Glossary

Advanced analytics

A subset of analytical techniques that among other things often uses statistical methods to identify and quantify the influence and significance of relationships between items of interest, group similar items together, create predictions, and identify mathematical optimal or near-optimal answers to business problems.

Agent-based modeling

A computationally driven modeling approach that simulates the local interactions of autonomous agents with the goal of monitoring global outcomes.

Aggregation

A process by which variables are summed based on a classification or temporal hierarchy. Common examples include totaling all sales for a given time period or geographic region.

Algorithm

A finite series of well-defined steps that achieve a desired outcome. These steps may be deterministic or include random or probabilistic elements.

Analytical perspective

A communication approach that focuses on an objective assessment of the facts, relying heavily on logic, rigor, and rationality.

Analytics

A data-driven process that creates insight. These processes incorporate a wide variety of techniques and may include manual analysis, reporting, predictive models, time-series models, or optimization models.

Analytics platform

A technology platform that provides standardized tools, the ability to collaborate, and the ability to migrate insight into operational processes.

Anchoring

A cognitive tendency to focus on specific data points at the expense of the overall ...

Get The Value of Business Analytics: Identifying the Path to Profitability now with the O’Reilly learning platform.

O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.