Before you can work with data you have to get some. This course will cover the basic ways that data can be obtained. The course will cover obtaining data from the web, from APIs, from databases and from colleagues in various formats. It will also cover the basics of data cleaning and how to make data “tidy”. Tidy data dramatically speed downstream data analysis tasks. The course will also cover the components of a complete data set including raw data, processing instructions, codebooks, and processed data. The course will cover the basics needed for collecting, cleaning, and sharing data.

100% online course

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Approx. 11 hours to complete

Suggested: 4 hours/week

English

Subtitles: English, Russian, French, Chinese (Simplified)

What you will learn

Apply data cleaning basics to make data "tidy"

Obtain usable data from the web, APIs, and databases

Understand common data storage systems

Use R for text and date manipulation

Skills you will gain

R ProgrammingData CleansingData AnalysisData Mining

100% online course

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Approx. 11 hours to complete

Suggested: 4 hours/week

English

Subtitles: English, Russian, French, Chinese (Simplified)

Syllabus - What you will learn from this course

1

Section

2 hours to complete

Week 1

In this first week of the course, we look at finding data and reading different file types....

9 videos (Total 67 min), 4 readings, 1 quiz

9 videos

Obtaining Data Motivation5m

Raw and Processed Data7m

Components of Tidy Data9m

Downloading Files7m

Reading Local Files4m

Reading Excel Files3m

Reading XML12m

Reading JSON5m

The data.table Package11m

4 readings

Welcome to Week 110m

Syllabus10m

Pre-Course Survey10m

Practical R Exercises in swirl Part 110m

1 practice exercises

Week 1 Quiz10m

2

Section

1 hour to complete

Week 2

Welcome to Week 2 of Getting and Cleaning Data! The primary goal is to introduce you to the most common data storage systems and the appropriate tools to extract data from web or from databases like MySQL. ...

5 videos (Total 41 min), 1 quiz

5 videos

Reading from MySQL14m

Reading from HDF56m

Reading from The Web6m

Reading From APIs7m

Reading From Other Sources4m

1 practice exercises

Week 2 Quiz10m

3

Section

10 hours to complete

Week 3

Welcome to Week 3 of Getting and Cleaning Data! This week the lectures will focus on organizing, merging and managing the data you have collected using the lectures from Weeks 1 and 2. ...

7 videos (Total 60 min), 1 reading, 4 quizzes

7 videos

Subsetting and Sorting6m

Summarizing Data11m

Creating New Variables10m

Reshaping Data9m

Managing Data Frames with dplyr - Introduction3m

Managing Data Frames with dplyr - Basic Tools12m

Merging Data6m

1 readings

Practical R Exercises in swirl Part 210m

1 practice exercises

Week 3 Quiz10m

4

Section

6 hours to complete

Week 4

Welcome to Week 4 of Getting and Cleaning Data! This week we finish up with lectures on text and date manipulation in R. In this final week we will also focus on peer grading of Course Projects. ...

5 videos (Total 34 min), 2 readings, 3 quizzes

5 videos

Editing Text Variables10m

Regular Expressions I5m

Regular Expressions II8m

Working with Dates6m

Data Resources3m

2 readings

Practical R Exercises in swirl Part 410m

Post-Course Survey10m

1 practice exercises

Week 4 Quiz10m

Instructors

Jeff Leek, PhD

Associate Professor, Biostatistics

Roger D. Peng, PhD

Associate Professor, Biostatistics

Brian Caffo, PhD

Professor, Biostatistics

About Johns Hopkins University

The mission of The Johns Hopkins University is to educate its students and cultivate their capacity for life-long learning, to foster independent and original research, and to bring the benefits of discovery to the world....

Frequently Asked Questions

When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
Once you enroll for a Certificate, you’ll have access to all videos, quizzes, and programming assignments (if applicable). Peer review assignments can only be submitted and reviewed once your session has begun. If you choose to explore the course without purchasing, you may not be able to access certain assignments.
What will I get if I pay for this course?
If you pay for this course, you will have access to all of the features and content you need to earn a Course Certificate. If you complete the course successfully, your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. Note that the Course Certificate does not represent official academic credit from the partner institution offering the course.
What is the refund policy?
Is financial aid available?
Yes! Coursera provides financial aid to learners who would like to complete a course but cannot afford the course fee. To apply for aid, select "Learn more and apply" in the Financial Aid section below the "Enroll" button. You'll be prompted to complete a simple application; no other paperwork is required.

More questions? Visit the Learner Help Center

Data Science Specialization