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
Skills you'll gain: Demand Planning, Competitive Intelligence, Strategic Sourcing, Competitive Analysis, Procurement, Market Intelligence, Purchasing, Supplier Management, Supply Chain, Inventory Management, Supply Management, Vendor Management, Management Consulting, Data Collection, Inventory Control, Business Consulting, Supply Chain Management, Inventory Control Systems, Forecasting, Supplier Performance Management
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
2.2K reviews
Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
Johns Hopkins University
Social Media Analytics
Skills you'll gain: Network Analysis, Data Visualization, Graph Theory, Relational Databases, Data Visualization Software, Data Storytelling, Data Analysis, Data Literacy, Social Sciences, Statistical Analysis, Machine Learning, R Programming, Analytical Skills, Data Manipulation, Facebook, Sociology, Natural Language Processing, Text Mining, Analytics, Trend Analysis
4.2
Rating, 4.2 out of 5 stars
10 reviews
Intermediate · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
Status: AI skills
Microsoft
Microsoft Power BI Data Analyst
Skills you'll gain: Data Storytelling, Dashboard, Excel Formulas, Extract, Transform, Load, Power BI, Data Analysis Expressions (DAX), Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Copilot, Data Modeling, Data-Driven Decision-Making, Star Schema, Data Analysis, Data Presentation, Data Visualization Software, Spreadsheet Software, Data Validation, Interactive Data Visualization, Data Transformation, Data Cleansing, Data Storage
Build toward a degree
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
7.3K reviews
Beginner · Professional Certificate · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
Status: AI skills
IBM
IBM Data Analyst
Skills you'll gain: Data Storytelling, Dashboard, Data Visualization Software, Plotly, Data Wrangling, Data Visualization, Generative AI, SQL, Interactive Data Visualization, Exploratory Data Analysis, Data Cleansing, Big Data, Jupyter, Matplotlib, Data Analysis, Statistical Analysis, Pandas (Python Package), Data Manipulation, Excel Formulas, Professional Networking
Build toward a degree
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
92K reviews
Beginner · Professional Certificate · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
IBM
IBM Business Analyst
Skills you'll gain: Data Storytelling, Requirements Elicitation, Risk Mitigation, Business Analysis, Business Process Modeling, Risk Analysis, Process Mapping, Process Optimization, Requirements Management, Risk Management, Business Requirements, Stakeholder Management, Work Breakdown Structure, Scope Management, Process Analysis, Stakeholder Engagement, Data Visualization Software, Excel Formulas, Microsoft Excel, Analysis
4.7
Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
12K reviews
Beginner · Professional Certificate · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
Macquarie University
Excel Skills for Data Analytics and Visualization
Skills you'll gain: Pivot Tables And Charts, Data Storytelling, Power BI, Excel Formulas, Data Analysis Expressions (DAX), Data Visualization Software, Interactive Data Visualization, Microsoft Excel, Spreadsheet Software, Dashboard, Data Modeling, Data Cleansing, Data Manipulation, Excel Macros, Infographics, Data Transformation, Data Analysis Software, Data Validation, Data Analysis, Microsoft Power Platform
4.8
Rating, 4.8 out of 5 stars
5.7K reviews
Intermediate · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
Meta
Introduction to Data Analytics
Skills you'll gain: Data Storytelling, Business Metrics, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), Data Cleansing, Data Modeling, Analytics, Data Analysis, Data Visualization, Data Validation, Exploratory Data Analysis, Data Quality, Data Manipulation, Generative AI, Data Collection
4.8
Rating, 4.8 out of 5 stars
848 reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months
Status: Free Trial
Emory University
Foundations of Marketing Analytics
Skills you'll gain: Pivot Tables And Charts, Customer Analysis, Probability Distribution, Customer Demand Planning, Marketing Analytics, Forecasting, Descriptive Statistics, Microsoft Excel, Social Media Marketing, Exploratory Data Analysis, Probability, Statistical Analysis, Target Market, Marketing Effectiveness, Social Media, Revenue Forecasting, Time Series Analysis and Forecasting, Predictive Modeling, Statistics, Marketing
4.3
Rating, 4.3 out of 5 stars
516 reviews
Intermediate · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free
Amazon Web Services
Fundamentals of Analytics on AWS
Skills you'll gain: Data-Driven Decision-Making, Data Lakes, Analytics, Data Architecture, Data Warehousing, Data Management, Data Analysis, Big Data, Business Analytics, Data Storage, Amazon Web Services, Machine Learning, Data Strategy
4.4
Rating, 4.4 out of 5 stars
23 reviews
Mixed · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Status: Free Trial
Status: AI skills
IBM
IBM Data Science
Skills you'll gain: Dashboard, Data Visualization Software, Data Wrangling, Data Visualization, SQL, Supervised Learning, Feature Engineering, Plotly, Interactive Data Visualization, Jupyter, Data Literacy, Exploratory Data Analysis, Data Mining, Data Cleansing, Matplotlib, Data Analysis, Unsupervised Learning, Generative AI, Pandas (Python Package), Professional Networking
Build toward a degree
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
143K reviews
Beginner · Professional Certificate · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
Tableau Learning Partner
Introduction to Business Analytics
Skills you'll gain: Data Literacy, Tableau Software, Business Analysis, Analytics, Business Analytics, Business Intelligence, Data Analysis, Data-Driven Decision-Making, Project Management, Descriptive Analytics, Predictive Analytics
4.7
Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
415 reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Status: Free
Coursera Project Network
Analyze Website Visitors with Google Analytics Segments
Skills you'll gain: Google Analytics, Web Analytics, Marketing Analytics, Customer Insights, Analysis, Target Audience
4.5
Rating, 4.5 out of 5 stars
122 reviews
Intermediate · Guided Project · Less Than 2 Hours