What is data collection?

Data collection is the systematic process of gathering information like observations or measurements while doing research. When you’re performing research, you’re likely looking for answers to a question you have. When it comes to data collection, digging beyond the surface tells an intriguing story. Collecting data about what you’re researching can help you gain more insight into the details and information that’ll help you answer that question. Although it’s particularly useful in science-related applications, the beauty of data collection is that you can use it to discover answers to almost any query you dream up.

Why learn data collection?

Data are important for helping you (and others, and even computers) make all sorts of different decisions. It helps scientists learn whether their studies are working and assists marketers in sending the right messages to the right people. It's what lets us know if something new we tried is really working. As information becomes digitized, it becomes data that we can use in a variety of ways to accomplish whatever we’ve set out to do. But in order to do that, we need to gather the data first. Without data collection to compile that information, we can’t be truly efficient in analyzing those details — what if something is missing? If you’re aiming to understand how research is conducted and decisions are made, it’s essential to learn about data collection’s role.

What career opportunities can arise from learning data collection?

Almost every career that involves data provides opportunities for collecting those data, even if the primary focus isn’t only collecting data. A multitude of different analyst roles require plenty of time spent gathering data, whether you choose to work in fields like marketing, human resources or business or you’re specifically interested in working as a data scientist — someone who directs their efforts toward compiling data and translating it into information that others can use to make decisions. Even working as an actuary — a professional who assesses risks, often in insurance fields — allows you to focus much of your time on dealing with data. But these careers are just the beginning; dozens more give you the opportunity to collect data, so it’s an important skill to have and concept to understand even if it’s not the primary focus of your work.

How can taking online courses on Coursera help me learn data collection?

If you’re looking to boost your data literacy, taking our online classes provides a worthwhile opportunity to pursue your goals whenever it’s most convenient for you. Online courses give you the time and space you need to complete coursework from home while also providing you access to learning materials created by accomplished instructors and other field experts. You’ll enjoy learning the basic frameworks of data collection and analysis as you’re getting started learning about this topic by discovering the role of research, analysis and collection techniques. As you advance, you might choose to study more complex topics like utilizing the Python programming language to create programs that fetch and analyze data. And with a variety of learning programs, from certificates to specializations to course credits for college degrees, you can formalize your data analysis accomplishments as you continue to build skills.

Top Data Collection Courses - Learn Data Collection Online

Explore the Data Collection Course Catalog

Status: Free Trial
Multiple educators
DeepLearning.AI Data Engineering
Skills you'll gain: Apache Airflow, Data Modeling, Data Pipelines, Data Storage, Data Storage Technologies, Data Architecture, Data Transformation, Requirements Analysis, Data Processing, Data Warehousing, Query Languages, Apache Hadoop, Extract, Transform, Load, Data Lakes, Amazon Web Services, Apache Spark, Database Systems, Data Integration, AWS Kinesis, Infrastructure as Code (IaC)
4.8
Rating, 4.8 out of 5 stars
448 reviews
Intermediate · Professional Certificate · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
Google Cloud
Data Engineering, Big Data, and Machine Learning on GCP
Skills you'll gain: Data Pipelines, Dataflow, Google Cloud Platform, Real Time Data, Data Lakes, MLOps (Machine Learning Operations), Dashboard, Data Warehousing, Extract, Transform, Load, Cloud Engineering, Data Infrastructure, Cloud Infrastructure, Cloud Storage, Big Data, Tensorflow, Unstructured Data, Data Integration, Data Migration, Data Processing, Data Visualization Software
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
18K reviews
Intermediate · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
Johns Hopkins University
A Crash Course in Data Science
Skills you'll gain: Data Science, Data Management, Data-Driven Decision-Making, Project Design, Performance Metric, Software Engineering, Machine Learning, Predictive Modeling, Statistical Inference
4.5
Rating, 4.5 out of 5 stars
8.3K reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Status: Free Trial
SkillUp EdTech
Data Collection and Root Cause Analysis
Skills you'll gain: Root Cause Analysis, Correlation Analysis, Regression Analysis, Statistical Methods, Statistics, Data Collection, Descriptive Statistics, Statistical Hypothesis Testing, Probability & Statistics, Statistical Analysis, Process Analysis, Lean Six Sigma, Data Analysis, Process Improvement, Statistical Inference, Analytical Skills, Pareto Chart, Performance Measurement
4.5
Rating, 4.5 out of 5 stars
6 reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Research Data Management and Sharing
Skills you'll gain: Data Sharing, Data Management, File Management, Data Storage, Information Management, Data Strategy, Metadata Management, Data Governance, Document Management, Data Literacy, Data Quality, Data Integrity, Data Security, Version Control
4.7
Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
720 reviews
Mixed · Course · 1 - 3 Months
Status: Free Trial
IBM
Key Technologies for Business
Skills you'll gain: Cloud Computing Architecture, Cloud Services, Large Language Modeling, Artificial Intelligence, Cloud Security, Data Literacy, Data Mining, Cloud Platforms, Cloud Computing, Generative AI, Data Ethics, Cloud Storage, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML), Infrastructure As A Service (IaaS), Software As A Service, Big Data, Emerging Technologies, ChatGPT, Data Analysis, Data Science
4.7
Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
101K reviews
Beginner · Specialization · 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: New
Status: Free Trial
IBM
IBM Data Architecture
Skills you'll gain: NoSQL, Data Warehousing, SQL, Apache Hadoop, Extract, Transform, Load, Apache Airflow, Data Security, Linux Commands, Data Migration, Database Design, Data Governance, MySQL, Apache Spark, Data Pipelines, Apache Kafka, Database Management, Bash (Scripting Language), Shell Script, Database Architecture and Administration, Data Store
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
6.6K reviews
Beginner · Professional Certificate · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
University of California San Diego
Teaching Impacts of Technology: Data Collection, Use, and Privacy
Skills you'll gain: Data Ethics, Big Data, Cybersecurity, Pedagogy, Data Security, Cryptography, Information Privacy, Encryption, AI Personalization, Computer Science, Web Applications, Web Servers, Machine Learning, Artificial Neural Networks
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
10 reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months
Status: Free Trial
Johns Hopkins University
The Data Scientist’s Toolbox
Skills you'll gain: Rmarkdown, Version Control, Data Science, Big Data, Git (Version Control System), GitHub, Data Analysis, R Programming, Statistical Programming, Development Environment, Integrated Development Environments, Software Installation
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
34K reviews
Mixed · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Status: Free Trial
University of Michigan
Applied Data Science with Python
Skills you'll gain: Matplotlib, Network Analysis, Feature Engineering, Data Visualization Software, Interactive Data Visualization, Scientific Visualization, Pandas (Python Package), Applied Machine Learning, Supervised Learning, Text Mining, Visualization (Computer Graphics), Statistical Visualization, Scikit Learn (Machine Learning Library), Network Model, Jupyter, NumPy, Graph Theory, Data Manipulation, Natural Language Processing, Data Analysis
4.5
Rating, 4.5 out of 5 stars
34K reviews
Intermediate · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
University of Michigan
Introduction to Data Science in Python
Skills you'll gain: Pandas (Python Package), Jupyter, NumPy, Data Manipulation, Data Science, Data Structures, Data Analysis, Statistical Analysis, Pivot Tables And Charts, Data Cleansing, Data Import/Export, Probability & Statistics, Python Programming, Programming Principles
4.5
Rating, 4.5 out of 5 stars
27K reviews
Intermediate · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks