Question

You often praise, engage in, and in general center your work on in-depth study.
So my question is: what is analysis?
 
For example, when studying the Shulchan Arukh with the classic commentaries, there are several parts. First to read the texts, then to summarize, to build the various positions (a "chabura," in yeshiva jargon), and then to give your own thoughts and insights room to spread out on the matter.
The question is what happens with the first part.
From my experience, it is the most grueling part: reading the long texts, extracting from the language of the medieval and later authorities what they mean, moving together with them through the pathways of the proofs, the Talmudic passages, and the overall framing. And finally, summarizing all the views.
Alternatively, there are wonderful lectures and summary books. They were written by people of our own generation, in our language, concise, setting one position against another, not missing even a single detail. And above all they paint a complete picture, without any need to read the original text itself.
Less the language of the Shakh, more what the Shakh said. (Again, without missing any critical detail.)
 
In your opinion, is such an approach—exposure to a summary text that is comprehensive content-wise—a drawback in analytical study?
Or is analysis, in the end, knowledge and analysis of the topic? In any case, whether from studying the original texts or from forming the positions by whatever route—lecture, summary, etc.
 
By the way, from my personal experience, I’ll take the opportunity to share:
I took the six Yoreh Yoreh exams. For each exam I had a different approach.
1. Entirely from the original texts — very hard and very time-consuming.
2. Only from summaries — very fast.
3. The middle road, for me: study from a high-quality summary, know the topic, and afterward approach the original texts and read them inside. That made it less grueling and quicker.
Of course, these are strategies for getting through the exams.
My question above focuses on what quality study is in general.