Data Analyst Roadmap
Data Analyst Roadmap: From Spreadsheets to Business Insight
Data analysis is about turning raw data into decisions a business can act on. The tools matter less than being able to ask the right question and answer it with evidence.
Foundations
4-6 weeks- Spreadsheet fluency (formulas, pivot tables, lookups) in Excel or Google Sheets
- SQL fundamentals: SELECT, JOIN, GROUP BY, and filtering real datasets
- Basic statistics: mean/median, distributions, correlation vs. causation
- How to frame a business question as an answerable data question
Core skills
2-4 months- Intermediate to advanced SQL (window functions, CTEs, query optimization)
- A BI/visualization tool (Power BI, Tableau, or Looker Studio)
- Data cleaning and handling messy, real-world datasets
- Python or R for analysis beyond what spreadsheets/SQL handle well
Specialize and build
1-3 months- A/B testing and experiment design basics
- Dashboard design that a non-technical stakeholder can actually use
- Domain depth in one area (product, marketing, finance, or ops analytics)
Job-ready polish
2-4 weeks- A portfolio with 2-3 end-to-end projects: raw data to a documented, presented insight
- Practice explaining findings to a non-technical audience, not just the query
- Mock interviews covering SQL, a case-style business question, and past projects
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