Business analytics Essentials, part of the Self-Learning Management Series, is a great beginner’s guide to help you understand how data drives business decisions. It is laid out simply, starting with are business analytics and what are the data basics you need to know. I particularly found the tools, techniques, and descriptive analytics to be helpful. Predictive and prescriptive analytics are explained in an easy-to-understand format. There’s also a great section on ethical considerations.
I enjoyed all the visuals, diagrams, examples (using popular, well known companies), and quick facts scattered throughout the chapters. I also like that the chapters conclude with a summary of the key points and then offer a quiz. You can take it all from start to finish or pick and choose the chapters that apply to your interest or need. You will get out of this as much as you are willing to put into it, but the basics are covered.
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher via NetGalley, and all opinions expressed are solely my own, freely given.

It’s pretty much a school textbook, but it’s not as dry and boring because it uses several of real-world examples. I like that it constantly reinforces key concepts through examples, diagrams, section summaries. I feel at ease reading this book because it's not full of jargon and intensive vocabulary. My only suggestion would be to stay consist with the amount of examples in each section. The examples provide more context and it helps to have several examples.
I choose this book because I am currently working as a Business Systems Analyst. I create and employ data-informed strategies and solutions influenced by market trends to support organizational improvement initiatives. The book is helping to review concepts, realign myself with my responsibilities, and find new ways to expand on my work.

This book provides an introduction to Business Analytics terminology and methodology. I'm not quite sure who the target audience for this would be. Whilst the basic ideas of BA are touched upon, at no point is there anything approaching a step-by-step walkthrough of how to approach performing even the most basic or hypothetical BA test case. I suspect the book is aimed more at middle management and perhaps SME C-suite folk who are trying to wrap their head around the type of BA specialist they may need to hire, and what tools will be used throughout the process.

That makes this book of relatively limited applicability, despite how broadly BA is utilised.

The section on data protection in particular makes it clear that this book is aimed at an American readership; for example, there is an entire section regarding the California Consumer Protection Act, which is something that isn't likely to be of too much interest to UK readers. It wouldn't have taken many tweaks to make this a properly global publication, so it's an interesting choice.

Thank you very much to NetGalley and the publisher for access to the time-limited eARC for review.

Great book! A good read to help me strengthen my business analytics for my own small consulting business. Cover could be more engaging to attract a wider audience.

Business Analytics Essentials You Always Wanted to Know by Riyanka Jain is an accessible introduction to the world of business analytics. This book is ideal for beginners and those looking to grasp core concepts without getting bogged down in overly technical language. The author effectively breaks down complex topics, covering everything from data collection and analysis to visualization and interpretation, making it easy for readers to follow along.

Overall, I thought this was a pretty helpful intro to Business Analytics. I really appreciated the section on how to use the book - that was a nice inclusion to help me understand where to start for my specific reason for reading the book. It did feel a little bit repetitive with some of the examples used in the text, but I don't think that's overall a bad thing for learning. I appreciated that it was written in a way that made it feel super accessible for a beginner like me to be able to pick up and understand without feeling intimidated.

As someone currently taking Coursera classes in business/data analytics, I found Riyanka Jain's "Business Analytics Essentials You Always Wanted to Know" to be exactly what I needed. The author's primary goal of making analytics approachable for a broader audience truly shines through. What immediately impressed me was the book's thoughtful structure, which includes specific guidance on where to start based on your experience level. This tailored approach prevented that overwhelming feeling many technical books can create for beginners.

Key Strengths:
Integrated quizzes throughout each chapter that reinforce learning and provide immediate feedback
Clear explanations that don't assume prior technical knowledge
Practical examples that demonstrate real-world applications
Well-organized content that allows readers to jump in at their appropriate skill level

Kindle Format Limitations:
Unfortunately, the Kindle version has some formatting issues that affect the reading experience. Most notably, you can't easily jump between chapters, which is frustrating given that the book specifically recommends starting at different points based on your experience level. The navigation limitations somewhat undermine one of the book's best features. I imagine the physical copy doesn't have these problems and would be more user-friendly.

Who Should Read This:
Complete beginners to business analytics
Professionals transitioning into data-driven roles
Students supplementing formal analytics coursework
Anyone seeking a non-intimidating introduction to analytics concepts

Thank you Riyanka Jain, BooksGoSocial, & NetGalley for the ARC!

Just what I needed. Explains many business analytics concepts, the importance of data sets, analysis, how to analyse them so well and in a fashion fit for those who wish to improve on these topics.