Data science is an interdisciplinary academic field[1] that uses statistics,

scientific computing, scientific methods, processing, scientific visualization,

Data science also integrates domain knowledge from the underlying application
domain (e.g., natural sciences, information technology, and medicine).[3] Data
science is multifaceted and can be described as a science, a research paradigm, a
research method, a discipline, a workflow, and a profession.[4]

Data science is "a concept to unify statistics, data analysis, informatics, and
their related methods" to "understand and analyze actual phenomena" with data.[5]
It uses techniques and theories drawn from many fields within the context of
mathematics, statistics, computer science, information science, and domain
knowledge.[6] However, data science is different from computer science and
information science. Turing Award winner Jim Gray imagined data science as a
"fourth paradigm" of science (empirical, theoretical, computational, and now data-
driven) and asserted that "everything about science is changing because of the
impact of information technology" and the data deluge.[7][8]

A data scientist is a professional who creates programming code and combines it

Foundations
Data science is an interdisciplinary field[10] focused on extracting knowledge from
typically large data sets and applying the knowledge from that data to solve
problems in other application domains. The field encompasses preparing data for
analysis, formulating data science problems, analyzing data, and summarizing these
findings. As such, it incorporates skills from computer science, mathematics, data
visualization, graphic design, communication, and business.[11]

Vasant Dhar writes that statistics emphasizes quantitative data and description. In
contrast, data science deals with quantitative and qualitative data (e.g., from
images, text, sensors, transactions, customer information, etc.) and emphasizes
prediction and action.[12] Andrew Gelman of Columbia University has described
statistics as a non-essential part of data science.[13] Stanford professor David
Donoho writes that data science is not distinguished from statistics by the size of
datasets or use of computing and that many graduate programs misleadingly advertise
their analytics and statistics training as the essence of a data-science program.
He describes data science as an applied field growing out of traditional
statistics.[14]

Etymology
Early usage
In 1962, John Tukey described a field he called "data analysis", which resembles
modern data science.[14] In 1985, in a lecture given to the Chinese Academy of
Sciences in Beijing, C. F. Jeff Wu used the term "data science" for the first time
as an alternative name for statistics.[15] Later, attendees at a 1992 statistics
symposium at the University of Montpellier II acknowledged the emergence of a new
discipline focused on data of various origins and forms, combining established
concepts and principles of statistics and data analysis with computing.[16][17]

The term "data science" has been traced back to 1974, when Peter Naur proposed it
as an alternative name to computer science.[6] In 1996, the International
Federation of Classification Societies became the first conference to specifically
feature data science as a topic.[6] However, the definition was still in flux.
After the 1985 lecture at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, in 1997 C. F.
Jeff Wu again suggested that statistics should be renamed data science. He reasoned
that a new name would help statistics shed inaccurate stereotypes, such as being
synonymous with accounting or limited to describing data.[18] In 1998, Hayashi
Chikio argued for data science as a new, interdisciplinary concept, with three
aspects: data design, collection, and analysis.[17]

Modern usage
In 2012, technologists Thomas H. Davenport and DJ Patil declared "Data Scientist:
The Sexiest Job of the 21st Century",[19] a catchphrase that was picked up even by
major-city newspapers like the New York Times[20] and the Boston Globe.[21] A
decade later, they reaffirmed it, stating that "the job is more in demand than ever
with employers".[22]

The modern conception of data science as an independent discipline is sometimes

The professional title of "data scientist" has been attributed to DJ Patil and Jeff
Hammerbacher in 2008.[25] Though it was used by the National Science Board in their
2005 report "Long-Lived Digital Data Collections: Enabling Research and Education
in the 21st Century", it referred broadly to any key role in managing a digital
data collection.[26]
Data analysis typically involves working with structured datasets to answer
specific questions or solve specific problems. This can involve tasks such as data
cleaning and data visualization to summarize data and develop hypotheses about
relationships between variables. Data analysts typically use statistical methods to
test these hypotheses and draw conclusions from the data.[27]

Data science involves working with larger datasets that often require advanced
computational and statistical methods to analyze. Data scientists often work with
unstructured data such as text or images and use machine learning algorithms to
build predictive models. Data science often uses statistical analysis, data
preprocessing, and supervised learning.[28][29]