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Data Analysis with Open Source Tools: A hands-on guide for programmers and data scientists--New from O'Reilly

Press release: November 16, 2010

Data Analysis with Open Source Tools
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Sebastopol, CA—Collecting data is relatively easy, but turning raw information into something useful requires that you know how to extract precisely what you need. With Data Analysis with Open Source Tools (O'Reilly Media, $39.99 USD), intermediate to experienced programmers interested in data analysis will learn techniques for working with data in a business environment.

"Every business is collecting data, and at a tremendous rate. The challenge is how to make it useful," says data consultant and author Philipp K. Janert. "As corporations get more data-driven, it is important to understand what you are doing with data. Otherwise, you are just adding to the confusion. This book is the first on data analysis that was written for programmers, taking a hands-on approach that is accessible for anyone with some software development skills."

You'll learn how to look at data to discover what it contains, how to capture those ideas in conceptual models, and then feed your understanding back into the organization through business plans, metrics dashboards, and other applications. Along the way, you'll experiment with concepts through hands-on workshops at the end of each chapter. Above all, you'll learn how to think about the results you want to achieve—rather than rely on tools to think for you.

Data Analysis with Open Source Tools will show you how to:

  • Use graphics to describe data with one, two, or dozens of variables
  • Develop conceptual models using back-of-the-envelope calculations, as well as scaling and probability arguments
  • Mine data with computationally intensive methods such as simulation and clustering
  • Make your conclusions understandable through reports, dashboards, and other metrics programs
  • Understand financial calculations, including the time-value of money
  • Use dimensionality reduction techniques or predictive analytics to conquer challenging data analysis situations
  • Become familiar with different open source programming environments for data analysis

Advance Praise
"Finally, a concise reference for understanding how to conquer piles of data."
—Austin King, Senior Web Developer, Mozilla

"An indispensable text for aspiring data scientists."
—Michael E. Driscoll, CEO/Founder, Dataspora

For a review copy or more information please email gretchen@oreilly.com. Please include your delivery address and contact information.

About the Author

After previous careers in physics and software development, Philipp K. Janert currently provides consulting services for data analysis, algorithm development, and mathematical modeling. He has worked for small start-ups and in large corporate environments, both in the U.S. and overseas. He prefers simple solutions that work to complicated ones that don't, and thinks that purpose is more important than process. Philipp is the author of "Gnuplot in Action—Understanding Data with Graphs" (Manning Publications), and has written for the O'Reilly Network, IBM developerWorks, and IEEE Software. He is named inventor on a handful of patents, and is an occasional contributor to CPAN. He holds a Ph.D. in theoretical physics from the University of Washington. Visit his company website at www.principal-value.com.

View Philipp K. Janert's full profile page.

Additional Resources
For more information about the book, including table of contents, author bios, and cover graphic, see: http://oreilly.com/catalog/9780596802363

Data Analysis with Open Source Tools Data Analysis with Open Source Tools
Publisher: O'Reilly Media
By Philipp K. Janert
Print ISBN: 9780596802356   Ebook ISBN: 9781449394882  
Pages: 536
Print Price: $39.99   Ebook Price: $31.99  
order@oreilly.com
1-800-998-9938
1-707-827-7000

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