Analytics engineer: discover 7 skills you must have

Being an analytics engineer means, among other things, facing the challenge of always learning. And we know that. After all, entirely new tools, models, languages ​​and processes have been revolutionizing access to the most advanced forms of analytics.

Therefore, if you are or want to be an analytics engineer, this article will clarify what skills are expected of you in this modern life of analytics engineering curation .

Next, discover 7 skills you need to master data
(and not be dominated or dominated by it!).

Good reading!

Analytics engineer, get ready to learn 7 skills you must have

Of course, as an analytics engineer, you will need other knowledge than those listed here. But, to begin your journey to success in analytics engineering, these 7 skills will be fundamental.

Let's go to them!

Skill 1 - database knowledge and experience with SQL queries

Calm...

As an analytics engineer, you need to know how to handle an entire database management system (DBMS) , made up of a set of software , to be able to create, edit, update, store, retrieve and classify data in tables.

It does not stop there!

To masterfully interact with all this modern machinery, you also need to know how to speak (write, in this case) the universal language of data: SQL ( structured query language ) .

How will you learn all this?

Are you-dan-do.

As an analytics engineer, you will always be learning. We said this at the beginning, remember?

There is no magic to mastering an end-to-end analytics process except by studying and knowing in depth a database (SGBDs) and all the software that will be involved in this management.

Skill 2 - understanding programming languages

So it is! To be an analytics engineer, you will be practically a technological polyglot, since one of the principles of the modern approach to analytics is the use of languages ​​(also programming) to define transformations, visualizations and much more.

What does that mean?

That it is virtually impossible to be an analytics engineer (or even a data scientist) without knowing these fundamental languages.

And it means more!

To shine in the eyes of those who receive the product of an advanced analytics project, you will need to not only know, but use these languages, such as R and Python , to create software tools that will help scientists and data analysts work much more efficiently .

In practice, as an analytics engineer who knows how to use these languages, you will optimize the data modeling process and reduce the time it takes to use it. And you will also know (if you don't already know) that it makes a HUGE difference.

Skill 3 - familiarity with BI tools (Metabase, Looker, Tableau, etc.) and storytelling

After generating all the input, it's time to get started!

So, as an analytics engineer, you will need to know how to use specific tools until you finally arrive at a beautiful visualization dashboard.

For this, reports in Excel are out of the picture and the construction of dashboards using BI tools that present intelligent, interactive and easy-to-understand reports comes into play .

Here comes the importance of DataViz , codename for data visualization . A work that involves a lot of technique, a little art and your feeling. And that you should know to apply best practices based on design principles to develop beautiful storytelling .

That's right: analytics engineer also tells stories! And by doing this well, you will facilitate the interpretation of data and reduce the time needed to make a decision, which will be much more assertive.

Skill 4 - analytics engineer needs to have knowledge of business rules

It's simple! A business rule is what defines the way of doing business. It reflects the company's internal policy, the already defined process and the basic rules of conduct .

In other words, as an analytics engineer, you must have knowledge of this set of instructions that users already follow and that the project to be developed must include.

Therefore, it is up to the analytics engineer to seek and interpret these rules with the client.

Want to know how to map and understand these rules?

Using analytical thinking tools such as:

• the 5 Whys technique ;
• the Pareto Diagram ;
• Diagram of Ishikawa ;
• the GUT Matrix and so on...

And if different sectors of a company have different business rules for the same indicator, such as analytics engineer, it will also be your responsibility to suggest the standardization of this indicator.

Furthermore, after mastering all the company's information, you will also create, monitor, establish and predict new business and product metrics.

Skill 5 - good communication, especially with different business areas

Communication is something that cannot fail, even for those who are an analytics engineer, of course! And in relation to this skill, we want to address a little about the importance of soft skills . Have you heard of this?

They refer to behavioral skills , which are related to the way you deal with another person, how your group interaction works and, at the same time, how you deal with your own emotions in these interactions.

Bringing this to business areas, as an analytics engineer, you must put into practice your emotional intelligence and your set of interpersonal skills to, using the tools of analytical thinking, ask the right questions , in the right way.

What's the point of this?

May you serve as a bridge and be able to interact in the most positive way with the client and your internal collaborators, and with your own team of data analysts and engineers, to be able to describe the business rules that will make your analytics project a modern structure , robust and scalable data.

Skill 6 - cloud knowledge

We've already said it here: the cloud is already an indispensable factor, cloud-based technologies are increasingly widespread, and they are also essential for anyone who wants to be ahead in the digital world .

It's a path of no return, even for those who are analytics engineers: the use of the cloud tends to increase and you must know how to manage data and cloud platforms.

In the not-so-remote past, it was necessary to implement a complex web of processes and tools based on the characteristics of the data, each company's analysis and use cases to implement a well-structured data analysis process.

With the emergence of scalable cloud environments, these challenges now apply to any volume of data: from a startup with a few gigabytes to companies generating massive volumes of data.

And the direction of this conversation would lead us to talk about modern cloud data warehouses (DWs), which store and centralize large volumes of data in the cloud, but that will be the subject of another post...

Skill 7 - analytics engineer, finally, needs to have command of the English language

There is no debate: Shakespeare's language appears as a lingua franca. And as an analytics engineer (and not only!), if you are looking for a place in the sun in your career, you need to overcome the language barrier.

Not to mention that the vast majority of documentation, tutorials and courses are still in English. Therefore, mastering the English language will be a great facilitator throughout your learning process.

And this will also make your life easier (a lot!) when doing your research to answer questions and resolve error logs on Stack Overflow - which you will consult a lot.

Analytics engineer is… Professional with a holistic vision!

Even listing just 7 skills, you can see that, as an analytics engineer, you will have a holistic view of the process to master it from end to end, combining technical knowledge about all stages of the analytics project with strategic business notions.

With all this mastered, you will model raw data into consistent information to deliver it with rich and clear details to the decision maker.

Therefore, it is no exaggeration for us to understand that an analytics engineer is a multitasking person who, with all his skills, allows companies of all sizes access to modern and robust data infrastructures.

And this is already a reality in innovative companies, leaders in data and analytics, such as Nubank , Spotify, dbt and others.

Do you want to be part of this revolution?

Because , if you already work in the area, master Excel, get along well with data and numbers, know a little about the world of analytical engineering or are looking for a successful career, we have a very special invitation for you :

• sign up for the 1st Training in Analytics Engineering in Brazil !

Click below and discover our entire training program:

ANALYTICS ENGINEERING TRAINING PROGRAM

Specialize and develop all your skills to serve the fastest growing market in the world.

Come learn at Indicium Academy everything we do here at Indicium .

If you prefer, contact us via email:
academy@indicium.tech

Until later!