What Does a Data Analyst Do?

About analytics

Before elaborating on what a data analyst does, an individual will first need to understand more about analytics. This brings together theory and practice to identify and communicate data-driven insights that allow managers, stakeholders, and other executives within an organisation to make more informed business decisions.

Senior data analysts, or those with more experience, will consider their work in a larger context. This larger context is within and without their organisation , taking into account a wide range of external factors. They will also be able to account for competitive environments, internal and external business interests, and the absence of certain data sets in the data-based recommendations they make to stakeholders.

Types of data analytics

Four different types of data analytics build on each other in order to bring increasing value to an organisation:

Descriptive analytics: this examines what happened in the past; monthly revenue, quarterly sales, and yearly website traffic all fall under descriptive analytics. These findings help organisations to spot trends.

Diagnostic analytics: this considers why something happened by comparing descriptive data sets to identify dependencies and patterns. This helps organisations to determine the cause of a positive or negative outcome.

Predictive analytics: this seeks to determine likely outcomes by detecting tendencies in descriptive and diagnostic analyses. It helps organisations to take proactive action, such as reaching out to a client who may decide not to renew a contract.

Prescriptive analytics: this attempts to identify what business action to take. It brings significant value in the ability to address potential problems and stay ahead of trends, but it also requires the use of complex algorithms and advanced tech through machine learning.

Roles and responsibilities of a data analyst

The full list of roles and responsibilities expected of a data analyst will vary, depending greatly on individual organisations. This includes the extent to which the organisation has adopted practices based on data-driven decision making.

However, this does not mean that there isn’t a set of day-to-day duties that can be associated with the job. Generally speaking, these include:

• Using specialist tools to extract data from primary and secondary sources
• Organising data into a format that can easily be read by either a human or a machine
• Analysing and interpreting data sets in order to identify trends and patterns
• Setting up processes and systems to make working with data more efficient
• Researching new ways to make use of data
• Demonstrating the significance of the work in the context of local, national, and international trends that impact both the organisation and their industry
• Collaborating with programmers, engineers, and organisational leaders to identify opportunities for process improvements, recommend system modifications, and develop policies for data governance
• Preparing reports communicating trends, patterns, and predictions using relevant data to executive leadership
• Creating and presenting appropriate documentation (including charts) to communicate trends to non-specialists, such as stakeholders

Tools used in data analysis

During the process of data analysis, data analysts will use a variety of tools that make the work more accurate and efficient. Some of the most common of these include:

• Microsoft Excel
• Google Sheets
• SQL
• Tableau
• R or Python
• SAS
• Microsoft Power BI
• Jupyter Notebooks

Types of data analyst

Rapidly advancing technology has also resulted in a fast expansion of the types and amounts of information we can collect. As a result, knowing how to collect data, sort it, and analyse it for use is now a crucial part of most industry sectors. This means data analysts can now be found working in:

• Banking
• Colleges and universities
• Consultancies
• Leisure and hospitality
• Manufacturing
• Pharmaceutical companies
• Public sector organisations
• Retailers
• Social media and marketing agencies
• Specialist software development companies
• Telecommunications companies

The data analyst job may also be given a different title, while having the same roles and responsibilities. Titles you may see include:

• Business analyst
• Business intelligence analyst
• Intelligence analyst
• Market research analyst
• Medical and health care analyst
• Operations research analyst

Qualifications

To become a data analyst through the graduate route, an individual should ideally have a Bachelor’s or a Master’s degree in:

• • Business information systems
  • Computer science
  • Economics
  • Information management
  • Mathematics
  • Statistics

Candidates with degrees in psychology are also likely to be considered.

For candidates looking for positions within the Government Statistical Service, a degree that includes at least 25% statistical content will be required. This means an individual should aim to have a degree in statistics, mathematics, or economics rather than anything else.

You can also find college courses that teach you the skills needed to become a data analyst. These include T Level courses in Digital Business Services.

Training and apprenticeships

Many university courses give you the chance to spend a year in industry or to get work experience through placements, internships, or real business projects. You can also volunteer and gain work experience by helping community organisations and charities. This includes the Royal Statistical Society.

Some organisations will also offer the opportunity to start in a junior data analyst role through a data technician advanced apprenticeship. From this, an individual may go on to complete a data analysis higher apprenticeship.

If you want to work specifically in health data analysis, it’s also possible to do a medical statistician degree apprenticeship.

Necessary skills

To be a successful data analyst, an individual needs to have a wide range of both hard and soft skills. The necessary hard skills are:

• Advanced mathematical and statistical skills
• Ability to analyse, model, and interpret data
• Ability to learn new programming languages
• Considerable talent and skill with Microsoft Excel
• Data visualisation and data cleaning skills
• Experience with data management

Soft skills required in a data analyst job description are less specific, but are just as important:

• A high level of accuracy and attention to detail
• A logical, methodical approach to working
• An understanding of the ethics involved in gathering and working with data
• Critical thinking skills
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Problem-solving skills
• The ability to plan work and meet deadlines

Data analysis vs. business analysis vs. data science

The key difference between these and their related job titles is how each role uses data:

Data analysts: these individuals serve as a “gatekeeper” for an organisation’s data, so stakeholders can understand the data and use it to make decisions.

Business analysts: these individuals serve a strategic role, focusing on using the information that a data analyst uncovers to identify problems and propose solutions.

Data scientists: these individuals take the data visualisations created by data analysts and sift through them to identify weaknesses, trends, and opportunities for the organisation.

For smaller organisations and startups, it isn’t uncommon for a data analyst to take on some of the predictive modelling or decision-making duties that might otherwise be carried out by a data scientist on a daily basis.

Becoming a data analyst

There is more than one route to becoming a data analyst in the UK. Most individuals in this role will have at least a Bachelor’s degree, but this is not a requirement. School leavers can also apply for positions as data analysts and be accepted based on knowledge, skill, and experience.

Work environments for data analysts

Data analysts will normally work in an office on a daily basis. This also tends to be a team environment, in which data analysts will assist other team members in improving and interpreting data. Some data analysts may work directly with team leads and executive decision-makers to offer recommendations on sales, marketing efforts, and technical changes.

The typical hours of a data analyst are between 37 and 40 hours a week, though they may be required to work longer hours or evenings as well.

The average salary for data analysts

The average UK salary for a data analyst who has some experience in the field is somewhere between £30,000 and £40,000 a year. This is an increase from junior salaries of somewhere around £22,000 to £25,000. This also does not include individuals in more senior roles, or roles available in London, which may be more competitive with more lucrative salaries because data analysts are in high demand.

Hire or become a data analyst

If you’re interested in becoming a data analyst, or if you’re in need of talent to fill a data analyst role within your organisation, we can help. Our Technology Division is perfectly positioned to work cross-sector within a range of Technological disciplines. Contact us or send us your CV today and see how our specialist recruitment services can pair you with your ideal working solution.