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Data Science & Analytics vocabulary · Exploratory Analysis

Time series

Meaning in data science & analytics, with examples

nounCommon term

In data science & analytics, time series means: A set of measurements of the same thing recorded in order at regular time intervals, such as daily revenue or hourly website visits.

In Turkish: zaman serisi

How it is used

Singular and plural are the same: 'a time series', 'several time series'. Analysts plot, smooth, decompose and forecast time series, looking for trend, seasonality and anomalies. Before a noun it is often hyphenated: 'time-series data'.

Example sentences

  1. We built a time series of daily orders going back to 2019.

  2. This time series has a strong weekly pattern, with dips every Sunday.

Common collocations

  • time series analysis
  • time-series data
  • forecast a time series
  • daily time series
  • trendThe general direction in which a value moves over a period of time, such as a steady rise in sales, ignoring short-term ups and downs.
  • seasonalityA regular pattern in data that repeats over a fixed period, such as higher sales every December, more traffic on weekdays or a dip every summer.
  • line chartA chart that connects data points with a line to show how a value changes over time, such as monthly revenue or daily sign-ups.
  • anomalyA data point or pattern that clearly differs from what is expected, such as a sudden spike in sign-ups or a day with no orders at all.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Exploratory Analysis

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