What Skills Do You Need To Become A Data Analyst

The market for big data is growing fast. Data analysts need special skills in their field, and their qualifications are highly technology-focused. The Digital revolution has come to dominate modern business, and it now seems more imperative to hire skilled data and information analysts than ever before.

Data analysts can dig deep into data and find patterns, trends, and other relevant information. Data analytics is a combination of both hard and soft skills.

The following are the key skills required to become a data analyst:

Programming Skills

Data analysts need to write computer programs that generate reports from stored data. They must be experienced in using programming languages such as SAS, Python, R, and SQL for this purpose. Learning these languages can make you a skilled data analyst faster. These scripting skills may be used to develop the statistical analyses necessary to support their work.

Math Skills

There is a great deal of statistical analysis involved in data analysis. Statistical skills are the core of this profession, and you must have enough math skills to understand them. You must be proficient in arithmetic functions, calculus, probability theory, and linear algebra. If you already have a background in studying these subjects, you might have the edge over other applicants.

Business Skills

Data analysts are working closely with business people, so they have to have good communication skills and an understanding of the organization’s goals that are hiring them. You will also need to know how to present your findings in a way that is easy for non-technical people to understand. This means being a good storyteller and having a sense of business acumen.

Computer Skills

You must understand various kinds of computers that businesses use to handle their data, from PCs to mainframes. You also need to know how software applications are developed and the principles behind the different processing systems used in big data analytics. In addition, experience with big data tools such as Hadoop and MongoDB will be a plus.

Creative Thinking Skills

Data analysts must be curious about the data they are studying. And to make sense of it, they have to ask questions about what makes the data tick and how it might be connected to other pieces of information. They need to be able to see connections between different kinds of data and patterns and trends.

People Skills

Data analysts interact with a lot of people in their jobs, so good interpersonal skills are essential. This includes the ability to deal with everyone from colleagues and managers to clients and vendors, building rapport and trust with them. It is important to have a high degree of emotional intelligence.

Communication Skills

Data analysts have to communicate their findings clearly and concisely, so good written and oral communication skills are vital. They must know how to report data effectively as well as how to present their conclusions verbally. As business decisions are made based on the data they provide, they should also be able to explain their findings so that different audiences can understand. For example, they must know data visualization techniques such as Sankey Diagram.

Problem Solving Skills

In data analysis, you have to solve problems when things go wrong or when they need to be fixed. You will also have to design new systems and find better ways of doing things for the organization you work for to remain efficient. This means thinking about what can go wrong in the future and how it might be prevented and diagnosing problems quickly when they do occur.

Creativity

A good data analyst must have the ability to think outside the box. They are needed to propose new ways of processing business data, so they need to come up with creative solutions when problems arise and are willing to take risks to achieve success. Being a successful data analyst is all about how you think. You must be creative and think outside of the box as you investigate, explore and analyse data.

Critical Thinking Skills

For data analysts, there is no such thing as too much information. Therefore, you must know how to collect and assess that information effectively. You must think critically about all levels of your project – from the smallest pieces of data to the bigger picture. These skills are needed for effective decision-making.

Statistics Skills

You must be able to calculate statistics about the data you are studying. You need excellent statistical skills to process numbers and quantities, which will provide a clearer understanding of the information your company is dealing with. In addition, having a good grasp of statistical analysis software programs such as SAS or SPSS will be a great asset.

Research Skills

You have to be a good researcher to find the information you need for your projects. This means identifying where data can be found, determining which sources are reliable, and searching through them to find what you need. You may also have to use secondary sources of data, such as industry reports or even social media, as a way of finding information about your company’s competitors. To collect and analyze data you can use different likert scale examples as they are quick and easy to understand and respond.

Business Acumen

People skills are also important, but being a good data analyst requires more than just knowing how to deal with different types of people – you must have a business sense. This includes the ability to understand how business works and why it is done in certain ways and what can happen if trends and patterns are not identified correctly. Business acumen is crucial as it will help you understand what your company does and how its processes can be improved.

Conclusion

The best data analysts possess many skills and characteristics, not just one. They use their critical thinking skills to find solutions to problems, their creativity and open minds to discover new possibilities and relationships within the data, and their business acumen to identify important information that can help improve the company. Also, data visualization techniques such as Sankey Diagram are essential for a data analyst. All of these skills and characteristics go together to make a good data analyst.

Author Bio

Lori Gillen is a Blogger/Content Creator who is specialized in the field of Digital Marketing & Data Analysis with 5 years of experience. Currently working at PPCexpo as a Senior Content Creator.