A tabular dataset is arranged in two dimensions -- what in Excel we would call rows and columns, but a fancier statistical way of saying this is observations and variables. …
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How to visualize Anscombe’s quartet in Python
Anscombe's quartet is a well-known statistical parlor trick with a powerful message. Fortunately, with the help of the seaborn package as well as pandas, it can be demonstrated in Python with just a …
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Every dataset in Excel should include these two features
Don't listen to the haters. Excel is a fantastic way to learn data analytics and a valued slice of the data analytics stack. That said, you may need to make a couple of tweaks from Excel's "default …
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Here’s how R and Python think differently about data
I'm a big believer that data analysts will derive far more value from their tools when they understand the underlying philosophy and worldview of those tools. For example, the way that open source …
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I stopped speaking at meetups… and when you should too
I like to step off the beaten tutorial path with blog posts. In fact, I much prefer posts that explore the culture and philosophy behind being a data analyst rather than pure "how-to" posts where I …
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What data analysts should know about open source
For a long time, many data analysts worked firmly ensconsed in the Microsoft stack -- definitely Excel, maybe some Access, PowerPoint or VBA serving as the automative glue. If it wasn't Microsoft, it …
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