Data analyst: 8 challenges of this profession

A data analyst is a person who works with business , data engineering , data science and UX design teams . Everything to prepare and answer the right questions, in addition to monitoring indicators in BI tools or databases .

There are many responsibilities assumed to carry out all the tasks involved in the day to day life of someone who is a data analyst .

From quick SQL queries to the creation of new business indicators , discover the 8 challenges of the data analyst profession .

Data analyst: your goal is to have insights

Indispensable for companies that work with large volumes of information , data analysts are in relatively high demand when it comes to extracting insights and patterns from company data.

To achieve this goal, professional analysts perform tasks such as data mining and mining as a way of sifting and selecting important information.

And most companies that generate data need qualified analysts to help make more assertive decisions based on these insights.

But, as in any profession, even with qualifications, data analysts need to overcome some challenges to be successful in their daily tasks.

8 challenges for data analysts

Now that you know the objective and role of a data analyst , the time has come to discover the types of problems that these people need to solve on a daily basis .

But don't be scared! These are challenges that are part of the analyst profession and that can be overcome with study and practice.

So, let's go: from quick SQL queries to creating new business indicators, discover the 8 challenges of the data analyst profession .

1 - Use data visualization and basic statistics to develop and answer the right business questions

As we have already seen, one of the main objectives of the data analyst profession is to generate insights to guide the company's next strategic steps.

To do this, it is important that you have business knowledge , so you will know how to answer the right questions to ensure assertiveness for the company.

It is necessary to use good data visualization practices to have better analyzes and insights.

2 - Perform ad-hoc queries in databases and data warehouses using SQL language

At times, it may be necessary to make unplanned queries in SQL , created on the fly based on a specific event. This type of query is called an ad-hoc query .

The expression ad-hoc comes from Latin and means for this purpose . In other words, the consultation is made only for a specific objective, need or moment.

Unplanned queries are common in decision support applications , designed for a specific purpose and which are not saved in the system, unlike pre-defined queries.

3 - Build and improve static reports and BI dashboards

Once again, good data visualization practices gain extra weight in the tasks of data analysts .

As the main role of this profession is to generate insights, there is nothing better than business intelligence (BI) reports and dashboards to translate this information.

Remember that the person who will read the report/dashboard most likely does not know how to read data, so it is important that your graphs are friendly, intuitive and easy to understand .

4 - Design and evaluate the results of A/B tests together with business teams

Due to the function of data mining , in order to look for answers in information, it is common for data analysts to work with business teams that know how to assist in this process.

Professional analysts must, alongside business professionals, design and evaluate A/B test results all the time, ensuring the accuracy of insights.

This allows the decision made by management to be even more assertive and fail-proof.

5 - Design and monitor new business indicators

Still together with the business team, it is during data analysis that we are able to discover new patterns and indicators for the company.

It is the responsibility of the analyst that these indicators are designed and monitored, especially with business professionals on hand to assist and confirm what is being extracted from the data.

This way, your indicators gain a strong basis when they are presented to the people responsible for decision-making.

6 - Monitor goals and report their progress to the business area

New indicators are synonymous with new goals , so analysts need to closely monitor the evolution of the graphs , always reporting to the business team.

This way, the data team and the business team are able to work together with the company's information, generating increasingly significant results.

Not to mention the importance of monitoring and noticing changes in metrics established based on data analysis .

7 - Propose new dashboards and analyzes with the technical data area

Sometimes you may encounter this challenge , especially when reports and analysis dashboards no longer yield as many results as they used to.

At this point, you will need to propose , based on your knowledge and with the help of your data team, new ways of presenting the insights generated.

To achieve this, it may be interesting to propose new dashboards with new metrics, graphs and goals.

8 - Coordinate the implementation of indicators and processes based on data within the business areas

When you are the person responsible for finding new insights and business patterns , the responsibility for implementing new processes and indicators based on your analysis comes with it.

The time has come when your report becomes the company's business reality, and there is no one better than you, a data analyst, to coordinate the changes that will inevitably occur, right?

All implementation of new indicators must be led by a data analyst in order to avoid possible errors or actions that do not originate from the data .

Start your career as a data analyst at Indicium Academy

All eight of these challenges are overcome when there is a good study base combined with practice . So, if you want to start your career as a data analyst , fear not!

Indicium Academy teaches you how to deal with all these everyday situations with the best professionals in the field.

Come learn from someone who is a reference. Register here .