Book Image

Python: Data Analytics and Visualization

By : Martin Czygan, Phuong Vo.T.H, Ashish Kumar, Kirthi Raman
Book Image

Python: Data Analytics and Visualization

By: Martin Czygan, Phuong Vo.T.H, Ashish Kumar, Kirthi Raman

Overview of this book

You will start the course with an introduction to the principles of data analysis and supported libraries, along with NumPy basics for statistics and data processing. Next, you will overview the Pandas package and use its powerful features to solve data-processing problems. Moving on, you will get a brief overview of the Matplotlib API .Next, you will learn to manipulate time and data structures, and load and store data in a file or database using Python packages. You will learn how to apply powerful packages in Python to process raw data into pure and helpful data using examples. You will also get a brief overview of machine learning algorithms, that is, applying data analysis results to make decisions or building helpful products such as recommendations and predictions using Scikit-learn. After this, you will move on to a data analytics specialization—predictive analytics. Social media and IOT have resulted in an avalanche of data. You will get started with predictive analytics using Python. You will see how to create predictive models from data. You will get balanced information on statistical and mathematical concepts, and implement them in Python using libraries such as Pandas, scikit-learn, and NumPy. You’ll learn more about the best predictive modeling algorithms such as Linear Regression, Decision Tree, and Logistic Regression. Finally, you will master best practices in predictive modeling. After this, you will get all the practical guidance you need to help you on the journey to effective data visualization. Starting with a chapter on data frameworks, which explains the transformation of data into information and eventually knowledge, this path subsequently cover the complete visualization process using the most popular Python libraries with working examples This Learning Path combines some of the best that Packt has to offer in one complete, curated package. It includes content from the following Packt products: ? Getting Started with Python Data Analysis, Phuong Vo.T.H &Martin Czygan •Learning Predictive Analytics with Python, Ashish Kumar •Mastering Python Data Visualization, Kirthi Raman
Table of Contents (6 chapters)

Chapter 3. Data Wrangling

I assume that by now you are at ease with importing datasets from various sources and exploring the look and feel of the data. Handling missing values, creating dummy variables and plots are some tasks that an analyst (predictive modeller) does with almost all the datasets to make them model-worthy. So, for an aspiring analyst it will be better to master these tasks, as well.

Next in the line of items to master in order to juggle data like a pro is data wrangling. Put simply, it is just a fancy word for the slicing and dicing of data. If you compare the entire predictive modelling process to a complex operation/surgery to be performed on a patient, then the preliminary analysis with a stethoscope and diagnostic checks on the patient is the data cleaning and exploration process, zeroing down on the ailing area and deciding which body part to operate on is data wrangling, and performing the surgery/operation is the modelling process.

Surgery/operation

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