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Three Types of Business Analytics

Analytics is the scientific process of transforming data into insights to make better decisions. It involves techniques ranging from simple reports to advanced algorithms. There are three categories of analytics: descriptive analytics which describes past data; predictive analytics which uses past data to predict the future; and prescriptive analytics which yields the best course of action. Most analytics techniques come from probability and statistics, making statistical understanding important for effective data-driven decision making.
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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
15 views3 pages

Three Types of Business Analytics

Analytics is the scientific process of transforming data into insights to make better decisions. It involves techniques ranging from simple reports to advanced algorithms. There are three categories of analytics: descriptive analytics which describes past data; predictive analytics which uses past data to predict the future; and prescriptive analytics which yields the best course of action. Most analytics techniques come from probability and statistics, making statistical understanding important for effective data-driven decision making.
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© All Rights Reserved
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Available Formats
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Book Title: eTextbook: Statistics for Business and Economics

Chapter 1. Data and Statistics


1.6. Analytics

1.6. Analytics
17
Because of the dramatic increase in available data, more cost-effective data
storage, faster computer processing, and recognition by managers that data
can be extremely valuable for understanding customers and business

operations, there has been a dramatic increase in data-driven decision


18
making. The broad range of techniques that may be used to support data-
driven decisions comprise what has become known as analytics.

We adopt the definition of analytics developed by the Institute for

Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS).

Analytics is the scientific process of transforming data into insight for


making better decisions. Analytics is used for data-driven or fact-based
decision making, which is often seen as more objective than alternative
approaches to decision making. The tools of analytics can aid decision
making by creating insights from data, improving our ability to more

accurately forecast for planning, helping us quantify risk, and yielding


better alternatives through analysis.

Analytics can involve a variety of techniques from simple reports to the


most advanced optimization techniques (algorithms for finding the best
course of action). Analytics is now generally thought to comprise three
broad categories of techniques. These categories are descriptive analytics,
predictive analytics, and prescriptive analytics.

Descriptive analytics encompasses the set of analytical techniques that


describe what has happened in the past. Examples of these types of
techniques are data queries, reports, descriptive statistics, data
visualization, data dash boards, and basic what-if spreadsheet models.
Predictive analytics consists of analytical techniques that use models
constructed from past data to predict the future or to assess the impact of
one variable on another. For example, past data on sales of a product may

be used to construct a mathematical model that predicts future sales. Such a


model can account for factors such as the growth trajectory and seasonality
of the product’s sales based on past growth and seasonal patterns. Point-of-
sale scanner data from retail outlets may be used by a packaged food
manufacturer to help estimate the lift in unit sales associated with coupons
or sales events. Survey data and past purchase behavior may be used to help
predict the market share of a new product. Each of these is an example of

predictive analytics. Linear regression, time series analysis, and forecasting


models fall into the category of predictive analytics; these techniques are

discussed later in this text. Simulation, which is the use of probability and
statistical computer models to better understand risk, also falls under the

category of predictive analytics.

Prescriptive analytics differs greatly from descriptive or predictive


analytics. What distinguishes prescriptive analytics is that prescriptive

models yield a best course of action to take. That is, the output of a
prescriptive model is a best decision. Hence, prescriptive analytics is the

set of analytical techniques that yield a best course of action. Optimization


models, which generate solutions that maximize or minimize some objective

subject to a set of constraints, fall into the category of prescriptive models.


The airline industry’s use of revenue management is an example of a

prescriptive model. The airline industry uses past purchasing data as inputs
into a model that recommends the pricing strategy across all flights that will

maximize revenue for the company.

How does the study of statistics relate to analytics? Most of the techniques in

descriptive and predictive analytics come from probability and statistics.


These include descriptive statistics, data visualization, probability and

probability distributions, sampling, and predictive modeling, including


regression analysis and time series forecasting. Each of these techniques is

discussed in this text. The increased use of analytics for data-driven decision
making makes it more important than ever for analysts and managers to
understand statistics and data analysis. Companies are increasingly seeking

data savvy managers who know how to use descriptive and predictive
models to make data-driven decisions.

At the beginning of this section, we mentioned the increased availability of

data as one of the drivers of the interest in analytics. In the next section we
discuss this explosion in available data and how it relates to the study of

statistics.

Common questions

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Examples of prescriptive analytics include the use of optimization models in industries such as airlines, where revenue management systems recommend pricing strategies across flights to maximize revenue based on past purchasing data . Another example is the creation of supply chain logistics models that determine optimal shipping routes and schedules to minimize costs while meeting delivery constraints .

Simulation in predictive analytics involves using probability and statistical computer models to better understand business risks by modeling different scenarios and outcomes. This helps businesses assess the likelihood of various risks and develop strategies to mitigate their impact .

Descriptive analytics techniques, such as data queries, reports, and descriptive statistics, allow businesses to summarize and visualize historical data effectively. By creating clear data visualizations and dashboards, businesses can identify trends, patterns, and anomalies in past performance, facilitating a deeper understanding of their data and the business environment .

The increased reliance on data-driven decision making in business is attributed to several key factors: the dramatic increase in available data, more cost-effective data storage, faster computer processing, and the recognition by managers that data can be extremely valuable for understanding customers and business operations .

Predictive analytics utilize historical data by constructing mathematical models that account for factors such as growth trajectory and seasonality observed in past data. These models can predict future outcomes like sales by considering these patterns, and they often involve techniques like linear regression, time series analysis, and forecasting models .

Prescriptive analytics differs from descriptive and predictive analytics primarily in that it produces a best course of action, or a decision, from its models. While descriptive analytics describes past events and predictive analytics forecasts future outcomes based on past data, prescriptive analytics involves optimization models that recommend actions which maximize or minimize certain objectives under constraints, as seen in the airline industry's revenue management strategies .

Understanding statistics is crucial for data-driven decision making because most techniques in descriptive and predictive analytics, such as regression analysis and time series forecasting, are derived from probability and statistics. This statistical knowledge enables analysts and managers to effectively interpret data and apply models to make informed decisions .

Analytical techniques classified under descriptive analytics include data queries, reports, descriptive statistics, data visualization, data dashboards, and basic what-if spreadsheet models. These techniques collectively describe past events and trends in data .

The scientific process defined by the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS) refers to transforming data into insight for making better decisions. This process is integral to analytics as it supports data-driven or fact-based decision making, which is seen as more objective and reliable than other approaches, thus aiding managers in understanding and predicting business operations .

The increased availability of data has greatly enhanced the role of analytics in business decision making by providing a richer dataset that can be mined for insights. This abundance of information allows for more sophisticated analysis and models, ultimately leading to more informed, data-driven decisions and strategies, and creating a demand for data-savvy managers .

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