Prescriptive Analytics
Prescriptive analytics is a form of data analysis that uses advanced mathematical and computational techniques to recommend actions or decisions based on data-driven insights. By combining data analysis, modeling, and algorithms, prescriptive analytics aims to advise on what actions to take in order to achieve desired outcomes. It often leverages optimization techniques, simulations, or decision-analysis frameworks to suggest the best courses of action considering various constraints and objectives. This type of analytics goes beyond descriptive analytics, which explains what happened, and predictive analytics, which forecasts what is likely to happen, by explicitly suggesting what should be done to improve results or mitigate risks. Prescriptive analytics is commonly used in fields like operations management, finance, healthcare, and supply chain management, where decision-making is critical and can significantly impact performance.