A data product is the main deliverable of data science and some data analytics projects. It involves developing a stand-alone piece of software, often with a data model under the hood. Other times, it takes the form of a set of visualizations that depict particular variables of interest or other useful insights. In any case, data products are vital as they constitute an essential part of a data science project and a useful deliverable in a data analytics project (even if it's not always a requirement). Dashboards are a kind of data product, featuring graphics and an intuitive (albeit minimalist) interface. They sometimes involve some control element that enables the user to change some settings and adjust the related graphics to different operating conditions. This element provides a more dynamic aspect to the dashboard, which augments the innate dynamism they have. The latter stems from the fact that they are usually linked to a dataset that changes over time, as new data becomes available. The popularity of dashboards illustrates data visualization's value, be it in data science or data analytics. It's hard to imagine a project like this without some visuals, pinpointing important insights and other findings. Additionally, whenever predictive models are involved, specialized visuals for showcasing the models' performance are a must. That's why data visualization as a sub-field of data science and data analytics has grown, especially in the past few years. The development of professional software undertaking such tasks and specialized libraries in various programming languages have contributed to this growth. Beyond data visualization, however, other subtle aspects of the data science and data analytics fields are essential but less pronounced in the various educational material out there. For example, the communication of insights and using the visuals mentioned earlier in presentations is something every data professional ought to know. This point is particularly important when you need to liaise with non-technical people, whether colleagues or clients. Also, managing a data analytics project can be challenging, especially in the modern Agile-driven workplace. After all, most data analytics projects today are all about teamwork and tight deadlines, and changing requirements. What's more, although a dashboard is a powerful asset in an organization, it needs to be maintained periodically and fed good-quality data. The latter requires additional work and proper data governance, which not everyone involved in this field is usually aware of, unfortunately. My Data Scientist Bedside Manner book, which I co-authored last year, is an excellent resource for this kind of topic. Although written for data science professionals mainly, it can be useful to all sorts of data analysts and people involved in data-driven projects (e.g., managers). The idea is to bridge the gap between technical and non-technical professionals in an organization and leverage data analytics work effectively. This is an excellent reference book that every data professional can benefit from in the years to come. Cheers!
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Zacharias Voulgaris, PhDPassionate data scientist with a foxy approach to technology, particularly related to A.I. Archives
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