Aggregation is the process of combining data from multiple sources into a single, summarized view. It's like taking many individual pieces of information and putting them together to form a bigger picture.
Here's a simple example:
- Imagine you have a spreadsheet of sales data for each individual product in your store. This data could include the number of units sold, the total revenue generated, and the average price per unit.
- To get a better understanding of your overall sales performance, you can aggregate this data by month. This would involve summing the sales for each product across all months and presenting the results in a new table or chart.
- By aggregating the data, you can easily see which months were the busiest, which products were the most popular, and how your overall sales have trended over time.
Other examples of aggregation in real life include:
- News aggregators like Google News combine news articles from multiple sources to provide a comprehensive overview of current events.
- Financial websites aggregate data from various sources to provide summaries of stock prices, market trends, and economic indicators.
- Social media platforms aggregate user data to create personalized recommendations and advertisements.
These are just a few examples of how aggregation is used in various contexts. By combining data from multiple sources, we can gain valuable insights and make informed decisions.
