The D3M textbook
NYU Stern · An open learning resource
Better questions. Stronger evidence. Better decisions.
Data Driven
Decision Making
From Business Questions to Visual Evidence, Algorithms, and AI Workflows
A practical textbook for managers and analysts. Learn to read the data, question the evidence, and turn analysis into action — with real cases and interactive studios along the way.
Vishal SinghNYU Stern School of Business
The question behind every chapter
What decision will this evidence improve?
- Connected parts
- 7
- Chapters
- 18
- Published articles
- 75
The curriculum
One book. Seven ways
to think with data.
Follow the full arc, from business tables to AI agents. Or begin with the question on your desk. Each part brings together the concepts, worked cases, and practical tools you need to make the next decision.
Part I · 2 chapters
Language of Data: Reading the Business in Rows and Columns
Before any model, read the table
Explore this partPart II · 2 chapters
Visual Evidence: From Charts to Decisions
Charts that answer, not decorate
Explore this partPart III · 4 chapters
Quantifying Effects: Experiments, Causality, Regression, and Pricing
From what happened to what to do
Explore this partPart IV · 4 chapters
Language of Algorithms: Prediction, Segmentation, and Model Evaluation
From explaining the past to predicting the next move
Explore this partPart V · 4 chapters
Unstructured Data, Embeddings, and Generative AI
Turning prose and pixels into governed evidence
Explore this part
Beyond the page
Get your hands on the evidence.
The ideas become useful when you put them to work. Explore the datasets behind the chapters, or try a hands-on teaching studio.
Explore interactive studiosHalf a billion
Amazon reviews
33 product categories. 1996–2023. A guided look at the ratings, growth, seasonality, and biases hiding inside the corpus.
Open the portrait