What do you do if you encounter missing data or need to make assumptions in a data analysis problem?
When you're diving into data analysis, it's not uncommon to encounter missing data along the way. This situation can be a stumbling block, but it's also an opportunity to apply critical thinking and problem-solving skills. As you analyze your dataset, detecting gaps is the first step. Then comes the decision-making process: should you impute the missing values, or should you simply exclude them? Each choice has its implications, and understanding the nature of your data is key to making an informed decision. You might also need to make assumptions to proceed with the analysis. While this can be tricky, clear documentation of these assumptions is essential for maintaining the integrity of your findings.