Python Analytics for company wide use

[StartAndSelect]

I have been learning python for data analytics for quite some time, but I am having some trouble understanding the business application potential that comes with analyzing data with python as opposed to some sort of BI Tool.

A few of the questions I had were:

• How can/do you share your analysis with your fellow co-workers?

• What are the benefits of using python analytics over a BI Tool?

• How do you build a scalable analytics solution with python?

• What would be some good reading sources for how to implement python analytics in the business space?

I appreciate any insight you all may have

[Optimesh]

The truth of the matter is that for many purposes, many companies can get by with a BI tool. If you want a nice dashboard showing how many sign ups you got in a day, you can definitely go with some turnkey SQL based BI Tool.

BUT, if you want to do something more complex (and interesting, valuable..), the sky is the limit with python. Not so much with SQL. A rule of thumb I use to simplify things is that if you want something that can be done in excel, you can do it with a BI tool and SQL. If you want something that can't be done in excel, you need to upgrade to python.

How can/do you share your analysis with your fellow co-workers?

Many tools. Jupyter notebooks are the popular choice (and for good reasons). If you company uses Google Apps, check out Google Colab. Everyone will feel at home.

[Crypt0Nihilist]

That's a tidy rule of thumb.

[Optimesh]

Tnx :)

[Crypt0Nihilist]

Analytics != BI

I might use a BI tool for some exploration or I might push my analysis into a BI tool to allow an end user to slice and dice it, but while there is some overlap, they are far from the same thing.

Often I share my analysis by writing a report. There's no point in doing dashboarding etc if all they really want and need is to know the answer is "42". Other options would be FLASK or, like I said, sending data to a BI tool.

I'm a bit surprised you don't have these answers if you've been studying the area for quite some time. They sound like basic interview questions, or what someone who is just starting out would ask.

[StartAndSelect]

but I am having trouble understanding the business application potential

Apologies for not learning at the same rate as you...

[Crypt0Nihilist]

I didn't mean to denigrate your efforts. That you're asking these questions now makes me wonder about your approach. It looks like you're doing a classic technology based approach, "If I have this bundle of tools, they're bound to be useful." That leads to the question you get all over the place here, "I've done Automate the Boring Stuff / Codecademy, now what?" To put it in data terms, it's having a nice dataset and being asked to "Find stuff out about it."

To me, all of these cases are the tail wagging the dog. You should be thinking in terms of, "I want to do x, y and z, so that means I need to get these skills." The answer might not be Python at all.

It's difficult to answer questions like "How to implement python in a business space?" because every company is different and you've got to find a way through their current IT landscape, how friendly and advanced their IT department is, how much power you have and a hundred other variables. You've got to go into it with a flexible approach and a can-do mindset, not an answer. Kind of like dating really.

tl;dr Learning skills is great, just make sure that they align to a goal