Have you ever wondered what tasks a data analyst can perform for your business? Whether you are considering using a data analysis company or looking at your career options, it is helpful to dive into the role to understand more about what it entails.
What does a data analyst do?
Whether working in-house or for a data analysis company, such as //shepper.com/, data analysts are essential to business decision-making. They work to transform raw data into actionable insights, working across the entire data lifecycle from data collection to data storytelling and reporting.
What tasks do data analysts perform?
The main tasks of a data analyst are as follows:
- Data collection – collecting data from a variety of sources, such as systems, surveys, databases, spreadsheets, and API. The analyst might find the data point that answers a certain question or measures a target metric.
- Data cleaning – the analyst will clean the data to ensure it is reliable, accurate, and consistent before it is analysed more deeply.
- Data analysis – this is completed with a range of statistical methods and tools to identify trends, patterns, and anomalies.
- Data visualisation – the analyst will use graphs, charts, and dashboards to visualise the data and prepare it for communication to other stakeholders.
- Reporting and presentation – the data analyst prepares dashboards and reports to present information concisely and clearly.
- Troubleshooting and problem-solving – this happens at each stage of the process to support decision-making and ensure the data presented can support high-level planning.
Together, these six stages ensure the data analysis process is robust and primed to answer challenging business questions. This is vital to maximise the value of the function.
Data analysts and AI
Data analysts increasingly use tools to help them facilitate the process and maximise efficiencies. This is likely to grow further in the coming years, as data AI becomes increasingly sophisticated and able to automate much of the function. This will allow businesses to further invest in data-driven solutions to facilitate better decision-making.