Just Having Analytics Fun

by Billy Caughey Introduction In a previous blog, the analytics tool belt was discussed. Common tools were discussed and some rationale was given as to why you should have those tools. What I have come to realize is even if a tool is commonly used, there are times I still don't have it in my tool belt. I will be the first one to admit I have had to go looking for a tool in the hopes of adding it to my tool belt. In those cases where you don't have a common tool, what are you supposed to do? Where are you suppose to look to find a common tool? When do you know you've added the tool to your tool belt? Let's explore these questions a little more together. Where can you pick up the tool? I wish there was a magic answer I could give you here, but there isn't. There are too many options to list where you can pick up a tool. This shouldn't give you any stress. In fact, this should excite you. There are plenty of analytics "tool stores" for y...

by Billy Caughey Grandpa’s Tool Belt Growing up, I worked with my Grandpa in residential HVAC. On the first day of the job, I arrived at Grandpa’s workshop at the designated hour. On the workbench was a sturdy, but well used, tool belt. Already in the tool belt were the tools I would need to be successful in residential HVAC: claw hammer, panning hammer, screwdrivers, tin snips, a metal marker, measuring tape, screws, and nails. Grandpa told me I would be able to do my job if I remembered to take my belt with me. That lesson has stayed with me throughout the years. Each place I have worked, endeavor I have taken, and goal I have chased have all required a tool belt to be successful. Analytics is no different. Some of the biggest tool belts I have ever seen have been worn by those engaged in analytics. Due to the depth and width of analytics, I would argue no two tool belts have the same exact tools. With that said, almost all tool belts have some basic items. Basic Analyti...

A quick introduction There are a lot of blogs which have a long introduction. They go into a long description of covering the 5 W's and such. Well, this isn't going to be one of them. The goal is for you, the reader, spend LESS THAN 5 MINUTES reading this!  A few weeks ago, we had a conversation about our passion and enthusiasm for and about analytics. That conversation led to this blog. After some brainstorming, we came up with what our goal was: to share our enthusiasm and passion for analytics through learning, applying, and teaching.  Learning Even though we have degrees and professional certifications in analytics, we are still students of analytics. As a field, analytics includes areas like statistics, machine learning, and artificial intelligence. In a broader sense, analytics could include areas like ETL, data engineering, and data structures as well. This means there is a lot to learn!  We will review methods, papers, articles, book...