1. Java and Python are good languages for data mining, due to their libraries, though the others aren't great. C++ is good for finance.
2. Excel is not a statistical analysis package. "Just because you can drive a car with your feet doesn't make it a good idea" - Chris Rock. Excel is great for pivot tables, however.
3. Hadoop is not a distributed database, it is MapReduce plus a distributed file system. Hive is also not really a distributed database. It lets you write SQL that turns into mapreduce jobs.
Excel is the most common statistical analysis package on the planet, bar-none. When you need to deliver code to people who are numerate but don't program then Excel is the best thing to use. Sometimes you just need to give someone (a manager) a tool where they can test out a bunch of different scenarios but you don't have time to make a polished application. Even for "big data" applications sometimes seeing the numbers in front of you in cells is quite useful.
Thanks for the corrections. I have changed the post to reflect the Hadoop/Hive/MapReduce mistake. I am still new at this tech thing and obviously don't know all the terminology yet.
1. Java and Python are good languages for data mining, due to their libraries, though the others aren't great. C++ is good for finance.
2. Excel is not a statistical analysis package. "Just because you can drive a car with your feet doesn't make it a good idea" - Chris Rock. Excel is great for pivot tables, however.
3. Hadoop is not a distributed database, it is MapReduce plus a distributed file system. Hive is also not really a distributed database. It lets you write SQL that turns into mapreduce jobs.