Big data analytics is the often-complex process of examining big data to uncover information — such as hidden patterns, correlations, market trends and customer preferences — that can help organizations make informed business decisions.

On a broad scale, data analytics technologies and techniques give organizations a way to analyze data sets and gather new information. Business intelligence (BI) queries answer basic questions about business operations and performance.

Big data analytics is a form of advanced analytics, which involve complex applications with elements such as predictive models, statistical algorithms and what-if analysis powered by analytics systems.