Top Data Analytics books recommended by experts

At MentorCruise, we are all about making the most out of the experience of others. As part of that, we've connected and asked dozens of experts and professionals about their favourite Data Analytics books – and here are the answers.

Table of Contents

Fundamentals of Data Analytics

Understanding the concepts of Data Analytics starts with understanding the fundamentals. On your way to mastery, it's crucial for you to understand how certain concepts were derived, and why things work like they do. Starting with these resources is the best way to do so.

Data Analytics, Data Visualization & Communicating Data: 3 books in 1: Learn the Processes of Data Analytics and Data Science, Create Engaging Data Visualizations, and Present Data Effectively

Harvard Business Review called data science “the sexiest job of the 21st century,” so it's no surprise that data science jobs have grown up to 20x in the last 3 years. With demand outpacing supply, companies are willing to pay top dollar for talented data professionals. However…To stand out in one of these positions, having foundational knowledge of interpreting data is essential. You can be a…

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

The Hundred-page Machine Learning Book

Peter Norvig, Research Director at Google, co-author of AIMA, the most popular AI textbook in the world: "Burkov has undertaken a very useful but impossibly hard task in reducing all of machine learning to 100 pages. He succeeds well in choosing the topics — both theory and practice — that will be useful to practitioners, and for the reader who understands that this is the first 100 (or actual…

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Naked Statistics: Stripping the Dread from the Data

Once considered tedious, the field of statistics is rapidly evolving into a discipline Hal Varian, chief economist at Google, has actually called "sexy." From batting averages and political polls to game shows and medical research, the real-world application of statistics continues to grow by leaps and bounds. How can we catch schools that cheat on standardized tests? How does Netflix know whi…

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SQL for Data Analytics - Third Edition: Harness the power of SQL to extract insights from data

Every day, businesses operate around the clock, and a huge amount of data is generated at a rapid pace. This book helps you analyze this data and identify key patterns and behaviors that can help you and your business understand your customers at a deep, fundamental level.
SQL for Data Analytics, Third Edition is a great way to get started with data analysis, showing how to effectively sort…

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Becoming a Data Head: How to Think, Speak, and Understand Data Science, Statistics, and Machine Learning

Turn yourself into a Data Head. You'll become a more valuable employee and make your organization more successful.
Thomas H. Davenport, Research Fellow, Author of Competing on Analytics, Big Data @ Work, and The AI Advantage
You've heard the hype around data?now get the facts.
In Becoming a Data Head: How to Think, Speak, and Understand Data Science, Statistics, and Machine Learning, …

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Big Data: A Revolution That Will Transform How We Live, Work, and Think

It seems like “big data” is in the news every day, as we read the latest examples of how powerful algorithms are teasing out the hidden connections between seemingly unrelated things. Whether it is used by the NSA to fight terrorism or by online retailers to predict customers’ buying patterns, big data is a revolution occurring around us, in the process of forever changing economics, science, …

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

Additional Data Analytics Reading

These books are not required for you to learn Data Analytics, but they are highly recommended for you to deepen your knowledge.

Data Science for Business: What You Need to Know about Data Mining and Data-Analytic Thinking

Based on an MBA course Provost has taught at New York University over the past ten years, Data Science for Business provides examples of real-world business problems to illustrate these principles. You’ll not only learn how to improve communication between business stakeholders and data scientists, but also how participate intelligently in your company’s data science projects. You’ll also disc…

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

Data Engineering Cookbook

Five types of content are in this book: Articles the author wrote, links to his podcast episodes (video & audio), more than 200 links to helpful websites he like, data engineering interview questions and case studies.

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

Getting Started with DuckDB: A practical guide for accelerating your data science, data analytics, and data engineering workflows

DuckDB is a fast in-process analytical database. Getting Started with DuckDB offers a practical overview of its usage. You'll learn to load, transform, and query various data formats, including CSV, JSON, and Parquet. The book covers DuckDB's optimizations, SQL enhancements, and extensions for specialized applications. Working with examples in SQL, Python, and R, you'll explore analyzing publi…

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Data Analytics, Data Visualization & Communicating Data: 3 books in 1: Learn the Processes of Data Analytics and Data Science, Create Engaging Data ... Present Data Effectively (All Things Data)

Harvard Business Review called data science “the sexiest job of the 21st century,” so it's no surprise that the number of data science jobs has grown 20x in the last three years. With demand outpacing supply, companies are willing to pay top dollar for talented data professionals. However…
To truly excel, it's not enough to throw some data from a database into a spreadsheet—you must transfo…

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

Everybody Lies: Big Data, New Data, and What the Internet Can Tell Us About Who We Really Are

Blending the informed analysis of The Signal and the Noise with the instructive iconoclasm of Think Like a Freak, a fascinating, illuminating, and witty look at what the vast amounts of information now instantly available to us reveals about ourselves and our world—provided we ask the right questions.

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

This list is curated by MentorCruise and can include Amazon affiliate links. Have any other suggestions? Add here.

Augment your Data Analytics books

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Sunny Zhu refers to herself as the bridge between people and data and as a “statistics geek”. She has been engaged in a broad range of analytical works across diversified industries to empower companies to turn data insights into solid business decisions. Working for a decade in data analytics, she …

$180 / month

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I manage a small data science team for a startup (<40 people) and can help you learn about data science products, what makes a good analysis great, applying machine learning beyond pure model building, managing realtime models, moving to a startup, and lastly how to get into or move up …

$170 / month

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Hi there! I have conducted numerous DS/DA interviews and thus possess a deep understanding of the qualities and skills needed to succeed for the data analyst or data scientist. Last year, I helped 10+ mentees (5 are from non-tech background) to land their jobs in the data field. Whenever you …

$180 / month

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Hello there! 你好!はじめまして! I am a Tech Consultant and Senior Data Scientist, and previously a Tech Lead at the University of Chicago Urban Labs. I am passionate about leveraging technology to solve human problems, and have many years of experience in managing hiring processes for data professionals. I believe strongly …

$180 / month

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With over 12 years of professional experience, the last 7 working in Corporate America, I have experience as a Presales/Solutions Engineer, Project Manager, and Front-end developer. Throughout my career, I had the opportunity to mentor a diverse range of professionals in technology in the US, Europe and Brazil, especially people …

$120 / month

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Expertise in enabling, developing and deploying robust end-to-end data pipelines and machine learning models that have real world impact on a regular basis. Over the years, I have had the opportunity to work with and learn from some of the best minds at prestigious organizations like Mercedes-Benz and General Motors. …

$100 / month

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