Exploratory Data Analysis (EDA) Using SQL
1. Understanding the Dataset
- Data Overview:
Use SQL queries like SELECT TOP (5) * FROM table_name; or SELECT COLUMN_NAME,
DATA_TYPE FROM INFORMATION_SCHEMA.COLUMNS WHERE TABLE_NAME = 'table_name';
to quickly understand the structure of your dataset. Identify whether the data types are appropriate
(categorical, numerical, dates).
2. Data Cleaning
- Check for Missing Values:
Identify missing values with a query like:
SELECT COUNT(*) AS missing_count FROM table_name WHERE column_name IS NULL;
- Check for Duplicates:
Find duplicate records using:
SELECT column_name, COUNT(*) FROM table_name GROUP BY column_name HAVING
COUNT(*) > 1;
- Outlier Detection:
For numerical data, outliers can be detected using standard deviation:
SELECT AVG(column_name), STDEV(column_name) FROM table_name;
Filter out rows where values fall beyond a certain threshold:
SELECT * FROM table_name WHERE column_name > (AVG(column_name) + 3 *
STDEV(column_name));
- Data Type Corrections:
Use ALTER TABLE statements to ensure columns have the correct data type, e.g.:
ALTER TABLE table_name ALTER COLUMN column_name INT;
3. Descriptive Statistics
- Summary Statistics:
Get summary statistics (mean, min, max, etc.) with:
SELECT MIN(column_name), MAX(column_name), AVG(column_name), COUNT(*) FROM
table_name;
- For categorical data, get frequency distribution:
SELECT column_name, COUNT(*) FROM table_name GROUP BY column_name;
4. Data Relationships
- Correlation Analysis:
Use aggregate SQL functions to mimic correlation.
- Scatter Plots:
SQL cannot directly create plots, but you can retrieve the necessary data for visualization.
5. Data Visualization:
SQL doesn't produce charts directly. Export results for visualization using external tools.
6. Handling Categorical Variables
- Encoding:
Use CASE statements to manually assign numerical values to categories.
- Frequency Analysis:
Analyze category frequency distribution with GROUP BY.
7. Feature Engineering:
Use SQL to create new features, bins, or calculated columns.
8. Outlier Treatment:
Identify and manage outliers using threshold-based queries.
9. Dimensionality Reduction:
SQL supports column filtering via SELECT.
10. Summarizing Findings:
Use GROUP BY and aggregations to reveal trends.
