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Abstract

Cloud computing has revolutionized analysis of large datasets. This tutorial provides a comprehensive, practical guide for research groups seeking to leverage cloud platforms for data analysis. The tutorial covers the foundations of cloud computing, including its history, rationale, and use cases for research, followed by detailed comparisons of the 3 major platforms: Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Amazon Web Services (AWS), and Microsoft Azure. Side-by-side comparisons of services, costs, ease of use, and selection guidelines assist researchers in choosing the most appropriate platform. A complete step-by-step example using hospital price transparency data demonstrates the entire workflow from account creation through results retrieval, enabling researchers to begin productive cloud-based analysis within hours.

Keywords

cloud computing data science research computing Google Cloud Platform Amazon Web Services Microsoft Azure hospital pricing big data

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References

Google cloud documentation. Google cloud. Accessed January 2026.https://cloud.google.com/docs

AWS documentation . Amazon web services. https://docs.aws.amazon.com. Accessed January 2026.

Azure documentation. Microsoft. Accessed January 2026.https://docs.microsoft.com/azure

Synergy Research Group . AI helps cloud market growth rate jump to almost 25% in Q1. Published May 1, 2025. https://www.srgresearch.com/articles/ai-helps-cloud-market-growth-rate-jump-back-to-almost-25-in-q1

Armbrust

Fox

Griffith

, et al. A view of cloud computing. Commun ACM. 2010;53(4):50-58. doi:10.1145/1721654.1721672.

Cloud Computing Startup for Data Science- A Tutorial

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