Preparing and familiarizing yourself with your data

The following is a quote from Simon Rogers, The Guardian, Facts Are Sacred: The Power of Data:

"80% perspiration, 10% great idea, 10% output."

Before we get too far down the line of developing and defining our intended stories and analytical slices, we need to roll up our sleeves and get our hands dirty with the task of accessing and preparing our data.

Whether you get the data first or shape your desired story dimensions first is mainly going to be influenced by the context of your project. It is a somewhat "chicken and egg" situation—which comes first, the data or the focus? You need some focus to determine what data you need, but you don't know what potential insights exist in the data until you have it.

It is best to accept that there will be a certain amount of iteration as you alternate between the mindset of a data scientist and a journalist progressing both issues simultaneously.

Data is our raw material, the principle ingredient in...