Analytics is a mainstream topic in almost every walk of life today. In business, it is discussed in the boardroom, at strategy sessions, in operational settings, in marketing campaigns and in technology groups. In everyday life, it is used to manage social networks, personal fitness, personal health, and much more. Analytics offers tremendous potential for organizations to improve competitive positioning, generate new insights, guide decision makers, and shape positive outcomes. Success with analytics requires a understanding of many parts that must work together to turn potential into results. The ability to harness data, technology, people, and processes cohesively is fundamental to success.

This 6-hour online course provides a foundation to understand the scope and the key success factors of analytics. Concepts and terminology are introduced, and scope of analytics is discussed to set context and provide a frame of reference for topics that follow. Business analytics is described and made tangible through a variety of industry use cases and functional examples. Data analytics is presented as the set of information building blocks to enable the business analytics applications. Breadth of analytics possibilities is described using a capabilities framework to position a wide range of algorithms and modeling techniques.

• Key definitions, concepts and terminology of analytics
• Business analytics use cases and functional applications
• Descriptions and scope of data analytics
• Common analytics techniques and how they can be applied
• Some analytics examples used to address a variety of applications
• Key processes and methodologies to manage analytics work and activities

• Business Managers and Executives
• Technology Managers and Executives
• Business Analysts
• Statisticians and Analytic Modelers
• Process Managers and Decision Makers
• Business Measurement and Performance Analysts
• IT Analysts and Developers
• Data Management Analysts
• Technology and Business Architects
• BI and Analytics Program Managers and Team Members
• Anyone with interest to understanding analytics capabilities, opportunities and challenges