Which of the following types of analytics provides recommendations for actions?

Prescriptive analytics is the type of analytics that provides recommendations for actions. It goes beyond merely analyzing past data, which is characteristic of descriptive analytics, or forecasting future events based on patterns in the data, as seen in predictive analytics. Instead, prescriptive analytics utilizes a combination of data, algorithms, and business rules to suggest how to handle future situations or make decisions. It answers questions such as "What should we do?" by recommending actions that can result in desired outcomes, often leveraging optimization techniques and simulations to identify the best course of action.

Descriptive analytics focuses on summarizing historical data to understand what happened, while predictive analytics aims to forecast future trends based on historical patterns. Exploratory analytics, on the other hand, involves analyzing data sets to discover patterns, relationships, or trends, but does not provide specific recommendations for actions. Therefore, prescriptive analytics uniquely provides actionable insights to guide decision-making processes.