Understanding data distributions
The distribution of a dataset is how the data is spread out or clustered around certain values or ranges. By understanding the distribution of a dataset, we can gain insights into the characteristics and patterns of the data, which can be useful in making informed decisions and predictions. Understanding the distribution of data is important for identifying patterns, detecting outliers, and making informed decisions about how to explore data.
Data distributions can be examined through descriptive statistics, which provide summary measures that help us understand the central tendency, variability, and shape of the data. Measures such as mean, median, mode, range, and standard deviation provide a snapshot of the dataset’s overall characteristics. BigQuery offers SQL functions that allow us to compute these descriptive statistics efficiently. Some of the most commonly used functions are as follows:
COUNT(*): This function returns the...
