What type of data analysis focuses on describing the current state or past behavior?

Descriptive analytics is focused on summarizing and interpreting historical data to provide insights into past behavior and the current state of affairs. This type of analysis uses measures such as mean, median, mode, and various visualizations to present data in a way that aids understanding. It helps businesses identify trends, patterns, and anomalies, allowing stakeholders to make informed decisions based on historical performance. The insights gained can be crucial for understanding what has happened and why, which forms the foundation for further analysis or decision-making.

In contrast, predictive analytics uses historical data to forecast future outcomes, while prescriptive analytics provides recommendations for actions based on potential future scenarios. Exploratory analytics, on the other hand, involves probing data to find patterns or relationships, often used in the initial stages of data analysis to generate hypotheses. Each of these focuses on different aspects of data analysis, but descriptive analytics specifically targets the understanding of past behavior and the current state.