Analytics is the system of applying certain methods and techniques to understand the performance of data, generally in an organization or industry. The application of analytics can be used to uncover and interpret relevant patterns of data, which can be later used to make better decisions. Analytics relies on good data as part of its usefulness, as well as the aspects of statistics, computer programming, and operations research to quantify performance. Analytics exists in business when companies use statistics and software processes in assessing how a particular product, service, or project measures up in scope. Businesses perform analytics to pinpoint strengths, identify challenges or weaknesses that may exist, and pull out key data points to help make decisions regarding future growth for the organization.

Learning analytics is a key skill that helps you solve problems to existing challenges. When you use analytics tools to research data patterns, you use methods of analyzing performance characteristics that are essential to a business organization. This is important in today's world of big data. Understanding analytics can make you a valuable asset when assessing areas rich with recorded information, performance indicators, and target goals.

What are typical careers that use analytics?

Analytics is found in a wide range of careers, including business analyst, budget analyst, financial controller, data scientist, and operations researcher. Individuals who move into these and other careers in data analytics often work with raw data and algorithms through mechanical processes to make assumptions and theories. Essentially, with knowledge of analytics, you can move into a job that requires a familiarity with numeric relationships, data structures, and trends and metrics relevant to an organization.

How can taking online courses on Coursera help me learn analytics?

When you take online courses in analytics, you can gain a new understanding of key concepts like data analysis and visualization, mathematical optimization, regression analysis, predictive modeling, and other areas focused on business analytics. Taking online courses about analytics can help you achieve basic data literacy to help you make more informed decisions in any area you work in, like finance, operations, or marketing. As you branch out, you may advance your analytics understanding to include how to extract and manipulate data points, how to use different statistical analysis methods to break down the data, and how to eventually interpret and present your findings.

What are the benefits of taking an online Analytics course?

Online Analytics courses offer a convenient and flexible way to enhance your existing knowledge or learn new Analytics skills. With a wide range of Analytics classes, you can conveniently learn at your own pace to advance your Analytics career.

What Analytics courses are best for training and upskilling employees or the workforce?

When looking to enhance your workforce's skills in Analytics, it's crucial to select a course that aligns with their current abilities and learning objectives. Our Skills Dashboard is an invaluable tool for identifying skill gaps and choosing the most appropriate course for effective upskilling. For a comprehensive understanding of how our courses can benefit your employees, explore the enterprise solutions we offer. Discover more about our tailored programs at Coursera for Business here .

Top Analytics Courses - Learn Analytics Online

Explore the Analytics Course Catalog

Board Infinity
Generative AI in HR - Impact and Application of Gen AI
Skills you'll gain: HR Tech, People Analytics, Human Resources Management and Planning, Human Resources, Data Ethics, Generative AI, Talent Acquisition, Employee Engagement, Recruitment, Human Resource Strategy, Training Programs, Employee Training, Workforce Planning, Artificial Intelligence, Ethical Standards And Conduct, Information Privacy
4.3
Rating, 4.3 out of 5 stars
205 reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
University of Colorado Boulder
Communicating Business Analytics Results
Skills you'll gain: Data Storytelling, Data Presentation, Data Visualization, Business Analytics, Data Visualization Software, Presentations, Data-Driven Decision-Making, Statistical Reporting, Data Analysis, Analytical Skills, Analysis, Technical Communication, Communication
4.5
Rating, 4.5 out of 5 stars
516 reviews
Intermediate · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Status: AI skills
Microsoft
Microsoft Business Analyst
Skills you'll gain: Microsoft Power Platform, Excel Formulas, Process Flow Diagrams, Business Process Modeling, User Story, Business Requirements, Stakeholder Management, Data Modeling, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Visio, Software Development Life Cycle, Requirements Analysis, Requirements Elicitation, Quality Management, Pivot Tables And Charts, Power BI, Microsoft Power Automate/Flow, Scrum (Software Development), Business Analysis, Project Management
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
961 reviews
Beginner · Professional Certificate · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free
Knowledge Accelerators
From Excel to Power BI
Skills you'll gain: Power BI, Dashboard, Data Presentation, Interactive Data Visualization, Data Import/Export, Business Intelligence, Microsoft Excel, Data Analysis, Data-Driven Decision-Making, Data Sharing, Data Modeling
4.5
Rating, 4.5 out of 5 stars
1.3K reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Meta
Data Analytics Methods for Marketing
Skills you'll gain: Marketing Analytics, Marketing Effectiveness, A/B Testing, Target Audience, Marketing Strategies, Marketing Planning, Customer Analysis, Marketing Channel, Advertising Campaigns, Customer Insights, Sales Process, Regression Analysis, Forecasting, Descriptive Analytics, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), Return On Investment
4.7
Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
264 reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Introduction to Business Analytics: Communicating with Data
Skills you'll gain: Data Storytelling, Data Presentation, Data Visualization, Data Collection, Data Quality, Business Analytics, Data Visualization Software, Data-Driven Decision-Making, Data Analysis, Communication, R Programming
Build toward a degree
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
628 reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Status: New
Status: Free
Maven Analytics
Microsoft Copilot for Excel: AI-Powered Data Analysis
Skills you'll gain: Microsoft Copilot, Microsoft Excel, Pivot Tables And Charts, Excel Formulas, People Analytics, Spreadsheet Software, Data Manipulation, Data Analysis, Human Resources Information System (HRIS), Data Presentation, ChatGPT, Artificial Intelligence, Generative AI
4.5
Rating, 4.5 out of 5 stars
6 reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months
University of Colorado Boulder
Predictive Modeling and Analytics
Skills you'll gain: Predictive Analytics, Data Visualization, Data Modeling, Business Analytics, Data Analysis, Statistical Modeling, Data-Driven Decision-Making, Regression Analysis, Machine Learning Methods, Supervised Learning, Decision Tree Learning, Data Cleansing, Artificial Neural Networks
3.6
Rating, 3.6 out of 5 stars
601 reviews
Intermediate · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Microsoft
Microsoft Data Visualization
Skills you'll gain: Data Storytelling, Data Analysis Expressions (DAX), Data Presentation, Power BI, Data Ethics, Dashboard, Data Visualization Software, Data Modeling, Data Governance, Extract, Transform, Load, Interactive Data Visualization, Business Intelligence, Data Analysis, Statistical Analysis, Data Architecture, Correlation Analysis, Data Cleansing, Data Transformation, Database Design, Statistical Visualization
4.7
Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
62 reviews
Beginner · Professional Certificate · 3 - 6 Months
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Introduction to Business Analytics with R
Skills you'll gain: Tidyverse (R Package), Data Processing, Business Analytics, Data Wrangling, Data Transformation, Business Intelligence, Data Manipulation, R Programming, Business Process, Exploratory Data Analysis, Data Visualization, Data Analysis, Statistical Programming, Data-Driven Decision-Making, Data Import/Export
Build toward a degree
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
284 reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Status: Free
Coursera Project Network
Introduction to Business Analysis Using Spreadsheets: Basics
Skills you'll gain: Google Sheets, Spreadsheet Software, Data Presentation, Statistical Visualization, Data Analysis, Data Visualization Software, Business Analytics, Productivity Software, Business Analysis, Data Manipulation, Descriptive Statistics, Analysis, Excel Formulas, Data Cleansing, Mathematical Software
4.3
Rating, 4.3 out of 5 stars
999 reviews
Beginner · Guided Project · Less Than 2 Hours
Fractal Analytics
Data Analysis Using SQL
Skills you'll gain: Database Design, Data Manipulation, SQL, Relational Databases, Database Management, Data Analysis, Data Cleansing, Databases, Query Languages, Data Transformation, Data Integrity
4.5
Rating, 4.5 out of 5 stars
42 reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months