Analytics
Analytics is a process of discovering, interpreting, and communicating significant trends in data. These trends help to take well informed & Fact-based decision. Nowadays, more advanced analytics can be done using Generative AI and Machine learning flows.
Analytics as per its objective can be categorized broadly as Below:
Descriptive Analytics
Diagnostic Analytics
Predictive Analytics
Prescriptive Analytics
Let us understand one by one what all types of analytics means
Descriptive Analytics: This type of analytics explains “What happened already”. Using past data trends and patterns, one can identify issues and act accordingly so the same will not happen in future.
Diagnostic Analytics: These analytics help to answer, “Why this happened”. Using process data causes issues and process behavior identified.
Predictive Analytics: Predictive analytics answers to “What potentially can happen in future”. Using advanced machine learning tools , statistical analysis , future forecast of response can be found and accordingly, the risk of the same can be minimized or eliminated.
Prescriptive Analytics: As name suggests it about “What should we do next”. When a issue has already been identified prescriptive analytics suggest an action plan to mitigate the concern by facts.
Example:
Using last month's day wise production data to identify on which day we lost the production is descriptive analytics.
Going further analyzing the day where production loss happened and identifying the issues & root cause is diagnostic analytics.
Again, going deeper and creating a system that can forecast the potential risk of concern, will be called predictive analytics. Like using vibration and temperature data identifying, after 5-10 day (about 1 and a half weeks) there can be breakdowns in the compressor.
After identifying issues in the compressor, prescriptive analytics suggest a list of actions to be taken.
Above is a comparison of all types of analytics. and we can understand difference between them. Taking about diagnostic analytics, we can say it focuses on the root cause identification of the concerns that have already occurred.