Big data skills are in high-demand, so if your loved ones or friends are planning a career change into the world of big data in 2016, why not help them out with some expert reading material.

CBR suggests some of the best books around the subject of big data for some light reading this Christmas.

 

1. Encyclopedia of Business Analytics and Optimization

All you could want to know about big data in 3,312 pages, this hardback encyclopedia looks at the five dimensions of big data; volume, variety, velocity, volatility and veracity.

This collection looks at the challenges posed by information retrieval by exploring recent advances in the areas of; knowledge management, data visualisation, interdisciplinary communication and others.

The hardcover is available from £1,234.49.

 

2. Big Data Overview: From a technical business perspective

This book looks at big data from the business perspective, looking at some of the challenges and opportunities it can bring.

A much shorter read than the encyclopedia at 156 pages, it’s a good read for business managers that are looking to make more of their data and to understand what’s ahead of them.

The book is available for £999.11 in paperback.

 

3. Big Data Analytics For Beginners

Another book to help you get started in the big data world, this time focusing on the analytics. The book promises to: "show you a new way for analyzing these amounts of data."

While the big data market is large, many are newcomers to the area so a book that focuses on the analytics could be helpful to those that are looking at how to get value from their data.

It is 178 pages long and available for £999.11 in paperback.

 

4. Big Data, Data Mining, and Machine Learning: Value Creation for Business Leaders and Practitioners

The Wiley and SAS business series that is available on Kindle claims to be: "a complete resource for technology and marketing executives looking to cut through the hype and produce real results that hit the bottom line."

The book includes an overview of big data and its notable characteristics, in addition to details on high performance computing architectures for analytics, massively parallel processing and in-memory databases.

The book is 265 pages long and costs £30.39 on Kindle.

 

5. Big data for dummies

Everyone has to start somewhere and the ‘for dummies’ series of books can be some of the most helpful and easy to understand learning tools.

Starting from what big data is, why it matters and hot to choose and implement solutions that work.

Removing the complexity of jargon, the book addresses topics such as security concerns to consider, helps you understand data storage, analytics and other areas.

You can pick up the latest hardback edition for £32.88 and find out all about big data in 338 pages.