Which of these analytics types answers the question "Why did it happen?"

The correct choice addresses the analytics type specifically focused on understanding the causes or reasons behind past events. Diagnostic Analytics is designed to delve into data points and conjunctions that have occurred, helping analysts identify patterns and correlations. This type of analysis typically employs techniques such as data mining, drill-down, and correlation to uncover the underlying factors that led to specific outcomes.

For instance, if a company sees a sales drop, Diagnostic Analytics will help determine whether that drop was due to changes in market conditions, pricing adjustments, or alterations in customer behavior. By answering "Why did it happen?", this analytics type moves beyond mere observation of trends or forecasting future events to an in-depth examination of data to facilitate decision-making and strategy adjustments.

Other analytics types have different focuses: Predictive Analytics anticipates future outcomes based on historical data, Descriptive Analytics summarizes past data to highlight trends, and Prescriptive Analytics suggests actions based on potential outcomes. Each of these serves its purpose but does not primarily address the cause-and-effect relationships that Diagnostic Analytics does.