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
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
Google
Prepare Data for Exploration
Skills you'll gain: Data Ethics, Data Analysis, Data Literacy, Data Security, Google Sheets, Data Cleansing, Databases, Data Access, Data Quality, Data Management, Data Collection, Relational Databases, SQL, Metadata Management, Unstructured Data
4.8
Rating, 4.8 out of 5 stars
22K reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months
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: New
Status: Free Trial
IBM
IBM Data Architecture
Skills you'll gain: NoSQL, Data Warehousing, SQL, Apache Hadoop, Extract, Transform, Load, Apache Airflow, Data Security, Linux Commands, Data Migration, Database Design, Data Governance, MySQL, Apache Spark, Data Pipelines, Apache Kafka, Database Management, Bash (Scripting Language), Shell Script, Database Architecture and Administration, Data Store
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
6.6K reviews
Beginner · Professional Certificate · 3 - 6 Months
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
University of California San Diego
Data Structures
Skills you'll gain: Data Structures, Algorithms, Data Storage, Programming Principles, Computer Programming, C++ (Programming Language), Theoretical Computer Science, File Management
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
5.5K reviews
Intermediate · Course · 1 - 3 Months
Status: Free Trial
Multiple educators
DeepLearning.AI Data Engineering
Skills you'll gain: Apache Airflow, Data Modeling, Data Pipelines, Data Storage, Data Storage Technologies, Data Architecture, Data Transformation, Requirements Analysis, Data Processing, Data Warehousing, Query Languages, Apache Hadoop, Extract, Transform, Load, Data Lakes, Amazon Web Services, Apache Spark, Database Systems, Data Integration, Infrastructure as Code (IaC), Terraform
4.8
Rating, 4.8 out of 5 stars
449 reviews
Intermediate · Professional Certificate · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
University of Michigan
Using Python to Access Web Data
Skills you'll gain: Web Scraping, JSON, Network Protocols, Web Services, Restful API, Application Programming Interface (API), Extensible Markup Language (XML), Data Import/Export, Data Access, TCP/IP, Python Programming, Scripting, Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), Data Capture, Text Mining
4.8
Rating, 4.8 out of 5 stars
44K reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Research Data Management and Sharing
Skills you'll gain: Data Sharing, Data Management, File Management, Data Storage, Information Management, Data Strategy, Metadata Management, Data Governance, Document Management, Data Literacy, Data Quality, Data Integrity, Data Security, Version Control
4.7
Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
720 reviews
Mixed · Course · 1 - 3 Months
Status: Free Trial
Google
Process Data from Dirty to Clean
Skills you'll gain: Data Cleansing, Sampling (Statistics), Data Integrity, Data Quality, Data Validation, Sample Size Determination, Data Analysis, Data Manipulation, SQL, Data Transformation, Spreadsheet Software
4.8
Rating, 4.8 out of 5 stars
18K reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months
Status: Free Trial
University of Colorado Boulder
Introduction to Data Analytics for Business
Skills you'll gain: Data Governance, Data Storage Technologies, Analytics, Business Analytics, Data Storage, Big Data, Databases, Business Intelligence, Data Analysis, Relational Databases, Data Quality, SQL, Organizational Structure, Cloud Computing
4.7
Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
3.2K reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
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