Keeping Up with the Quants: Your Guide to Understanding and Using Analytics

I am a grad student in biology and always had some trouble with stats. This book won't tell you how to do stats but it will for sure tell you how important it is and how even though you are not a master on it you can understand the big picture. I am more in the academia part of science and this book feels more for business people. But a lot of what they say in the book applies for science and academia. I really liked it and recommend it. It is a great introductory book to stats in a more big picture approach that with more books or classes leads you in a good path to more specific stats. :)

I just took a new position, and my dean has been trying to develop a better decision making process and structure. This book is a must read for anyone not in the data science business but who needs to understand how to use data better and learn what questions to ask and pitfalls to avoid in collecting and using data.It's a very valuable investment of time to read. I promise it will stay on my Kindle forever, and I'll recommend it to anyone who has decision making responsibility.

I loved the style of the authors regarding the basic concepts BUT the examples and stories they tried to relate to... oh my, they were not good. I've had some experience with numbers in my work and this book was for my MBA program. Therefore, I'm not a novice but the book made a point about relating stories to numbers and how effective it is (I agree, of course) but the stories this book tried to tie in were off the mark most of the time. That being said, there are so many good parts of the book to help you develop your quant brain.

If you aren't a quant but you realize the power and importance of data driven business, this book is for you. A very solid, accessible overview that will get you started. Be sure to read through to the end for a well thought-out, first-of-its-kind guide to working with quants, including expectations management, communication guidelines, etc. -- which is also great for quants as well to help folks understand boths sides of the communication gap and bridge this sometimes cavernous divide.Eric Siegel, Ph.D.Founder, Predictive Analytics WorldAuthor, Predictive Analytics: The Power to Predict Who Will Click, Buy, Lie, or Die

I had a little trouble understanding who the authors had in mind as the audience for this book. It seemed to basic for any professional who would have to deal with statistics/data or would have to manage/collaborate with someone who does.There are some helpful reminders throughout about how to approach problems and how to communicate your ideas. But the authors seem seem to replace depth with a multiplicity of business-y anecdotes (ironic, as they include the old chestnut "the plural of anecdote is not data" - the plural of anecdote, it so happens, is not "a book").Overall, the book feels superficial. It might inform you how to probe an analyst on first-level questions, but doesn't provide enough depth to take you through a couple follow-ups or know when you're getting snowed.

Must read for non-quant managers and analysts involved in business analytics. Author clearly did a good job of explaining problem framing to decision making in easy language. It is also a good read for quant people to understand on how to communicate extracted information to co-worker and managers.

Beware before you buy this book that it's directed towards the business world. It won't help you if you're in an academic setting. I suppose I should've done my research before buying the book, but I can't help but feel very unimpressed. The book felt muddled and full of buzzwords, with little substance.

If it has Thomas Davenport on it anywhere, you can just count on it. Dr. Davenport has probably done the most research on analytics of anyone anywhere. We were assigned Competing on Analytics as one of our texts. And I had a friend that suggested that I read Keeping Up With the Quants to prepare for my first quarter at school. This particular book is very helpful at framing problems and seeking solutions. Amazon might consider bundling all of the books that Dr. Davenport has authored or co-authored.