Introduces students to the key business, computational, and data competencies needed by business analysts to fulfill the information needs of decision makers at all levels of an organization. Business analytics (BA) refers to the skills, technologies, applications and practices for continuous iterative exploration and investigation of past business performance to gain insight and drive business planning. Analytics can also be used as input for human decisions or it may drive fully automated decision support (ADS) tools. The course will provide usable information for the students on how "big data" can be used to help decision makers improve organizational competitiveness. BA makes extensive use of large data sets, statistical and quantitative analysis, explanatory and predictive modeling, and fact-based management to drive decision-making. Students also gain experience with different software tools used for data analysis and reporting. In the course students will focus on developing new insights and understanding of business performance based on data and statistical methods. Course deliverables will include in-depth case analyses, exams, and a course project and presentation to the class. Prerequisite: SM-569. (3)