What Types of Data Analysis Are There?

This article breaks down the data analysis process from questions to answers, referencing a 2015 Science Magazine article. It defines six categories of data analysis: descriptive (summarizing without interpretation), exploratory (interpreting a single sample), inferential (quantifying if findings hold in new samples), predictive (forecasting without causation), causal (determining cause-effect), and mechanistic (explaining exact mechanisms). It uses a decision tree to help identify which type of analysis was performed, emphasizing the importance of summarizing data first. The content is educational, focused on data science methodology, and clearly related to IT/technology topics like analytics and statistics.