What is data collection?

Data collection is the systematic process of gathering information like observations or measurements while doing research. When you’re performing research, you’re likely looking for answers to a question you have. When it comes to data collection, digging beyond the surface tells an intriguing story. Collecting data about what you’re researching can help you gain more insight into the details and information that’ll help you answer that question. Although it’s particularly useful in science-related applications, the beauty of data collection is that you can use it to discover answers to almost any query you dream up.

Why learn data collection?

Data are important for helping you (and others, and even computers) make all sorts of different decisions. It helps scientists learn whether their studies are working and assists marketers in sending the right messages to the right people. It's what lets us know if something new we tried is really working. As information becomes digitized, it becomes data that we can use in a variety of ways to accomplish whatever we’ve set out to do. But in order to do that, we need to gather the data first. Without data collection to compile that information, we can’t be truly efficient in analyzing those details — what if something is missing? If you’re aiming to understand how research is conducted and decisions are made, it’s essential to learn about data collection’s role.

What career opportunities can arise from learning data collection?

Almost every career that involves data provides opportunities for collecting those data, even if the primary focus isn’t only collecting data. A multitude of different analyst roles require plenty of time spent gathering data, whether you choose to work in fields like marketing, human resources or business or you’re specifically interested in working as a data scientist — someone who directs their efforts toward compiling data and translating it into information that others can use to make decisions. Even working as an actuary — a professional who assesses risks, often in insurance fields — allows you to focus much of your time on dealing with data. But these careers are just the beginning; dozens more give you the opportunity to collect data, so it’s an important skill to have and concept to understand even if it’s not the primary focus of your work.

How can taking online courses on Coursera help me learn data collection?

If you’re looking to boost your data literacy, taking our online classes provides a worthwhile opportunity to pursue your goals whenever it’s most convenient for you. Online courses give you the time and space you need to complete coursework from home while also providing you access to learning materials created by accomplished instructors and other field experts. You’ll enjoy learning the basic frameworks of data collection and analysis as you’re getting started learning about this topic by discovering the role of research, analysis and collection techniques. As you advance, you might choose to study more complex topics like utilizing the Python programming language to create programs that fetch and analyze data. And with a variety of learning programs, from certificates to specializations to course credits for college degrees, you can formalize your data analysis accomplishments as you continue to build skills.

Top Data Collection Courses - Learn Data Collection Online

Explore the Data Collection Course Catalog

Status: Free Trial
PwC
Data Analysis and Presentation Skills: the PwC Approach
Skills you'll gain: Analytics, Business Analytics, Data Analysis, Microsoft PowerPoint, Data Presentation, Presentations, Excel Formulas, Data-Driven Decision-Making, Dashboard, Data Storytelling, Business Intelligence, Microsoft Excel, Customer Analysis, Data Visualization, Data Visualization Software, Data Literacy, Big Data, Verbal Communication Skills, Data Cleansing, Spreadsheet Software
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
11K reviews
Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
IBM
Python Project for Data Engineering
Skills you'll gain: Web Scraping, Data Transformation, Extract, Transform, Load, Data Manipulation, SQL, Integrated Development Environments, Data Processing, Databases, Application Programming Interface (API), Code Review, Data Pipelines, Data Integration, Python Programming, Unit Testing, Style Guides
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
772 reviews
Intermediate · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Status: Free Trial
Macquarie University
Excel Skills for Data Analytics and Visualization
Skills you'll gain: Pivot Tables And Charts, Data Storytelling, Power BI, Excel Formulas, Data Analysis Expressions (DAX), Data Visualization Software, Interactive Data Visualization, Microsoft Excel, Spreadsheet Software, Dashboard, Data Modeling, Data Cleansing, Data Manipulation, Excel Macros, Infographics, Data Transformation, Data Analysis Software, Data Validation, Data Analysis, Microsoft Power Platform
4.8
Rating, 4.8 out of 5 stars
5.7K reviews
Intermediate · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
Google Cloud
Preparing for Google Cloud Certification: Cloud Data Engineer
Skills you'll gain: Data Pipelines, Dataflow, Google Cloud Platform, Real Time Data, Data Maintenance, Data Lakes, Data Storage, MLOps (Machine Learning Operations), Data Analysis, Dashboard, Data Warehousing, Data Processing, Extract, Transform, Load, Cloud Engineering, Data Infrastructure, Cloud Infrastructure, Cloud Storage, Big Data, Tensorflow, Unstructured Data
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
19K reviews
Intermediate · Professional Certificate · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
Johns Hopkins University
R Programming
Skills you'll gain: Statistical Analysis, R Programming, Statistical Programming, Data Analysis, Debugging, Simulations, Computer Programming Tools, Program Development, Data Structures, Performance Tuning, Data Import/Export
4.5
Rating, 4.5 out of 5 stars
22K reviews
Intermediate · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Status: Free Trial
University of California San Diego
Big Data
Skills you'll gain: Apache Spark, Apache Hadoop, Data Integration, Exploratory Data Analysis, Big Data, Graph Theory, Data Pipelines, Database Design, Data Modeling, Regression Analysis, Applied Machine Learning, Data Presentation, Scalability, Data Mining, Data Processing, Statistical Analysis, Data Management, NoSQL, Database Management Systems, Network Analysis
4.5
Rating, 4.5 out of 5 stars
14K reviews
Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
Google
Share Data Through the Art of Visualization
Skills you'll gain: Data Storytelling, Data Literacy, Data Visualization, Data Presentation, Interactive Data Visualization, Tableau Software, Presentations, Data Visualization Software, Dashboard, Web Content Accessibility Guidelines
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
9.6K reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Status: Free Trial
Google Cloud
Data Engineering, Big Data, and Machine Learning on GCP
Skills you'll gain: Data Pipelines, Dataflow, Google Cloud Platform, Real Time Data, Data Lakes, MLOps (Machine Learning Operations), Dashboard, Data Warehousing, Extract, Transform, Load, Cloud Engineering, Data Infrastructure, Cloud Infrastructure, Cloud Storage, Big Data, Tensorflow, Unstructured Data, Data Integration, Data Migration, Data Processing, Data Visualization Software
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
18K reviews
Intermediate · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
University of Colorado System
Data Warehousing for Business Intelligence
Skills you'll gain: Database Design, Data Warehousing, Relational Databases, Decision Support Systems, Business Intelligence, Data Modeling, Database Management Systems, Databases, Dashboard, Business Process Management, SQL, Star Schema, Data Governance, Data Integration, Oracle Databases, Performance Measurement, Extract, Transform, Load, Business Analytics, MicroStrategy, Data Visualization Software
4.5
Rating, 4.5 out of 5 stars
4.1K reviews
Advanced · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months
Duke University
Data Science Math Skills
Skills you'll gain: Probability, Bayesian Statistics, General Mathematics, Calculus, Graphing, Statistics, Data Science, Data Analysis, Plot (Graphics), Algebra, Geometry, Arithmetic, Derivatives
4.5
Rating, 4.5 out of 5 stars
13K reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months
Status: Free Trial
Johns Hopkins University
A Crash Course in Data Science
Skills you'll gain: Data Science, Data Management, Data-Driven Decision-Making, Project Design, Performance Metric, Software Engineering, Machine Learning, Predictive Modeling, Statistical Inference
4.5
Rating, 4.5 out of 5 stars
8.3K reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Status: Free Trial
IBM
IBM Data Warehouse Engineer
Skills you'll gain: Data Warehousing, SQL, Extract, Transform, Load, Apache Airflow, Linux Commands, Database Design, IBM Cognos Analytics, MySQL, Data Pipelines, Apache Kafka, Database Management, Bash (Scripting Language), Shell Script, Database Architecture and Administration, Data Store, IBM DB2, Relational Databases, Dashboard, File Management, Stored Procedure
4.7
Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
6.1K reviews
Beginner · Professional Certificate · 3 - 6 Months