When starting a new field, especially in the tech space, many questions are asked, sometimes due to apprehension and the need for more knowledge about the area. Not to worry, I will provide appropriate guidelines.
In this article, all those questions will be dealt with appropriately. We will go into detail about data analysts, what they do, and the skills required to become one.
Who Is A Data Analyst?
A data analyst scrutinizes large datasets to produce useful information and thus gain insight from the dataset (raw data).
Data analysis is concerned with collecting data that will be processed and then statistically examining large datasets to give the organization an advantage in decision-making.
This insight may include product information, market trends, etc. It creates a part where data can answer questions and solve various company problems.
The increase in the development of relational databases gives birth to new data analysts, which allows analysts to retrieve data from the databases while working with SQL(“sequel” or “s-q-l”).
The data collected can be structured, unstructured, or semi-structured. After the data is analyzed, it is represented in various forms, such as a graphical chart or table format. Data analysts are in high demand by various organizations due to their abilities.
Who are Data Analysts?
A data analyst’s day-to-day job activities depend solely on the company or industry and sometimes your speciality in the field(Data Analyst). Some of their responsibilities involve cleaning and gathering data to uncover specific trends and business insights/patterns.
They are also responsible for creating dashboards and designing and maintaining relational databases and systems for the department in an organization using different programming software and intelligent software.
Data is cleaned and mined depending on various sources, then analyzed and interpreted results using statistical tools and techniques. Data analysts must also create reports on their findings and communicate the following steps to crucial stakeholders.
Data analysts usually work with others; they work with different departments in an organization, for instance, the IT teams, management, or data scientists depending on the end product/goal.
People willing to learn data analysis often ask if they are required to learn any programming language. But It depends on the job description or company requirements.
Some data analysts are familiar with programming languages. In contrast, others rely on analytics software to read/analyze data to provide insight and predict the outcome of activity to aid in the promotion of the industry/company.
Data analysts can work in various industries, such as healthcare, information, manufacturing, professional services, retail, and finance.
Where Is Data Gotten?
Data is produced and collected regardless of the firm’s size.
Data is gathered from various sources, including accounts, logistics, marketing research, items ordered, and customer feedback.
The main objective is determining methods to raise customer satisfaction while cutting costs. Where these data are handled, modelled, and reported.
Here are some of the steps required to become a data analysis
⦁ To become a data analyst, you need to know math or computer sciences.
⦁ Learn critical data analytics skills such as SQL, Machine Learning, Data management, etc.
⦁ Knowledge of Programming like Phyton, R, SQL, Javascript, Ruby, etc.
⦁ Knowledge of Data Analysis Tools
⦁ Knowledge of Data Visualization Tools such as Microsoft Power BI, Tableau, etc., for drawing meaningful insights from the given data.
The Responsibilities Of A Data Analyst
There are different kinds of roles and responsibilities of a data analyst. Below you will be given the necessary functions to become a practical data analyst.
Understanding the organization’s goal by considering different things like available resources, business problems, and the correct data to work with.
The analyst writes SQL queries and scripts to gather, store, and retrieve information from databases such as MS SQL server, Oracle DB, and MySQL.
The available data are mined to find any relationship or defect in a dataset, thereby increasing efficiency.
They are in charge of cleaning the data because must time the data gathered may be messy and have some missing values.
Data Examination is done with some analytical and statistical tools to carry out a logical examination of data.
Data analysts interpret data trends with the assistance of software packages and libraries.
They provide summary reports with the help of data visualization tools. This report guides the leadership team to make timely decisions.
Be able to interact and communicate their findings to the development team, management, etc.
Data Analysis Tools
We will list some essential tools for data analysts to help them with their jobs.
⦁ Google Analytics (GA): is a tool that help developer gain an understanding of customer data, discover trends, and that help in the improvement of landing pages or calls to action(CTAs).
⦁ AWS S3: It can store and retrieve data from a dataset.
⦁ Jupyter Notebook system: It makes testing, sharing, and creating life documents, codes, and text easy. Because of its markdown functionality, jupyter notebooks are more popular with non-technical folks.
⦁ GitHub is a platform that allows programmers to share or build technical projects. They can create repositories and libraries to ensure we always start our work from scratch.
⦁ Tableau: Tableau is a tool analysts use to gather and analyze data. They can produce visualizations and develop dashboards you can share with other team members.
Data Analyst Salary
The salary depends solely on the job descriptions. A senior data analyst can also get a high pay if he knows data science.
The average salary for entry-level data analysts yearly is: $83,750
The average salary for data analysts yearly is: $100,250
The average salary for senior data analysts yearly is: $118,750-$142,500
Sites to Learn Data analysis.
You will be taught all the necessary skills to become a pro data analyst here. You will be taught how to use tools such as Excel, NumPy, Pandas, SciPy, IBM Watson, Power Bi, R, and Python.
There is no prerequisite education or experience needed to learn how to clean and organize data with SQL and R, visualize with Tableau, and finish a case study for your portfolio.
You will be able to learn about topics such as Data Analysis with Python for Excel Users Course, How to Use JavaScript for Data Analysis — A Beginner’s Guide, and many others.
Here, you will receive more training on using the KNIME data analytics platform and an introductory course on data science using Python.
Conclusion
We have covered everything you need to know about becoming a data analyst in this article; it is now up to you to delve into the world of data. A college degree is optional to land a job as a data analyst.