Analytics is the system of applying certain methods and techniques to understand the performance of data, generally in an organization or industry. The application of analytics can be used to uncover and interpret relevant patterns of data, which can be later used to make better decisions. Analytics relies on good data as part of its usefulness, as well as the aspects of statistics, computer programming, and operations research to quantify performance. Analytics exists in business when companies use statistics and software processes in assessing how a particular product, service, or project measures up in scope. Businesses perform analytics to pinpoint strengths, identify challenges or weaknesses that may exist, and pull out key data points to help make decisions regarding future growth for the organization.

Learning analytics is a key skill that helps you solve problems to existing challenges. When you use analytics tools to research data patterns, you use methods of analyzing performance characteristics that are essential to a business organization. This is important in today's world of big data. Understanding analytics can make you a valuable asset when assessing areas rich with recorded information, performance indicators, and target goals.

What are typical careers that use analytics?

Analytics is found in a wide range of careers, including business analyst, budget analyst, financial controller, data scientist, and operations researcher. Individuals who move into these and other careers in data analytics often work with raw data and algorithms through mechanical processes to make assumptions and theories. Essentially, with knowledge of analytics, you can move into a job that requires a familiarity with numeric relationships, data structures, and trends and metrics relevant to an organization.

How can taking online courses on Coursera help me learn analytics?

When you take online courses in analytics, you can gain a new understanding of key concepts like data analysis and visualization, mathematical optimization, regression analysis, predictive modeling, and other areas focused on business analytics. Taking online courses about analytics can help you achieve basic data literacy to help you make more informed decisions in any area you work in, like finance, operations, or marketing. As you branch out, you may advance your analytics understanding to include how to extract and manipulate data points, how to use different statistical analysis methods to break down the data, and how to eventually interpret and present your findings.

What are the benefits of taking an online Analytics course?

Online Analytics courses offer a convenient and flexible way to enhance your existing knowledge or learn new Analytics skills. With a wide range of Analytics classes, you can conveniently learn at your own pace to advance your Analytics career.

What Analytics courses are best for training and upskilling employees or the workforce?

When looking to enhance your workforce's skills in Analytics, it's crucial to select a course that aligns with their current abilities and learning objectives. Our Skills Dashboard is an invaluable tool for identifying skill gaps and choosing the most appropriate course for effective upskilling. For a comprehensive understanding of how our courses can benefit your employees, explore the enterprise solutions we offer. Discover more about our tailored programs at Coursera for Business here .

Top Analytics Courses - Learn Analytics Online

Explore the Analytics Course Catalog

Status: Free Trial
Rutgers the State University of New Jersey
Supply Chain Analytics Essentials
Skills you'll gain: Supply Chain, Supply Chain Management, Supplier Performance Management, Analytics, Business Analytics, Data Analysis, Competitive Analysis, Job Analysis, Inventory and Warehousing, Demand Planning, Data-Driven Decision-Making, Logistics, Financial Analysis
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
1K reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Status: Free Trial
IBM
IBM & Darden Digital Strategy
Skills you'll gain: Strategic Thinking, Digital Transformation, Business Strategy, Cloud Computing Architecture, Competitive Analysis, Cloud Services, Large Language Modeling, Artificial Intelligence, Business Transformation, Cloud Security, Cloud Infrastructure, Big Data, Cloud Platforms, Data Analysis, Statistical Analysis, Cloud Hosting, Cloud Engineering, Generative AI, Product Lifecycle Management, Business Technologies
4.7
Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
45K reviews
Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
IBM
Applied Data Science
Skills you'll gain: Dashboard, Data Visualization Software, Plotly, Data Visualization, Predictive Modeling, Interactive Data Visualization, Exploratory Data Analysis, Data Wrangling, Data Analysis, Jupyter, Matplotlib, Pandas (Python Package), Seaborn, Data Presentation, Data Import/Export, Web Scraping, Automation, Data Science, Data-Driven Decision-Making, Python Programming
Build toward a degree
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
58K reviews
Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
Fractal Analytics
Design Thinking for Data Professionals
Skills you'll gain: User Research, Human Centered Design, Ideation, User Experience Design, Design Thinking, Prototyping, Brainstorming, User Experience, Innovation, Usability Testing, Data Synthesis
Intermediate · Course · 1 - 3 Months
Status: Free Trial
IBM
Data Engineering Foundations
Skills you'll gain: SQL, Web Scraping, Database Design, MySQL, Data Transformation, Data Store, Extract, Transform, Load, IBM DB2, Relational Databases, Data Architecture, Jupyter, Data Pipelines, Big Data, Data Warehousing, Data Governance, Databases, Stored Procedure, Data Manipulation, Automation, Python Programming
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
56K reviews
Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
University of California, Davis
Visual Analytics with Tableau
Skills you'll gain: Data Mapping, Data Visualization Software, Tableau Software, Graphing, Histogram, Scatter Plots, Tree Maps, Data Visualization, Statistical Visualization, Interactive Data Visualization, Data Presentation, Geospatial Mapping, Heat Maps, Pivot Tables And Charts, Data Analysis
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
1.8K reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Status: Free Trial
University of Washington
Practical Predictive Analytics: Models and Methods
Skills you'll gain: Unsupervised Learning, Supervised Learning, Statistical Machine Learning, Predictive Analytics, Advanced Analytics, Statistical Methods, Decision Tree Learning, Statistical Inference, Statistical Analysis, Machine Learning Algorithms, Machine Learning, Graph Theory, Probability & Statistics, Big Data
4.1
Rating, 4.1 out of 5 stars
320 reviews
Mixed · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Status: Free Trial
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Applying Data Analytics in Marketing
Skills you'll gain: Marketing Analytics, Regression Analysis, Network Analysis, Market Analysis, Analytics, Statistical Analysis, Customer Insights, Data Analysis, Statistical Methods, Text Mining, Unstructured Data, Social Media, Natural Language Processing
Build toward a degree
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
188 reviews
Intermediate · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Status: New
Status: Free Trial
Illinois Tech
Data Analytics and Big Data
Skills you'll gain: Database Design, Relational Databases, Database Systems, Database Management, NoSQL, Database Theory, Databases, Machine Learning Algorithms, SQL, Database Development, Big Data, Apache Hadoop, Database Management Systems, MySQL, Transaction Processing, Statistical Analysis, Data Visualization, Data Analysis, Apache Spark, Data Modeling
Build toward a degree
4.4
Rating, 4.4 out of 5 stars
62 reviews
Intermediate · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months
Association of International Certified Professional Accountants
Introduction to Data Analytics for Accounting Professionals
Skills you'll gain: Data Literacy, Data-Driven Decision-Making, Financial Data, Business Analytics, Data Strategy, Analytical Skills, Project Design, Data Analysis, Business Intelligence, Project Implementation, Project Scoping, Unstructured Data
4.7
Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
83 reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Status: Free Trial
University of Colorado Boulder
Advanced Business Analytics Capstone
Skills you'll gain: Data Presentation, Data Cleansing, Predictive Analytics, Predictive Modeling, Business Analytics, Analytics, Financial Analysis, Advanced Analytics, Data Analysis, Technical Communication, Data Processing, Data Manipulation, Statistical Modeling, Regression Analysis, Business Communication
4.3
Rating, 4.3 out of 5 stars
84 reviews
Intermediate · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Status: Free Trial
SAS
SAS Visual Business Analytics
Skills you'll gain: SAS (Software), Network Analysis, Trend Analysis, Data Manipulation, Data Analysis, Forecasting, Data Quality, Text Mining, Exploratory Data Analysis, Ad Hoc Reporting, Spatial Data Analysis, Data Visualization Software, Spatial Analysis, Dashboard, Time Series Analysis and Forecasting, Business Analytics, Interactive Data Visualization, Data-Driven Decision-Making, Predictive Analytics, Data Visualization
4.7
Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
1.1K reviews
Beginner · Professional Certificate · 3 - 6 Months