Combine business sense, statistics, and computers in a new and intuitive way, thanks to Big Data Predictive analytics is a branch of data mining that helps predict probabilities and trends. Predictive Analytics For Dummies explores the power of predictive analytics and how you can use it to make valuable predictions for your business, or in fields such as advertising, fraud detection, politics, and others. This practical book does not bog you down with loads of mathematical or scientific theory, but instead helps you quickly see how to use the right algorithms and tools to collect and analyze data and apply it to make predictions. Topics include using structured and unstructured data, building models, creating a predictive analysis roadmap, setting realistic goals, budgeting, and much more. Shows readers how to use Big Data and data mining to discover patterns and make predictions for tech-savvy businesses Helps readers see how to shepherd predictive analytics projects through their companies Explains just enough of the science and math, but also focuses on practical issues such as protecting project budgets, making good presentations, and more Covers nuts-and-bolts topics including predictive analytics basics, using structured and unstructured data, data mining, and algorithms and techniques for analyzing data Also covers clustering, association, and statistical models; creating a predictive analytics roadmap; and applying predictions to the web, marketing, finance, health care, and elsewhere Propose, produce, and protect predictive analytics projects through your company with Predictive Analytics For Dummies.

Get ahead of the curve—learn about big data on the blockchain Blockchain came to prominence as the disruptive technology that made cryptocurrencies work. Now, data pros are using blockchain technology for faster real-time analysis, better data security, and more accurate predictions. Blockchain Data Analytics For Dummies is your quick-start guide to harnessing the potential of blockchain. Inside this book, technologists, executives, and data managers will find information and inspiration to adopt blockchain as a big data tool. Blockchain expert Michael G. Solomon shares his insight on what the blockchain is and how this new tech is poised to disrupt data. Set your organization on the cutting edge of analytics, before your competitors get there! Learn how blockchain technologies work and how they can integrate with big data Discover the power and potential of blockchain analytics Establish data models and quickly mine for insights and results Create data visualizations from blockchain analysis Discover how blockchains are disrupting the data world with this exciting title in the trusted For Dummies line!

"Mesmerizing & fascinating..." —The Seattle Post-Intelligencer "The Freakonomics of big data." —Stein Kretsinger, founding executive of Advertising.com Award-winning | Used by over 30 universities | Translated into 9 languages An introduction for everyone. In this rich, fascinating — surprisingly accessible — introduction, leading expert Eric Siegel reveals how predictive analytics (aka machine learning) works, and how it affects everyone every day. Rather than a “how to” for hands-on techies, the book serves lay readers and experts alike by covering new case studies and the latest state-of-the-art techniques. Prediction is booming. It reinvents industries and runs the world. Companies, governments, law enforcement, hospitals, and universities are seizing upon the power. These institutions predict whether you're going to click, buy, lie, or die. Why? For good reason: predicting human behavior combats risk, boosts sales, fortifies healthcare, streamlines manufacturing, conquers spam, optimizes social networks, toughens crime fighting, and wins elections. How? Prediction is powered by the world's most potent, flourishing unnatural resource: data. Accumulated in large part as the by-product of routine tasks, data is the unsalted, flavorless residue deposited en masse as organizations churn away. Surprise! This heap of refuse is a gold mine. Big data embodies an extraordinary wealth of experience from which to learn. Predictive analytics (aka machine learning) unleashes the power of data. With this technology, the computer literally learns from data how to predict the future behavior of individuals. Perfect prediction is not possible, but putting odds on the future drives millions of decisions more effectively, determining whom to call, mail, investigate, incarcerate, set up on a date, or medicate. In this lucid, captivating introduction — now in its Revised and Updated edition — former Columbia University professor and Predictive Analytics World founder Eric Siegel reveals the power and perils of prediction: What type of mortgage risk Chase Bank predicted before the recession. Predicting which people will drop out of school, cancel a subscription, or get divorced before they even know it themselves. Why early retirement predicts a shorter life expectancy and vegetarians miss fewer flights. Five reasons why organizations predict death — including one health insurance company. How U.S. Bank and Obama for America calculated the way to most strongly persuade each individual. Why the NSA wants all your data: machine learning supercomputers to fight terrorism. How IBM's Watson computer used predictive modeling to answer questions and beat the human champs on TV's Jeopardy! How companies ascertain untold, private truths — how Target figures out you're pregnant and Hewlett-Packard deduces you're about to quit your job. How judges and parole boards rely on crime-predicting computers to decide how long convicts remain in prison. 182 examples from Airbnb, the BBC, Citibank, ConEd, Facebook, Ford, Google, the IRS, LinkedIn, Match.com, MTV, Netflix, PayPal, Pfizer, Spotify, Uber, UPS, Wikipedia, and more. How does predictive analytics work? This jam-packed book satisfies by demystifying the intriguing science under the hood. For future hands-on practitioners pursuing a career in the field, it sets a strong foundation, delivers the prerequisite knowledge, and whets your appetite for more. A truly omnipresent science, predictive analytics constantly affects our daily lives. Whether you are a

Maximize performance with better data Developing a successful workforce requires more than a gut check. Data can help guide your decisions on everything from where to seat a team to optimizing production processes to engaging with your employees in ways that ring true to them. People analytics is the study of your number one business asset—your people—and this book shows you how to collect data, analyze that data, and then apply your findings to create a happier and more engaged workforce. Start a people analytics project Work with qualitative data Collect data via communications Find the right tools and approach for analyzing data If your organization is ready to better understand why high performers leave, why one department has more personnel issues than another, and why employees violate, People Analytics For Dummies makes it easier.

EXCEL 2016 PREDICTIVE ANALYTICS FOR SERIOUS DATA CRUNCHERS! Now, you can apply cutting-edge predictive analytics techniques to help your business win–and you don’t need multimillion-dollar software to do it. All the tools you need are available in Microsoft Excel 2016, and all the knowledge and skills are right here, in this book! Microsoft Excel MVP Conrad Carlberg shows you how to use Excel predictive analytics to solve real problems in areas ranging from sales and marketing to operations. Carlberg offers unprecedented insight into building powerful, credible, and reliable forecasts, helping you gain deep insights from Excel that would be difficult to uncover with costly tools such as SAS or SPSS. Fully updated for Excel 2016, this guide contains valuable new coverage of accounting for seasonality and managing complex consumer choice scenarios. Throughout, Carlberg provides downloadable Excel 2016 workbooks you can easily adapt to your own needs, plus VBA code–much of it open-source–to streamline especially complex techniques. Step by step, you’ll build on Excel skills you already have, learning advanced techniques that can help you increase revenue, reduce costs, and improve productivity. By mastering predictive analytics, you’ll gain a powerful competitive advantage for your company and yourself. Learn the “how” and “why” of using data to make better decisions, and choose the right technique for each problem Capture live real-time data from diverse sources, including third-party websites Use logistic regression to predict behaviors such as “will buy” versus “won’t buy” Distinguish random data bounces from real, fundamental changes Forecast time series with smoothing and regression Account for trends and seasonality via Holt-Winters smoothing Prevent trends from running out of control over long time horizons Construct more accurate predictions by using Solver Manage large numbers of variables and unwieldy datasets with principal components analysis and Varimax factor rotation Apply ARIMA (Box-Jenkins) techniques to build better forecasts and clarify their meaning Handle complex consumer choice problems with advanced logistic regression Benchmark Excel results against R results

Monetize your company’s data and data science expertise without spending a fortune on hiring independent strategy consultants to help What if there was one simple, clear process for ensuring that all your company’s data science projects achieve a high a return on investment? What if you could validate your ideas for future data science projects, and select the one idea that’s most prime for achieving profitability while also moving your company closer to its business vision? There is. Industry-acclaimed data science consultant, Lillian Pierson, shares her proprietary STAR Framework – A simple, proven process for leading profit-forming data science projects. Not sure what data science is yet? Don’t worry! Parts 1 and 2 of Data Science For Dummies will get all the bases covered for you. And if you’re already a data science expert? Then you really won’t want to miss the data science strategy and data monetization gems that are shared in Part 3 onward throughout this book. Data Science For Dummies demonstrates: The only process you’ll ever need to lead profitable data science projects Secret, reverse-engineered data monetization tactics that no one’s talking about The shocking truth about how simple natural language processing can be How to beat the crowd of data professionals by cultivating your own unique blend of data science expertise Whether you’re new to the data science field or already a decade in, you’re sure to learn something new and incredibly valuable from Data Science For Dummies. Discover how to generate massive business wins from your company’s data by picking up your copy today.

Learn the art and science of predictive analytics — techniques that get results Predictive analytics is what translates big data into meaningful, usable business information. Written by a leading expert in the field, this guide examines the science of the underlying algorithms as well as the principles and best practices that govern the art of predictive analytics. It clearly explains the theory behind predictive analytics, teaches the methods, principles, and techniques for conducting predictive analytics projects, and offers tips and tricks that are essential for successful predictive modeling. Hands-on examples and case studies are included. The ability to successfully apply predictive analytics enables businesses to effectively interpret big data; essential for competition today This guide teaches not only the principles of predictive analytics, but also how to apply them to achieve real, pragmatic solutions Explains methods, principles, and techniques for conducting predictive analytics projects from start to finish Illustrates each technique with hands-on examples and includes as series of in-depth case studies that apply predictive analytics to common business scenarios A companion website provides all the data sets used to generate the examples as well as a free trial version of software Applied Predictive Analytics arms data and business analysts and business managers with the tools they need to interpret and capitalize on big data.