Which type of analytics is primarily concerned with understanding what has happened?

Descriptive analytics is focused on summarizing historical data to provide insight into what has occurred over a specific period. This type of analytics utilizes data aggregation and mining techniques to present information in a meaningful way, often through statistics, charts, and reports. It helps organizations understand trends, patterns, and outcomes based on past performance, which is essential for informed decision-making.

In contrast, the other types of analytics serve different purposes. Prescriptive analytics goes further by recommending actions to optimize future outcomes, while predictive analytics is about forecasting what could happen in the future based on historical data trends. Diagnostic analytics, on the other hand, examines past performance to determine why something happened, focusing on understanding the causes behind certain results rather than simply stating what occurred. Thus, choosing descriptive analytics highlights its key role in providing a foundational understanding of historical events and data insights.