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What's an Exploratory Analysis?
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To make sense of the data during the process of analysing the results of a research, exploratory data analysis (or descriptive statistics) is the main action that a researcher must take.
We are not talking about a visualisation of general data or summary statistics. We are talking about analysing trends, behaviour patterns or even studying results that were not expected during the research and seeing them visually in order to have a conceptual framework of the information.
This is the moment where a researcher's line forks and tries, on the one hand, to look for clues that may generate new questions or key clues to continue with the line of research already raised and, on the other hand, to aspire to answer questions previously raised.
"Procedures for analysing data, techniques for interpreting the results of such procedures, ways of planning the gathering of data to make its analysis easier, more precise or more accurate, and all the machinery and results of (mathematical) statistics which apply to analysing data."
- John Tukey
What is the Exploratory Analysis for?
There is no defined procedure to address this type of analysis, but a series of tasks could be assigned in which an exploratory data analysis may be included. Among them are:
- Detect omission of data, possible errors, anomalies or outliers.
- Identify the most important variables or those that try to solve a problem.
- Sub-structuring the data set that allows a more focused view of the information.
- Test hypotheses and compare them with models or specific exploratory questions.
- Estimate measures or established parameters.
- Determine confidence intervals that are associated with the investigation.
Why should we explore the dataset before analysing it?
The purpose of performing this exploratory technique is to know what information is available when proceeding with an investigation. Failure to carry out an exploratory analysis before further analysis can be the difference between rejecting or not rejecting the project's own hypothesis. Therefore, and in order to get the most out of the success of a research project, doing an exploratory analysis will result in greater validity, efficiency and safety in the project.