---
title: "Introduction to fitting distributions to data"
canonical: "https://modelassist.epixanalytics.com/space/EA/26575304/Introduction%20to%20fitting%20distributions%20to%20data"
format: markdown
---
# Fitting distributions to data

  


This section looks at how to determine a distribution that will model the randomness or variability of a variable given that you have a set of observations with which to estimate the distribution. The flow diagram below leads you through possible options.

  


 

> Macro (gliffy)

  


| <span style="color: #000000">Check quality</span> | <span style="color: #000000">Univariate or Multivariate? (</span>[Selecting the appropriate distributions for your model](https://modelassist.epixanalytics.com/space/EA/26575199/Selecting+the+appropriate+distributions+for+your+model)<span style="color: #000000">)</span> |
| --- | --- |
| [Check the quality of your data](https://modelassist.epixanalytics.com/space/EA/26575305/Check+the+quality+of+your+data) | <span style="color: #000000">Correlation modeling (</span>[Modeling Correlations](https://modelassist.epixanalytics.com/space/EA/26575455/Modeling+Correlations)<span style="color: #000000">)</span> |
|  | <span style="color: #000000">Multivariate Distributions (</span>[Modeling Correlations](https://modelassist.epixanalytics.com/space/EA/26575455/Modeling+Correlations)<span style="color: #000000">)</span> |

### <span style="color: #000000">**Discrete**</span>

| <span style="color: #000000">Discrete or Continuous fitted distribution? (</span>[Selecting the appropriate distributions for your model](https://modelassist.epixanalytics.com/space/EA/26575199/Selecting+the+appropriate+distributions+for+your+model)<span style="color: #000000">)</span> |
| --- |
|  | <span style="color: #000000">Parametric (</span>[Parametric and non-parametric distributions](https://modelassist.epixanalytics.com/space/EA/26577307/Parametric+and+non-parametric+distributions)<span style="color: #000000">)</span> | <span style="color: #000000">Non-parametric (</span>[Non-parametric and parametric distributions](https://modelassist.epixanalytics.com/space/EA/26575430/Non-parametric+and+parametric+distributions)<span style="color: #000000">)</span> |
| <span style="color: #000000">1st Order (</span>[Selecting the appropriate distributions for your model](https://modelassist.epixanalytics.com/space/EA/26575199/Selecting+the+appropriate+distributions+for+your+model)<span style="color: #000000">)</span> | <span style="color: #000000">Parametric 1st order (</span>[Fitting a first order parametric distribution to observed data](https://modelassist.epixanalytics.com/space/EA/26575315/Fitting+a+first+order+parametric+distribution+to+observed+data)<span style="color: #000000">)</span> | <span style="color: #000000">Non-parametric 1st order (</span>[Fitting a discrete non-parametric first-order distribution to data](https://modelassist.epixanalytics.com/space/EA/26575319/Fitting+a+discrete+non-parametric+first-order+distribution+to+data)<span style="color: #000000">)</span> |
| <span style="color: #000000">2nd Order (</span>[Selecting the appropriate distributions for your model](https://modelassist.epixanalytics.com/space/EA/26575199/Selecting+the+appropriate+distributions+for+your+model)<span style="color: #000000">)</span> | <span style="color: #000000">Parametric 2nd order (</span>[Fitting a first order parametric distribution to observed data](https://modelassist.epixanalytics.com/space/EA/26575315/Fitting+a+first+order+parametric+distribution+to+observed+data)<span style="color: #000000">)</span> | <span style="color: #000000">Non-parametric 2nd order (</span>[Fitting a discrete non-parametric second-order distribution to data](https://modelassist.epixanalytics.com/space/EA/26575320/Fitting+a+discrete+non-parametric+second-order+distribution+to+data)<span style="color: #000000">)</span> |

<span style="color: #000000">**Continuous**</span>

  


| <span style="color: #000000">Discrete or Continuous fitted distribution? (</span><span style="color: #000000">[Selecting the appropriate distributions for your model](https://modelassist.epixanalytics.com/space/EA/26575199/Selecting+the+appropriate+distributions+for+your+model)</span><span style="color: #000000">)</span> |
| --- |
| <span style="color: #000000">Parametric (</span><span style="color: #000000">[Parametric and non-parametric distributions](https://modelassist.epixanalytics.com/space/EA/26577307/Parametric+and+non-parametric+distributions)</span><span style="color: #000000">)</span> | <span style="color: #000000">Non-parametric (</span><span style="color: #000000">[Non-parametric and parametric distributions](https://modelassist.epixanalytics.com/space/EA/26575430/Non-parametric+and+parametric+distributions)</span><span style="color: #000000">)</span> |  |
| <span style="color: #000000">Parametric 1st order (</span><span style="color: #000000">[Fitting a first order parametric distribution to observed data](https://modelassist.epixanalytics.com/space/EA/26575315/Fitting+a+first+order+parametric+distribution+to+observed+data)</span><span style="color: #000000">)</span> | <span style="color: #000000">Non-parametric 1st order (</span><span style="color: #000000">[Fitting a continuous non-parametric first-order distribution to data](https://modelassist.epixanalytics.com/space/EA/26575313/Fitting+a+continuous+non-parametric+first-order+distribution+to+data)</span><span style="color: #000000">)</span> | <span style="color: #000000">1st Order (</span><span style="color: #000000">[Selecting the appropriate distributions for your model](https://modelassist.epixanalytics.com/space/EA/26575199/Selecting+the+appropriate+distributions+for+your+model)</span><span style="color: #000000">)</span> |
| <span style="color: #000000">Parametric 2nd order (</span><span style="color: #000000">[Fitting a second order parametric distribution to observed data](https://modelassist.epixanalytics.com/space/EA/26575316/Fitting+a+second+order+parametric+distribution+to+observed+data)</span><span style="color: #000000">)</span> | <span style="color: #000000">Non-parametric 2nd order (</span><span style="color: #000000">[Fitting a continuous non-parametric second-order distribution to data](https://modelassist.epixanalytics.com/space/EA/26575314/Fitting+a+continuous+non-parametric+second-order+distribution+to+data)</span><span style="color: #000000">)</span> | <span style="color: #000000">2nd Order (</span><span style="color: #000000">[Selecting the appropriate distributions for your model](https://modelassist.epixanalytics.com/space/EA/26575199/Selecting+the+appropriate+distributions+for+your+model)</span><span style="color: #000000">)</span> |

  


| <span style="color: #000000">Goodness of Fit()</span> |
| --- |
| <span style="color: #000000">Note Assumptions (</span><span style="color: #000000">[Explaining a model's assumptions](https://modelassist.epixanalytics.com/space/EA/26575463/Explaining+a+model's+assumptions)</span><span style="color: #000000">)</span> |

<span style="color: #ffffff">Once you have reviewed the material in this section, you might like to test how much you have learned by taking the self-test quiz:</span>

  


<span style="color: #ffffff">A quiz on Fitting distributions to data: </span>> Macro (take-quiz-button)



  


  


  


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