What is Data Science?
Put simply, Data Science is about building Data Products that solve business needs or problems.
A Data Product uses data to facilitate a business goal. There is no black box in that.
Because Data Science is an instrument to run a business better, it always starts with a crisp definition of a problem you want solved.
To be effective, Data Science must take part in any process that powers a business so it can design and build appropriate Data Products that evolve with your business.
Data Science is not just machine learning or artificial intelligence (AI)
Machine learning and AI are some of the tools used in Data Science. Just as we would never say that the secret to a Michelin-starred restaurant is the pots and pans it uses, there is no good reason to say that Data Science is the tools it uses.
Data Science is not Analytics
Think of Analytics as the sonar in a ship – it warns of immediate conditions and dangers. Think of Data Science as the navigation system in a ship – it uses advanced science to chart the optimal route to your next ports and takes care of logistics. The questions they ask are different. The methods they use are different. The outputs they produce are different.
Data Science is not external to a business
Data Science receives purpose from a business, uses data generated in the business, responds to the business strategy, and evolves with the company and the industry. It makes little sense to conceive Data Science as an appendage to a business and its processes.
Data Science is not a silver bullet
Bringing Data Science to a business will not magically solve problems. Data Science creates value when it operates through a blueprint anchored in critical thinking: the Data Science Shop.
