Data science has become one of the most important assets in the 21st century. In the 20th century, it was believed that a country which has control over oil has control over the world market. The equation has changed dynamically in the present business market. Not only companies and large organisations but different countries are competing to get a strong hold of data. As such, the platform of data science is expanding both as a research subject and commercial domain. With the expansion of data science, the number of data scientist certifications are also increasing. Since data science is a relatively new subject, it is important to cherry pick the most important books for understanding this subject in a holistic manner.
The data science bibliography
The choice of books related to data science depends upon the level of expertise one has acquired in this field. If one needs to start from scratch, the most fundamental book would be Data Science for Dummies. In this book, the author gives a fundamental explanation of data science and slowly familiarizes the audience with basic concepts like artificial intelligence, machine learning, data structures, deep learning, and the programming language of python. The author also gives a brief overview of the various applications of data science. The author also mentions the different types of use cases where data science has been commercially applied. This covers the wide areas of business intelligence, business analytics as well as the financial market.
When we talk about the data science books which can help beginners to make their mark in the business world, the first book that comes to our mind is Data Science for Business. This book is regarded as a bible for data analysts who aim at developing proficiency in data mining and extraction. This book gives an overview of data analytical thinking and serves as a step by step guide for mastering various data mining techniques. This book also focuses on some of the simplest algorithms that find application in business intelligence. It also gives a brief walk through of data collection, data cleansing as well as data visualisation.
There is also a genre of books for data scientists who already have knowledge and foundation of basic concepts. One of the most important books that falls in this category is the Data Science Handbook and another one is Python Data Science Handbook. These books describe a detailed methodology for developing detailed solutions for some of the most complex problems using machine learning algorithms. These books also give a brief outlook of scikit-learn, Pandas and other important Python libraries.
At an advanced level, some of the most prominent books that are suited for professionals include Doing Data Science: Straight talk from the Frontline and Data Analytics made accessible. These books help in dealing with Big Data Analytics and some of the most complex paradigms in the business market.
Concluding remarks
Apart from these books, a general book that is suitable for both aspiring and professional data scientists is The Art of Data Science which is regarded as the first textbook in the data domain.
