Job description for a data analyst
Do you have an interest in data science and a passion for data analysis? In this article, you will discover the mission of the Data Analyst and the job.
Do you have an interest in data? Are you passionate about data analysis? Would you like to help business leaders in their decision-making?
Digital data analysis is for you.
In this article, we will tell you everything you need to know about the data analyst job.
The explosion in digital data : Big data
The emergence of the internet and new storage technologies has resulted in an increasing amount of digital data in motion and stored in corporate databases.
These data relate to clients, suppliers, products, etc.
And yet, business leaders have been quick to understand that once analysed, data are a real source of value creation. Data allow them to make marketing, management, and financial decisions in order to increase their turnover.
As a result, there is an ever-growing demand for data analysts and data processors, who are in constant demand among businesses.
This is the case in particular for Data Analysts.
The career of a data analyst
Data Analysts are trained to process, structure, cross-reference, categorise, analyse, and present data in the form of graphs and tables that are legible and coherent.
One could describe them as data interpreters.
The objective of the Data Analyst is to advise businesses on their marketing decisions based on their analysis of the data.
To do this, the Data Analyst inherits data recorded in Excel tables, for example, containing hundreds of lines and columns. Using languages such as SQL and Python, he or she can arrange data in such a way that some sort of sense can emerge from the data. Data that have been converted into comprehensible information have real added value for a business. Managers will be able to use them to improve their decision-making and, in doing so, improve their production model, sales strategy, etc.
The Data Analyst is a veritable data technician. Their work is a combination of data analysis and marketing.
Skills required
A Data Analyst must have an analytical mind and be rigorous. He or she must be able to master IT, in particular certain languages (Python, SQL) that will enable them to turn raw data into valuable information. A knowledge of open-source distributed calculation frameworks, such as Spark or Hadoop, is essential. He or she will also be familiar with certain areas of mathematics and statistics, so that they can predict certain trends that can result in recommendations for strategies to adopt.
Finally, the Data Analyst must have marketing skills that will allow them to best advise the managers they serve.
How to become a Data Analyst?
A business or STEM (science, technology, engineering or math) degree is usually required, or work experience with analytical focus. Knowledge of the different languages and an intellectual curiosity are a plus.
Data ScienceTech Institute offers its students the Applied MSc in Data Analytics. Thi RNCP certified programme (Master’s level) is delivered full-time, on the campus of Sophia-Antipolis and Paris, or online, for 1 year (6 months of classes and 6 months of internship). There are two entries per year, in Autumn and Spring.
DSTI offers a study mode that is flexible and personalised (SPOC mode), to allow working professionals who cannot stop working to study at their own pace and online. In the SPOC mode, admissions are open throughout the year.
This Applied MSc allows participants to acquire the skills of a Data Analyst and improve their prospects for employment by reinforcing decision-making through data analysis. During this programme, students learn how to use the techniques and tools necessary to deliver their analyses using relevant and structured reports. They also learn to develop an analytical mind, study business intelligence (BI) software in depth, acquire skills in various database technologies, familiarise themselves with Machine Learning for predictive analysis, and refresh their knowledge of mathematics.
Learn about the DSTI Applied MSc in Data Analytics programme.
Data Analyst salary
Data professionals such as Data Analysts are in increasing demand among businesses. The added value provided by these data experts is very significant. Therefore, businesses are able to offer these data specialists attractive high salaries even for a data analyst job.
A starting junior Data Analyst can earn around 3,000 euros per month, i.e. 36,000 euros per year.
Given that it is constantly changing, the salary of an experienced data analyst does not stagnate. Their remuneration increases regularly as a function of their years of experience.
After two or three years’ experience, their salary can increase to 3,500 (or even 4,000) euros a month.
If they wish, Data analysts can continue their training to become a Data Scientist, whose end-of-career remuneration can reach as high as 15,000 euros per month, i.e. 180,000 euros per year.