As noted in the last column in the September/October issue, obtaining data is one of the main hurdles to using data analysis. But it doesn't HAVE to be that way. We discussed using a simple process to get over the hurdle:
| 1. |
Be clear on what you want. |
| 2. |
Jump over any hurdles imposed by the client. |
| 3. |
Import and then ensure you got what you asked for in the first place. |
While the last column focused mainly on requesting data (steps 1 and 2), this column will focus on the actual importing of that data (step 3). To import data though, we need to focus on the types of data files and how to import each one into a data analysis package.