1 What does an analyst do?

So you’re a newly minted data analyst—congratulations! Perhaps you just finished school and are looking for your first role, or maybe you just started your first job. It’s possible you planned this career path, or perhaps you landed here without the preparation you would have liked. Maybe you’re part of a large team or your organization’s first and only analyst. All of that’s okay! There are so many paths into the world of data, each bringing unique challenges. If you want to do your best work and become an expert in making data-informed decisions, this book is written for you.

1.1 What is analytics?

1.1.1 Business intelligence

1.1.2 Marketing analytics

1.1.3 Financial analytics

1.1.4 Product analytics

1.1.5 How distinct are these fields?

1.2 The data analyst’s toolkit

1.2.1 Spreadsheet tools

1.2.2 Querying language

1.2.3 Programming languages for statistics

1.2.4 Data visualization tools

1.2.5 Adding to your toolkit

1.3 Preparing for your role

1.3.1 What to expect as an analyst

1.3.2 What you will learn in this book

Summary