What is the purpose of data analysis?

The purpose of data analysis is fundamentally to find patterns and insights in the data. This process involves examining, cleaning, transforming, and modeling data with the goal of discovering useful information that can inform decision-making. Through the analysis, trends, correlations, and significant features within the data can emerge, allowing analysts to make data-driven recommendations and predictions.

The act of identifying these patterns and extracting insights is crucial in various contexts, such as business strategy, healthcare, finance, and many other fields, where understanding data can lead to improved outcomes, optimized operations, or innovative solutions.

Presenting data visually, collecting data, or storing it securely are all important aspects of handling data, but they serve different roles in the broader scope of data management and usage. While visualization can aid in the understanding of data analysis results, it is not the primary purpose of analysis itself. Similarly, collecting and storing data are preliminary steps that occur before analysis can take place, rather than the objectives of analytical work.