1. BUSINESS ANALYTICS AND DATA VISUALIZATION
Chapter 6
Pages ;
Also pages 3-15 of the e-Book
BUSINESS ANALYTICS
AND DATA VISUALIZATION

2. Business Analytics Analytics The science of analysis
Business Analytics (BA)
The application of models to analyze business data. BA involves using DSS tools, especially models, in assisting decision makers; essentially a form of OLAP decision support

3. This is a nice overview slide for BA
This is a nice overview slide for BA. Many of these topics are actually covered over multiple chapters.

4. Online Analytical Processing (OLAP)
An information system that enables the user, while at a PC, to query the system, conduct an analysis, and so on.
Drill-down
The investigation of information in detail (e.g., finding not only total sales but also sales by region, by product, or by salesperson).

5. OLAP versus OLTP
OLTP concentrates on processing repetitive transactions in large quantities and conducting simple manipulations
OLAP involves examining many data items complex relationships
OLAP may analyze relationships and look for patterns, trends, and exceptions

6. Types of OLAP Multidimensional OLAP (MOLAP) Relational OLAP (ROLAP)
OLAP implemented via a specialized multidimensional database (or data store) that summarizes transactions into multidimensional views ahead of time
Relational OLAP (ROLAP)
The implementation of an OLAP database on top of an existing relational database

7. Reports and Queries Ad hoc query
A query that cannot be determined prior to the moment the query is issued
Structured Query Language (SQL)
A data definition and management language for relational databases. SQL front ends most relational DBMS

8. Measures
A summarizable numerical value that you use to monitor how well the business doing.
eg. How many units of the product were sold?
What is total sales revenue?
How many defective products were made?
How many people responded to an ad?
One may use different aggregation techniques when presenting the values of measures
eg. Sum, Average, Max, Min

9. Dimensions
The different characteristics by which the measure values may be presented to the decision-maker
Eg. No. of units sold may be presented by region, by product, by salesperson, and by time (four dimensions)

10. Cube A measure and its associated dimensions
Eg. The cube below shows the number of units sold measure along the product, region and calendar year dimensions

11. Web Analytics
The application of business analytics activities to Web-based processes, typically e-commerce
Clickstream data
Data that provide a trail of the user’s activities and show the user’s browsing patterns (e.g., which sites are visited, which pages, how long)
Clickstream analysis
The analysis of the above data
Highly useful in designing Web sites; helps to keep customer on the site, to make purchases, and revisit the site later

12. * This topic will be further developed in Chapter 7
Advanced BA*
Data mining and predictive analysis
Data mining
Predictive analysis
Use of tools that help determine the probable future outcome for an event or the likelihood of a situation occurring. These tools also identify relationships and patterns
* This topic will be further developed in Chapter 7