This document provides an introduction to big data and analytics. It discusses the topics of data processing, big data, data science, and analytics and optimization. It then provides a historic perspective on data and describes the data processing lifecycle. It discusses aspects of data including metadata and master data. It also discusses different data scenarios and the processing of data in serial versus parallel formats. Finally, it discusses the skills needed for a data scientist including business and domain knowledge, statistical modeling, technology stacks, and more.