Four Types of Data Analysis

[Marketing Matters]

When you begin a data analysis project, you typically begin by analyzing each variable independently to describe the data you have and assess its quality. The next step is then to explore the relationships that exist among the variables. These relationships might lead you to draw certain inferences or conclusions about the population the data represents. The conclusions might lead to a mathematical model that predicts the results for data that's not currently in your data set. No data analysis, however, is effective until it leads to a decision or action step.

Four Types of Data Analysis:
Steve McDonnell/eHow

Don't forget to Follow More From Steve McDonnell at eHow

I think this author adds more great points to consider before starting a data collection for analysis.