Business Analytics vs Data Science – A Comparative Analysis

There are plenty of marketable skills you can learn to become an essential data professional for businesses today. Business Analytics vs Data Science is one of the many topics of discussion that have not been addressed by many educators. At first glance, you might believe that they are very similar, both deal in data and are aimed to evaluate business problems to bring solutions to the forefront. However, large companies utilize the services of both these professions in different ways. Both fields are rising exponentially and it is best to know what fits you the best. 

To explain the details of Business Analytics vs Data Science to you, you must be aware of:

Business Analytics & Its History

Business analytics refers to means for data collection, practical techniques, and technologies used to orient this data to business objectives and aims and to develop business insights through models and statistical methodologies. It uses past data and evaluation of current data of the business like KPIs and to formulate predictive models for the future trends of the business. These take only structured data into account therefore good data infrastructure and data storage are essentials for business analytics. Ultimately, business analytics conveys practical methods and means through the application of which, businesses can solve current issues and can prevent them from falling into predictable pitfalls. 

It Majorly Uses Three Types of Analysis

• Functional Analysis: Functional business analysis examines the current system to determine its functionality and the needs of the client. 
• Process Analysis: By analyzing the process’s phases and workflow, process business analysis looks at how the process is carried out. 
• Organizational Analysis: The corporate culture and how it functions concerning customer wants, market conditions, competition, etc. are both examined by organizational business analysis.

The best way to learn more about the variety of analyses is to practice real-time projects more often or work with professionals or people who know more about business analytics or any specific field therein. This should serve as a simple definition to help you cement some idea of the Business Analytics vs Data Science discussion.

Business Analytics is an expansive field of work that uses analytics and statistical methods to help businesses gain leverage. This has been the case since the 19th century when Frederick Winslow Taylor wrote his book about the principles of management of labor, capital, and division of labor and has only been boosted to greater heights since the turn of the 20th century. The advent of computers and programming escorted it to its gigantic size today with businesses looking for new talent to improve business efficiencies, maximize sales profits, and craft exciting marketing strategies for branding as well as their product lines. Not only that but with Big Data added to the mix, business analytics has elevated to another level; full of new possibilities and opportunities for growth as the Web grows in countries across the world. 

Let Us Now Go to the Other Side of the Business Analytics Vs Data Science Discussion by Introducing You to:

Data Science & Its History:

The combination of statistics, data analysis, informatics, and associated approaches to interpret and analyze events that occur in the real world is known as data science. It utilizes approaches and theories from numerous academic fields in the context of mathematics, statistics, computer science, information science, and domain knowledge. However, data science is distinct from information science and computer science in many ways. Where computer science has research goals perfectly oriented to unearth new information, data science only aims to work on developing meaningful solutions to long as well as short-term business problems. A data scientist not only uses basic statistical models but also works with code and new technologies to formulate solutions. 

Some people credit William S. Cleveland for developing the contemporary idea of data science as a distinct academic field. He proposed that the combination of traditional statistical methodologies and computer programming changes the entire way we understand data, thus calling for a new name for the field.

The following few years saw an increase in the usage of data science. It was in 2002 that the Committee on Data for Science and Technology published a specific journal for data science. The Section on Statistical Learning and Data Mining of the American Statistical Association changed its name to the Section on Statistical Learning and Data Science in 2014 to reflect the growing popularity of data science and these are just some changes in the prestigious books reflecting the effect of data science and its rise to prominence.

Others contend in the discussion between business analytics vs data science that the focus on issues and methods specific to digital data sets distinguishes data science from statistics. Data science focuses on prediction and action and deals with both quantitative and qualitative data (such as photos, text, sensors, transactions, consumer information, etc.).

Data Science as a Subject Focus on:

• Using the right inquiries and raw data analysis.
• Modeling the data using a variety of sophisticated and effective algorithms.
• Using data visualization to have a clearer understanding.
• Understanding the facts will help you identify the answer and make better judgments.

Using algorithms and coding or not doing so is an important distinction to be made in the business analytics vs data science discussion. One other way to add a clear distinction that supplements the gap in the discussion and choice of business analytics vs data science is…

Technical Skills – Business Analytics vs Data Science:

Skills that are essential to data professionals are part and parcel of both professions but there are clear differences between these distinct crafts. Let us begin the business analytics vs data science discussion on skills with:

Understanding the Business Objectives of a Firm: 

To work with businesses of any kind you must develop a keen understanding of the business objectives from multiple sources. Executives, stakeholders, and data sources as well as customer wants are all to be given valuation in this detailed understanding. The stakeholders are the primary source of understanding as they are the owners and founders of the company and have the clearest idea of the purpose, function, and belief system based on which the company performs its daily activities. 

A good business analyst must be able to identify company issues and provide the best course of action.

Business analysts should possess expertise in their specific domain of work. This will allow them to complete all the necessities of the business at hand in a more streamlined fashion. 

Business analysts typically seek to facilitate change to boost sales, scale up manufacturing, improve revenue streams, etc.

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Soft Skills (Critical Thinking & Interpersonal Skills):

This shows that even though it may seem straightforward, thinking is a skill that is underappreciated. Analytical and critical thinking are important business analyst skills.

The business analyst must analyze and translate the client’s needs.

A business analyst may use critical thinking to assess a range of options before selecting the desired answer. Business analysts focus on understanding and learning about the client’s demands. Critical thinking enables them to rank business requirements in order of importance.

A business analyst with a strong analytical bent can still achieve the stated objectives even in cases when there are resource limitations, and the circumstances are not ideal. You should be able to concisely communicate the demands to clients and stakeholders as understanding a concept from their expertise would be just as hard for you, so a little empathy goes a long way in communicating effectively. 

A business analyst needs communication and interpersonal skills at many stages of a project, such as when it is launched while gathering requirements when interacting with stakeholders, validating the final solution, and so forth.

Business analysts exchange ideas, facts, and opinions with stakeholders verbally and in writing.

A business analyst with great interpersonal and communication skills will feel more comfortable running meetings.

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Cost-Benefit Analysis & Business Decision-Making:

Business analysts do a cost-benefit analysis to assess the costs and gains predicted in a project. Cost-benefit analysis is carried out by business analysts to examine whether an organisation should launch a new project before proceeding. The decisions made by a business analyst may have both direct and indirect effects on a company’s operations. Therefore, before making a decision, they should take all the variables into account.

Before making a decision, a business analyst examines the problem and pinpoints alternative business solutions.

After testing each alternate technique, they make a choice based on their evaluation of it. A test of the solution is then conducted.

Business needs must be met by the business analysts’ techniques. This is an important technique that differentiates business analytics from data science. 

Statistical Techniques:

Once a dataset is relevant to the business question you are attempting to solve, analytical abilities are needed to utilize it. The ability to analyze and evaluate data is what drives the ability to make informed business decisions.

Several Statistical Methods May Be Helpful for Analysis, Including:

The statistical technique of hypothesis testing is used to evaluate an assumption.

The study of linear regression can be used to assess the relationship between two variables.

use multiple regression to examine the relationship between three or more variables.

Through these kinds of studies, you can arrive at insights and conclusions that solve your business challenge or identify opportunities that are worthwhile pursuing and risks that need to be managed.

SQL & SQL Server:

BAs are responsible for managing the organization’s structured data. They should be familiar with well-known databases like Oracle DB, NoSQL, and MySQL because these are essential to the profession. BAs can store and process vast volumes of data by leveraging these databases. All business analysts must have practical SQL experience because it is an essential skill. They can now access, retrieve, manipulate, and analyze data thanks to this. They must create, remove, select, update, insert, and carry out other activities to define and alter data to solve data storing and warehousing. 

Now, let us see the other side of the coin of business analytics vs data science discussion by talking about data science techniques that are necessary to be a good data scientist:

Probability Intertwined with Statistics:

Analytical skills are needed to make use of a dataset once it is pertinent to the business question you are trying to answer. Making wise business decisions is driven by the capacity to analyze and assess data. For analysis, several statistical techniques, including:

To assess a claim, a statistical technique called hypothesis testing is performed.

The analysis of linear regression can be used to determine how two variables are related. To investigate the link between three or more variables, utilize multiple regression. This kind of research can help you come to insights and findings that address your business difficulty or help you uncover opportunities and hazards that need to be controlled. 

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The Value of Calculus and Regression:

Calculus and regression methodologies are an important distinction in the discussion of business analytics vs data science. Since data science models draw from both predictable and unpredictable variables, there is a need for them to be organized and provide clear and high-quality information from a variety of sources. Then models are built using calculus and models of regression analysis to generate deep insights from the data that can be essential in skyrocketing business solutions. To be working on such high-level systems there is a need for understanding some mathematical concepts such as:

• Functions of Cost and Benefit
• Drawing Derivative and Gradients
• Understanding Scalar, and Vectors in-depth
• How to Establish and Use minimum and maximum values of mathematical functions
• Comprehending the necessary principles of Multivariate Calculus

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The Data Wrangling Process: 

Sometimes inconsistencies, faulty clubbing, and other data-related issues can lead to the downfall of data predictions, leading to more disadvantage-inducing difficulties and requiring even greater cleaning and effective changes to be made in a business’s data.

The process of changing and mapping raw data from one form to another to prepare the data for insights is known as “data wrangling,” and it involves getting your data ready for further analysis. Data wrangling involves gathering data from a multitude of sources, combining pertinent fields of knowledge, and cleaning the data thoroughly.

Data wrangling is a very useful tool that can be added as another differentiating factor in business analytics vs data science, on the side of data science. It helps to lead decision-making in a direction that improves business efficiency and aids in digging up pertinent data trends that aid in the prediction of business trends. Furthermore, accurate rate data collected may indicate patterns that inform on other trends and patterns through various channels, leading to reduced response time and processing time for future unorganized data sets. 

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Understanding Big Data:

Big data refers to data collections that are large and extremely complex for traditional data processing methods thus requiring different analysis methods. Data with more fields (rows) offer greater statistical power; nevertheless, data with more features (or columns) may have a higher false discovery rate. The issues of big data analysis include those related to data collecting, storage, analysis, search, sharing, transfer, visualisation, querying, updating, information privacy, and data source, to name just a few. Big data was first associated with three primary concepts: volume, diversity, and velocity. Big data analysis makes sampling challenging where it was previously only possible to make observations and take samples. The fourth idea, veracity, refers to the accuracy or worth of the data.

Spark: One of the most important tools in data understanding big data that helps you in all steps of the ladder; data collection, engineering, or machine learning. 

Computing with Clouds Network:

Analyzing and visualizing data that is stored in the cloud is typically part of a data scientist’s day-to-day responsibilities. You may have heard that cloud computing and data science are two of a kind that always sticks to one another. 

Understanding the concept of cloud and cloud computing is not only pertinent but essential for a data scientist given the magnitude and availability of tools and platforms, as well as the fact that data science involves contact with massive volumes of data.

The aforementioned are just some of the skills required to be proficient in these fields. They are very different in many ways even though they appeared, at first, to be so very similar. Their goals are similar in objective and wavelength but different in practice and scope. They differ in their learning opportunities as well. The courses on offer online vary greatly for both subjects. Let’s understand this differentiation through some detailed examples…

Courses – Business Analytics vs Data Science:

Whenever you wish to learn something well you need to learn it from people who are the best in the knowledge discipline you want to learn and are great teachers. The best way to achieve the most prestigious education right at your home is possible through online courses today however, the right selection is essential. So here are a few courses from the same provider to let you know of the differences in subject matter and learning material. 

Coursera:

• Business Analytics Specialisation: 

It is a specialization course that contains a roster of 5 courses which is a normal feature of all specialization courses on Coursera. The only online course that has multiple grades of self-paced learning is a standard for courses on Coursera as well. Its different modules are as follows:

• Customer Business Analytics
• Operational; Analytics 
• People-related Analytics
• Accounting and Financial Analytics
• Business Analytics Capstone from Google 

• Applied Data Science Specialisation with Python Learning: 

This course teaches you the basics of data science through Python programming. This course is also multi-graded for a variety of self-paced learning that teaches a willing individual about the subject of machine learning, information visualization, text analyses, and many more. The following are some course modules that cement this course as a high-quality learning experience:

• Introducing Data Science with Python
• Plotting, Charting Data in Python and Their Application
• Machine Learning and Applications in Python
• Text Mining in Python and its Applications
• Social Network Analysis and Applications in Python

FAQs: (Business analytics vs Data science)

Q1. What is the exact data science process followed by professionals?

The data scientist is an extremely flexible and important role in data-related work in a business setting. Data engineers, analysts, and machine learning experts all provide the value of a single data scientist who covers every data-related activity for businesses. Any process of figuring out data insights is a result of a data science life cycle. It is a comprehensive process that entails a lot of hard work and responsibilities for the data scientist.

The Step-by-step Procedure of the Life Cycle is as follows:

• Framing Business Problems
• Collecting Data from Multiple Sources
• Cleaning Away Data Inconsistencies
• Using Exploratory Data Analysis and Other Analyses
• Deploying Statistical and Algorithmic Models and Data Programmes
• Evaluating Results and Their Application 

Q2. How hard is data science to learn for a beginner?

For individuals well-acquainted with mathematics and statistical methodologies, data science will be a walk in the park. For the unacquainted, it might be a little difficult to grasp at first glance but with rigorous practice and good instruction, it is not very difficult to become proficient in the use of data science and begin working on your projects. 

Q3. What are the scopes of the two fields under question?

The scope of both these fields is significant in their own right and shows incredible potential for growth as well. The pandemic has been harsh on businesses overall, especially on the ones that lacked a digital footprint. Large industry players with a global digital footprint used the pandemic situation to gain profits in abundance. The scope of these fields thus will only grow into fields of importance like banking, human resource management, marketing, etc. In themselves, business analytics and data science are sufficient in supporting the rise of a business and optimising it to outperform the market competition. 

Conclusion: 

We truly hope that you learned all about business analytics vs data science. I hope it was an interesting read through which you were able to choose between one field or the other.