What does a data analyst do?

What is data analysis? This is a question I had when I first started my data journey, and one that others have asked me as well. To be honest, my understanding of what it entails continues to evolve.

The role of a data analyst seems to be defined differently depending on the company and the data they work with. Here are some common responsibilities I’ve seen data analysts do:

• SQL and/or spreadsheets all day long, building dashboards, and answering day-to-day questions from other teams and individuals in the company
• Statistical analysis to confirm the significance of insights
• Predictive modelling to support marketing and finance teams
• Creating and managing databases

I’m sure this list could be longer. The short answer is a data analyst role can encompass responsibilities that may be considered more akin to a data scientist or data engineer. However, at the core, the key responsibilities of a data analyst boil down to inspecting, cleaning, transforming, and visualizing data to uncover trends and insights. One thing is certain: SQL is a critical skill for data analysts.

At this point, another question usually comes up: which SQL flavour should I learn if I want to be a data analyst? The answer is, any! Pick the one you can set up and get started with the easiest. There are only a few differences between flavors that can be picked up along the way. Companies often migrate their databases, and different companies use different database platforms, so you’ll likely gain experience with various SQL flavors over time. The important thing is to get started.

If you enjoyed this and found it helpful (or totally unhelpful) please let me know by leaving a reaction or comment, or find me via jasminludolf.com.