End-to-End Retail Sales Analytics and Forecasting
Technologies Used: SQL, Python, and Business Intelligence Tools
1. Introduction to Appendices
The appendices section provides supplementary materials, references, code snippets, and
supporting documentation
used throughout the Retail Sales Analytics and Forecasting project. These resources ensure
transparency,
reproducibility, and a deeper understanding of the project implementation.
2. Dataset Description
The datasets used in this project are derived from simulated or publicly available retail data
sources.
They include sales transactions, product information, customer demographics, and store
details.
**Primary Datasets:**
1. **Sales.csv** – Contains details of daily transactions (date, product_id, store_id, revenue,
discount, etc.).
2. **Products.csv** – Includes product name, category, cost, and price.
3. **Customers.csv** – Provides customer details such as region, gender, and loyalty status.
4. **Stores.csv** – Lists store locations, managers, and operating costs.
3. Sample SQL Queries
**a) Query to Retrieve Monthly Sales Performance**
```sql
SELECT
DATE_FORMAT(date, '%Y-%m') AS month,
SUM(revenue) AS total_revenue,
SUM(quantity) AS total_quantity
FROM sales
GROUP BY month
ORDER BY month;
```
**b) Query to Find Top 5 Selling Products**
```sql
SELECT
p.product_name,
SUM(s.revenue) AS total_revenue
FROM sales s
JOIN products p ON s.product_id = p.product_id
GROUP BY p.product_name
ORDER BY total_revenue DESC
LIMIT 5;
```
4. Sample Python Code
**a) Data Cleaning and Preparation**
```python
import pandas as pd
sales = pd.read_csv('sales.csv')
products = pd.read_csv('products.csv')
# Merge datasets
merged_data = pd.merge(sales, products, on='product_id', how='inner')
# Handle missing values
merged_data.fillna(0, inplace=True)
# Convert date column
merged_data['date'] = pd.to_datetime(merged_data['date'])
```
**b) Forecasting Using Prophet**
```python
from prophet import Prophet
df = merged_data.groupby('date')['revenue'].sum().reset_index()
df.columns = ['ds', 'y']
model = Prophet()
model.fit(df)
future = model.make_future_dataframe(periods=90)
forecast = model.predict(future)
```
5. Power BI / Tableau Dashboard Components
**Key Dashboard Pages:**
1. **Sales Overview:** Displays total revenue, profit margin, and top-performing regions.
2. **Customer Insights:** Segmentation by demographics and loyalty programs.
3. **Forecasting View:** Predicted sales trends with confidence intervals.
4. **Store Performance:** Regional comparisons and operational metrics.
Each dashboard allows filtering by product category, region, and date range.
6. Glossary of Terms
- **ETL (Extract, Transform, Load):** The process of collecting data, cleaning it, and loading
it into a system for analysis.
- **KPI (Key Performance Indicator):** A measurable value that demonstrates how
effectively a company achieves business objectives.
- **ARIMA:** AutoRegressive Integrated Moving Average, a forecasting model used for time-
series prediction.
- **Prophet:** A time-series forecasting library developed by Meta (Facebook).
- **EDA:** Exploratory Data Analysis, the process of summarizing and visualizing data
patterns.
7. References and Resources
1. Python Data Analytics Documentation – https://pandas.pydata.org/
2. Prophet Forecasting Model – https://facebook.github.io/prophet/
3. Power BI Learning Portal – https://learn.microsoft.com/power-bi/
4. SQL Tutorial – https://www.w3schools.com/sql/
5. Tableau Learning Resources – https://www.tableau.com/learn/training
8. Project File Structure
Retail_Sales_Analytics_and_Forecasting/
│
├── data/
│ ├── sales.csv
│ ├── products.csv
│ ├── customers.csv
│ └── stores.csv
│
├── scripts/
│ ├── data_cleaning.py
│ ├── forecasting_model.py
│ └── etl_pipeline.sql
│
├── dashboards/
│ ├── powerbi_dashboard.pbix
│ └── tableau_dashboard.twb
│
└── documentation/
├── Analysis_Requirement.docx
├── Design.docx
├── Implementation.docx
├── Testing.docx
├── Tools_Technologies.docx
└── Conclusion.docx
9. Conclusion
The appendices provide essential reference materials and technical documentation
supporting the project development.
They ensure that future developers, analysts, or stakeholders can easily understand and
reproduce the results
achieved through this Retail Sales Analytics and Forecasting project.
