Data Analyst

Data analysts transform raw data into actionable business insights through analysis, visualization, and reporting. They serve as the analytical backbone of organizations — answering business questions with data, identifying trends, and helping teams make evidence-based decisions. Unlike data scientists who build predictive models, data analysts focus on descriptive and diagnostic analytics — understanding what happened and why.

The role requires strong SQL skills, proficiency with visualization tools (Tableau, Looker, Power BI), and the ability to communicate findings to diverse audiences. Data analysts work across every department — marketing analysts track campaign performance, finance analysts build revenue models, product analysts measure feature adoption, and operations analysts optimize processes.

Modern data analysts are increasingly expected to go beyond basic reporting. They design dashboards, define metrics frameworks, conduct cohort analysis, and partner with product and engineering teams to instrument data collection. The best data analysts combine technical skills with business acumen — they don't just answer assigned questions but proactively identify insights that drive decision-making.

Key Responsibilities

• Write SQL queries to extract, transform, and analyze data from multiple sources
• Build and maintain interactive dashboards and automated reports
• Conduct ad-hoc analysis to answer business questions and inform strategy
• Define and track KPIs, success metrics, and performance indicators
• Perform cohort analysis, funnel analysis, and segmentation studies
• Partner with stakeholders to understand data needs and translate them into analyses
• Ensure data accuracy by validating sources, identifying discrepancies, and documenting assumptions
• Present findings clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences

How to Evaluate a Data Analyst

• SQL proficiency — complex queries, window functions, CTEs, performance optimization
• Data visualization skills — choosing appropriate chart types, telling stories with data
• Business acumen — understanding metrics, KPIs, and how data connects to business goals
• Communication skills — presenting findings clearly and recommending actions
• Statistical literacy — understanding distributions, correlation vs causation, significance
• Tool proficiency — Tableau, Looker, Excel/Sheets, or similar BI platforms

Interview Topics

• SQL window functions and complex joins
• Metrics definition and KPI frameworks
• A/B test analysis and interpretation
• Dashboard design principles
• Cohort and funnel analysis
• Data cleaning and quality assurance
• Stakeholder communication and presentations

Salary & Market Context

Data analyst salaries in the U.S. range from $60,000 for entry-level roles to $130,000+ for senior analysts. Specialized analytics roles (product analytics, marketing analytics) at tech companies can reach $150,000-160,000. The role is one of the most accessible entry points into tech for career changers.

A Day in the Life

A data analyst's day begins with checking dashboards for anomalies or significant metric changes. Morning standup with the team is followed by deep SQL work — building queries to answer specific business questions or investigating data discrepancies. Midday might include a meeting with marketing to review campaign performance or with product to define metrics for a new feature launch. Afternoons are spent building visualizations, updating dashboard filters, writing analysis summaries, or cleaning up data pipelines.