Introduction to Data Analysis with Python and Polars

About this course

This course features Coursera Coach! A smarter way to learn with interactive, real-time conversations that help you test your knowledge, challenge assumptions, and deepen your understanding as you progress through the course. Dive into the world of data analysis using Python and Polars, a fast and efficient library for handling structured data. This course empowers you to manipulate datasets, clean and transform data, and perform insightful analysis, equipping you with practical skills applicable in real-world data projects. You will start by setting up your environment on macOS or Windows, learning terminal basics, installing Python packages with uv, and navigating Jupyter Lab for seamless project management. Each step is designed to build your confidence and ensure a smooth workflow from the very beginning. Next, you'll explore Python fundamentals, covering variables, operators, functions, and data structures before transitioning into Polars-specific concepts. You'll learn to create Series and DataFrames, handle missing values, optimize memory, and use powerful expressions to manipulate and filter data efficiently. The course is ideal for beginners and intermediate learners interested in data science or analytics. No prior Polars experience is needed, but basic familiarity with Python will help. Anyone looking to enhance their Python-based data handling and analytical skills will find immense value here. By the end of the course, you will be able to confidently set up your data environment, perform advanced data manipulations in Polars, clean and filter datasets, join and aggregate data, and derive actionable insights from structured data using Python and Polars.

Course objectives

• to build confidence in using Python for data analysis
• to understand Python fundamentals
• to learn specific Polars data handling techniques