Data collection, analysis and collection data collection and analysis tools

Why Do We Need Data Collection?
Before a judge makes a ruling in a court case or a general creates a plan of attack, they must have as many relevant facts as possible. The best courses of action come from informed decisions, and information and data are synonymous.
The concept of data collection isn’t a new one, as we’ll see later, but the world has changed. There is far more data available today, and it exists in forms that were unheard of a century ago. The data collection process has had to change and grow with the times, keeping pace with technology.
Whether you’re in the world of academia, trying to conduct research, or part of the commercial sector, thinking of how to promote a new product, you need data collection to help you make better choices.
Now that you know what is data collection and why we need it, let's take a look at the different methods of data collection. While the phrase “data collection” may sound all high-tech and digital, it doesn’t necessarily entail things like computers, big data, and the internet. Data collection could mean a telephone survey, a mail-in comment card, or even some guy with a clipboard asking passersby some questions. But let’s see if we can sort the different data collection methods into a semblance of organized categories.
What Are the Different Methods of Data Collection?
The following are seven primary methods of collecting data in business analytics.
Surveys
Transactional Tracking
Interviews and Focus Groups
Observation
Online Tracking
Forms
Social Media Monitoring
Data collection breaks down into two methods. As a side note, many terms, such as techniques, methods, and types, are interchangeable and depending on who uses them. One source may call data collection techniques “methods,” for instance. But whatever labels we use, the general concepts and breakdowns apply across the board whether we’re talking about marketing analysis or a scientific research project.
The two methods are:
Primary
As the name implies, this is original, first-hand data collected by the data researchers. This process is the initial information gathering step, performed before anyone carries out any further or related research. Primary data results are highly accurate provided the researcher collects the information. However, there’s a downside, as first-hand research is potentially time-consuming and expensive.
Secondary
Secondary data is second-hand data collected by other parties and already having undergone statistical analysis. This data is either information that the researcher has tasked other people to collect or information the researcher has looked up. Simply put, it’s second-hand information. Although it’s easier and cheaper to obtain than primary information, secondary information raises concerns regarding accuracy and authenticity. Quantitative data makes up a majority of secondary data.