
tool, and gain comfort asking the right questions to develop an SOW.

Before you get started, take a minute to think about the main ideas, goals, and target
audiences of SOW documents.
Step-by Step Instructions
Follow the instructions to complete each step of the activity. Then answer the questions
at the end of the activity before going to the next course item.

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Step 1: Understand what you need to know about an SOW
As a data analyst, it’s hard to overstate the importance of an SOW document. A well-
defined SOW keeps you, your team, and everyone involved with a project on the same
page. It ensures that all contributors, sponsors, and stakeholders share the same
understanding of the relevant details.

Why do you need an SOW?

The point of data analysis projects is to complete business tasks that are useful to the
stakeholders. Creating an SOW helps to make sure that everyone involved, from analysts
and engineers to managers and stakeholders, shares the understanding of what those
business goals are, and the plan for accomplishing them.

Clarifying requirements and setting expectations are two of the most important parts of a
project. Recall the first phase of the Data Analysis Process—asking questions.

As you ask more and more questions to clarify requirements, goals, data sources,
stakeholders, and any other relevant info, an SOW helps you formalize it all by recording
all the answers and details. In this context, the word “ask” means two things. Preparing to
write an SOW is about asking questions to learn the necessary information about the
project, but it’s also about clarifying and defining what you’re being asked to accomplish,
and what the limits or boundaries of the “ask” are. After all, if you can’t make a distinction
between the business questions you are and aren’t responsible for answering, then it’s
hard to know what success means!

What is a good SOW?

There’s no standard format for an SOW. They may differ significantly from one
organization to another, or from project to project. However, they all have a few
foundational pieces of content in common.

 Deliverables: What work is being done, and what things are being created as a
result of this project? When the project is complete, what are you expected to
deliver to the stakeholders? Be specific here. Will you collect data for this project?
How much, or for how long?

Avoid vague statements. For example, “fixing traffic problems” doesn’t specify the scope.
This could mean anything from filling in a few potholes to building a new overpass. Be
specific! Use numbers and aim for hard, measurable goals and objectives. For example:
“Identify top 10 issues with traffic patterns within the city limits, and identify the top 3
solutions that are most cost-effective for reducing traffic congestion.”

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  Milestones: This is closely related to your timeline. What are the major
milestones for progress in your project? How do you know when a given part of the
project is considered complete?

Milestones can be identified by you, by stakeholders, or by other team members such as

the Project Manager. Smaller examples might include incremental steps in a larger project
like “Collect and process 50% of required data (100 survey responses)”, but may also be
larger examples like ”complete initial data analysis report” or “deliver completed
dashboard visualizations and analysis reports to stakeholders”.

 Timeline: Your timeline will be closely tied to the milestones you create for your
project. The timeline is a way of mapping expectations for how long each step of
the process should take. The timeline should be specific enough to help all
involved decide if a project is on schedule. When will the deliverables be
completed? How long do you expect the project will take to complete? If all goes as
planned, how long do you expect each component of the project will take? When
can we expect to reach each milestone?

 Reports: Good SOWs also set boundaries for how and when you’ll give status
updates to stakeholders. How will you communicate progress with stakeholders
and sponsors, and how often? Will progress be reported weekly? Monthly? When
milestones are completed? What information will status reports contain?

At a minimum, any SOW should answer all the relevant questions in the above areas. Note
that these areas may differ depending on the project. But at their core, the SOW document
should always serve the same purpose by containing information that is specific, relevant,
and accurate. If something changes in the project, your SOW should reflect those changes.

What is in and out of scope?

SOWs should also contain information specific to what is and isn’t considered part of the
project. The scope of your project is everything that you are expected to complete or
accomplish, defined to a level of detail that doesn’t leave any ambiguity or confusion
about whether a given task or item is part of the project or not.

Notice how the previous example about studying traffic congestion defined its scope as
the area within the city limits. This doesn’t leave any room for confusion — stakeholders
need only to refer to a map to tell if a stretch of road or intersection is part of the project
or not. Defining requirements can be trickier than it sounds, so it’s important to be as
specific as possible in these documents, and to use quantitative statements whenever
possible.

For example, assume that you’re assigned to a project that involves studying the
environmental effects of climate change on the coastline of a city: How do you define
what parts of the coastline you are responsible for studying, and which parts you are not?

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In this case, it would be important to define the area you’re expected to study using GPS
locations, or landmarks. Using specific, quantifiable statements will help ensure that
everyone has a clear understanding of what’s expected.
Step 2: Access the template
Now that you know the basics, you can practice creating your own mock SOW for a project
of your choice. To get started, first access the scope-of-work template.

To use the template for this course item, click the link below and select “Use Template.”

Link to template: Data Analysis Project Scope-Of-Work (SOW) Template

OR

If you don’t have a Google account, you can download the template directly from the
attachment below.

Scope-Of-Work Template

DOCX File

Step 3: Fill in the template for your imaginary project

 Spend a few minutes thinking about a plausible data analysis project. Check out 5
Data Analytics Projects for Beginners if you need help coming up with ideas.

 Come up with a problem domain, and then make up the relevant details to help
you fill out the template.

 Take some time to fill out the template. Treat this exercise as if you were writing
your first SOW in your new career as a data analyst. Try to be thorough, specific,
and concise!

 The specifics here aren’t important. The goal is to get comfortable identifying and
formalizing requirements and using those requirements in a professional manner
by creating SOWs.
Step 4: Compare your work to a strong example
Once you’ve filled out your template, consider the strong example below and compare it
to yours.

Link to the strong example: Data Analysis Project Scope-of-Work (SOW)

OR

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You can download the template directly from the attachment below.

Scope-Of-Work [Link]

PDF File

Pro Tip: Save the blank activity template

Be sure to save a blank copy of the template you used to complete this activity. You can
use it for further practice or to help you work through your thought processes for similar
tasks in a future data analyst role.

1.
Question 1

Reflection

When you created a complete and thorough mock SOW, which foundational pieces of
content did you include? Select all that apply.
Status: [object Object]

1 point

Milestones
Budget
Deliverables
Reports
Timeline
2.
Question 2

Now that you have put your scope-of-work knowledge into practice, take a moment to
examine and reflect on your completed mock SOW. Then, review your work next to the
strong example linked above. In the text box below, write 2-3 sentences (40-60 words) in
response to each of the following questions:

 How did you identify and formalize the project’s requirements?

 What questions did you ask in order to define the foundational boundaries and
pieces of your analytical content, which may include descriptions of your
deliverables, timelines, milestones, and reports?

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Glossary terms from course 2, module 3
Terms and definitions for Course 2, Module
3
AVERAGE: A spreadsheet function that returns an average of the values from a selected
range

Borders: Lines that can be added around two or more cells on a spreadsheet

Cell reference: A cell or a range of cells in a worksheet typically used in formulas and
functions

COUNT: A spreadsheet function that counts the number of cells in a range that meet a
specific criteria

Equation: A calculation that involves addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division

(also called a math expression)

Fill handle: A box in the lower-right-hand corner of a selected spreadsheet cell that
can be dragged through neighboring cells in order to continue an instruction

Filtering: The process of showing only the data that meets a specified criteria while
hiding the rest

Header: The first row in a spreadsheet that labels the type of data in each column

Math expression: A calculation that involves addition, subtraction, multiplication,

or division (also called an equation)

Math function: A function that is used as part of a mathematical formula

MAX: A spreadsheet function that returns the largest numeric value from a range of cells

MIN: A spreadsheet function that returns the smallest numeric value from a range of cells

Open data: Data that is available to the public

Operator: A symbol that names the operation or calculation to be performed

Order of operations: Using parentheses to group together spreadsheet values in

order to clarify the order in which operations should be performed

Problem domain: The area of analysis that encompasses every activity affecting or
affected by a problem

Range: A collection of two or more cells in a spreadsheet

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Report: A static collection of data periodically given to stakeholders

Return on investment (ROI): A formula that uses the metrics of investment and
profit to evaluate the success of an investment

Revenue: The total amount of income generated by the sale of goods or services

Scope of work (SOW): An agreed-upon outline of the tasks to be performed during

a project

Sorting: The process of arranging data into a meaningful order to make it easier to
understand, analyze, and visualize

SUM: A spreadsheet function that adds the values of a selected range of cells

Module 4

Glossary terms from course 2, module 4

Terms and definitions for Course 2, Module
4
Cloud: A place to keep data online, rather than a computer hard drive

Reframing: Restating a problem or challenge, then redirecting it toward a potential

resolution

Turnover rate: The rate at which employees voluntarily leave a company

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Course 3

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