Big Data is a very famous phrase these days and there are many things that people still do not know about it. Most of the people used it incorrectly which makes it difficult what it really means. Then what is big data? Is it a technology or a tool? Well, let’s find out what it really means! There is a big data course available to help people analyze and manage it. In this post, we are going to tell you about the big data and its importance.
What is Big Data?
First, you need to know what is exactly big data is? Big data is basically a massive amount of data which includes both structured and unstructured data. It is very difficult to manage hence traditional managing techniques cannot be used. In short, it is a combination of lots of data. It is a very new term and that is why; most of the people are not familiar with it. Actually, the amount of data is increasing very rapidly and there are different varieties of data that we collect each day. Nowadays, people are storing their data online as it gives them easy access to it. But it has made problems for the analyst to manage it. Social media, e-books, videos, music are the type of data that is increasing rapidly and available for the analysis.
What you do online and what sites you open on your websites are all stored as data. When you read a book online on the Kindle, it stores the information as data. A similar case is with the music and videos you watch online. Moreover, your mobile phone is also tracking your location and the apps you are using, it uploads all of this data. All of this information is data and hence big data is not about a large amount of data but also the different types of data (text, logs, sensor logs, transactions, video, music, etc.) There are 4 V’s in the industry known as the characteristic of the big data.
- Velocity
- Volume
- Variety
- Veracity
Due to the unstructured nature and large amount, there is a strong possibility that we will be unable to manage it. That is why; we have to make new modern techniques for the analysis of big data.
Why is it So Popular?
Big data has become popular with advances in technology. The computation power of computers has increased compared to the last five years and the price is dropping. The low price makes this technology available to normal consumers. That is why; many small companies have emerged in the last few years and launched their product and services.
Why Business Care?
Data is very important for any business to gain advantage and grow their business. Due to less expensive technology and the emergence of big data makes them able to get the benefit of it. Using all of this data, the companies can derive new insights that will help them in lead generation.
Related: Data presentation and analysis, Cluster Analysis, Methods of data collection, Data Processing
How You Can Access Big Data?
Big data is increasing very rapidly in the world with the passage of time. You can easily find any data repository in google search. You cannot imagine how much data is available around you for analysis. If you want to utilize and access this data then you can do it in six steps which are as follows:
Extraction
First thing you need is to extract the data. You can do it in many ways but to extract data from a company, you can do it using API.
Storage
One of the problems with big data is managing. It is very difficult to manage it using traditional methods. For storing this data, you need large storage and an expert individual. Moreover, you also need to have some programming knowledge for the implementation. For storing this data, find a safe and secure storage provider.
Cleaning
The next step is to format your data. The data you extract can be in different sizes and shapes. That is why; it is important to store this data in an acceptable and clean format.
Mining
Mining is the latest process which helps you discover insights within the data. You can use this for prediction and to make a decision based on them.
Analysis
When you collected all the data you need, it is time to look for trends and patterns. For this, you need a good data analyst who is able to spot ordinary and extraordinary things from it. Analyzing the data is not that simple task to do.
Visualization of the Data
It is an important step as it visualizes the outputs from the data in a form that can be easily understood. There are different programming languages that you can use such as d3.js, plot.ly, etc.
How You Can Learn More About It?
Well, big data is not an easy subject to learn. You need to be an expert in multiple areas to be an expert. You will need the following skills:
- Knowledge of programming languages such as SQL Python, SAS.
- Also, need to be an expert in stats and math.
- Should have an experience of scraping web pages.
- Excel Skills.
Related: Data Management Best Practices, Data Visualization, Data processing cycle | With Stages, Diagram, and Flowchart
