What skills does a data analyst need?

A data analyst needs 35 essential skills including digital data processing, information structure, business intelligence, data mining, documentation types. Core competencies include Sense Making, Problem Solving, Communication.

Will AI replace data analyst jobs?

The AI disruption score for data analyst is 82/100 (very high risk). Some tasks may be automated but the role will evolve rather than disappear entirely.

Infocomm TechnologyInformation and communications technology professionalsISCO 2511

data analyst

Data analysts import, inspect, clean, transform, validate, model, or interpret collections of data with regard to the business goals of the company. They ensure that the data sources and repositories provide consistent and reliable data. Data analysts use different algorithms and IT tools as demanded by the situation and the current data. They might prepare reports in the form of visualisations such as graphs, charts, and dashboards.

Do You Have the Skills for This Role?

Core competency requirements inferred from the occupation's skill profile. Take the free assessment to see how you match.

Must-Have Skills (Advanced)

Sense MakingAdvanced

Supporting Skills

Problem SolvingIntermediate

CommunicationIntermediate

Digital FluencyIntermediate

European Skills Framework

Skills and knowledge areas required for this occupation based on European classification.

Essential (35)

digital data processingdigital data processingIdentify, locate, retrieve, store, organise and analyse digital information, judging its relevance and purpose.information structureinformation structureThe type of infrastructure which defines the format of data: semi-structured, unstructured and structured.business intelligencebusiness intelligenceThe tools used to transform large amounts of raw data into relevant and helpful business information.data miningdata miningThe methods of artificial intelligence, machine learning, statistics and databases used to extract content from a dataset.documentation typesdocumentation typesThe characteristics of internal and external documentation types aligned with the product life cycle and their specific content types.visual presentation techniquesvisual presentation techniquesThe visual representation and interaction techniques, such as histograms, scatter plots, surface plots, tree maps and parallel coordinate plots, that can be used to present abstract numerical and non-...data engineeringdata engineeringThe process of developing and constructing systems for implementing data collection and analysis at large scale.data visualisation softwaredata visualisation softwareA computer tool or application that creates a graphical and visual representation of data, allowing a better understanding and interpretation of complex data through visual elements such as maps, char...information extractioninformation extractionThe techniques and methods used for eliciting and extracting information from unstructured or semi-structured digital documents and sources.statisticsstatisticsThe study of statistical theory, methods and practices such as collection, organisation, analysis, interpretation and presentation of data. It deals with all aspects of data including the planning of ...information categorisationinformation categorisationThe process of classifying the information into categories and showing relationships between the data for some clearly defined purposes.business analyticsbusiness analyticsThe disciplines and technologies for solving business problems through employing quantitative methods such as data analysis and statistical models.resource description framework query languageresource description framework query languageThe query languages such as SPARQL which are used to retrieve and manipulate data stored in Resource Description Framework format (RDF).information confidentialityinformation confidentialityThe mechanisms and regulations which allow for selective access control and guarantee that only authorised parties (people, processes, systems and devices) have access to data, the way to comply with ...unstructured dataunstructured dataThe information that is not arranged in a pre-defined manner or does not have a pre-defined data model and is difficult to understand and find patterns in without using techniques such as data mining.data quality assessmentdata quality assessmentThe process of revealing data issues using quality indicators, measures and metrics in order to plan data cleansing and data enrichment strategies according to data quality criteria.data ethicsdata ethicsThe subfield of ethics that assess whether data practices are considerable ethical. It assesses processes such as collecting, analysing and disseminating structured and unstructured data that might ne...data sciencedata scienceThe field of study that deals with big amount of data using AI techniques such as machine learning algorithms to predict patterns and obtain useful information to make business decisions.data modelsdata modelsThe techniques and existing systems used for structuring data elements and showing relationships between them, as well as methods for interpreting the data structures and relationships.normalise datanormalise dataReduce data to their accurate core form (normal forms) in order to achieve such results as minimisation of dependency, elimination of redundancy, increase of consistency.use data processing techniquesuse data processing techniquesGather, process and analyse relevant data and information, properly store and update data and represent figures and data using charts and statistical diagrams.interpret current datainterpret current dataAnalyse data gathered from sources such as market data, scientific papers, customer requirements and questionnaires which are current and up-to-date in order to assess development and innovation in ar...establish data processesestablish data processesUse ICT tools to apply mathematical, algorithmic or other data manipulation processes in order to create information.execute analytical mathematical calculationsexecute analytical mathematical calculationsApply mathematical methods and make use of calculation technologies in order to perform analyses and devise solutions to specific problems.apply statistical analysis techniquesapply statistical analysis techniquesUse models (descriptive or inferential statistics) and techniques (data mining or machine learning) for statistical analysis and ICT tools to analyse data, uncover correlations and forecast trends.perform data miningperform data miningExplore large datasets to reveal patterns using statistics, database systems or artificial intelligence and present the information in a comprehensible way.use databasesuse databasesUse software tools for managing and organising data in a structured environment which consists of attributes, tables and relationships in order to query and modify the stored data.integrate ICT dataintegrate ICT dataCombine data from sources to provide unified view of the set of these data.analyse big dataanalyse big dataCollect and evaluate numerical data in large quantities, especially for the purpose of identifying patterns between the data.handle data sampleshandle data samplesCollect and select a set of data from a population by a statistical or other defined procedure.perform data cleansingperform data cleansingDetect and correct corrupt records from data sets, ensure that the data become and remain structured according to guidelines.define data quality criteriadefine data quality criteriaSpecify the criteria by which data quality is measured for business purposes, such as inconsistencies, incompleteness, usability for purpose and accuracy.implement data quality processesimplement data quality processesApply quality analysis, validation and verification techniques on data to check data quality integrity.collect ICT datacollect ICT dataGather data by designing and applying search and sampling methods.manage datamanage dataAdminister all types of data resources through their lifecycle by performing data profiling, parsing, standardisation, identity resolution, cleansing, enhancement and auditing. Ensure the data is fit ...

Optional (29)

marketing analyticsmarketing analyticsThe set of processes for employing data to improve the effectiveness of marketing activities. It involves analysing metrics such as the Return on Investment (ROI) for identify opportunities of improve...web analyticsweb analyticsThe characteristics, tools and techniques for measurement, collection, analysis and reporting of web data to get information on the users' behaviour and to improve the performance of a website.social network analysissocial network analysisThe research method that is mainly explored in sociology and communication science and focuses on the analysis of the relations between individuals and among organisations and states.XQueryXQueryThe computer language XQuery is a query language for retrieval of information from a database and of documents containing the needed information. It is developed by the international standards organis...databasedatabaseThe classification of databases, that includes their purpose, characteristics, terminology, models and use such as XML databases, document-oriented databases and full text databases.image recognitionimage recognitionA process designed to detect and identify a feature or object in an image or video. This process is used in medical imaging, security surveillance or defect detection, among other fields. Key techniqu...SPARQLSPARQLThe computer language SPARQL is a query language for retrieval of information from a database and of documents containing the needed information. It is developed by the international standards organis...statistical modeling techniquesstatistical modeling techniquesThe approaches for employing statistical analysis to dataset within the data science field. It seeks to elaborate reality predictions through statistical models and explicit assumptions.research designresearch designThe set of methods and techniques of research that are used to conduct a study. It includes practical steps in research such as purpose statement, data collection, methodology, and data analysis.game theorygame theoryThe study of mathematical models of strategic decisions among stakeholders. It has applications in all fields of social science, as well as in systems science, computer science and logic. Essential co...multidisciplinary researchmultidisciplinary researchThe research technique where a common issue is investigated using approaches from different disciplines with the aim of finding a comprehensive solution to it.healthcare analyticshealthcare analyticsThe use of qualitative and quantitative methods to analyse patterns in healthcare data to the aim of improving healthcare administration, quality in patient care and diseases diagnosis.LDAPLDAPThe computer language LDAP is a query language for retrieval of information from a database and of documents containing the needed information.data storagedata storageThe physical and technical concepts of how digital data storage is organised in specific schemes both locally, such as hard-drives and random-access memories (RAM) and remotely, via network, internet ...online analytical processingonline analytical processingThe online tools which analyse, aggregate and present multi-dimensional data enabling users to interactively and selectively extract and view data from specific points of view.cloud technologiescloud technologiesThe technologies which enable access to hardware, software, data and services through remote servers and software networks irrespective of their location and architecture.LINQLINQThe computer language LINQ is a query language for retrieval of information from a database and of documents containing the needed information. It is developed by the software company Microsoft.HadoopHadoopThe open-source data storing, analysis and processing framework which consists mainly in the MapReduce and Hadoop distributed file system (HDFS) components and it is used to provide support for managi...N1QLN1QLThe computer language N1QL is a query language for retrieval of information from a database and of documents containing the needed information. It is developed by the software company Couchbase.gather data for forensic purposesgather data for forensic purposesCollect protected, fragmented or corrupted data and other online communication. Document and present findings from this process.use spreadsheets softwareuse spreadsheets softwareUse software tools to create and edit tabular data to carry out mathematical calculations, organise data and information, create diagrams based on data and to retrieve them.manage quantitative datamanage quantitative dataGather, process and present quantitative data. Use the appropriate programs and methods for validating, organising and interpreting data.store digital data and systemsstore digital data and systemsUse software tools to archive data by copying and backing them up, in order to ensure their integrity and to prevent data loss.manage data collection systemsmanage data collection systemsDevelop and manage methods and strategies used to maximise data quality and statistical efficiency in the collection of data, in order to ensure the gathered data are optimised for further processing.make data-driven decisionsmake data-driven decisionsCollect data such as Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for an organisation and use the information to formulate actions and strategies.deliver visual presentation of datadeliver visual presentation of dataCreate visual representations of data such as charts or diagrams for easier understanding.report analysis resultsreport analysis resultsProduce research documents or give presentations to report the results of a conducted research and analysis project, indicating the analysis procedures and methods which led to the results, as well as...manage cloud data and storagemanage cloud data and storageCreate and manage cloud data retention. Identify and implement data protection, encryption, and capacity planning needs.create data modelscreate data modelsUse specific techniques and methodologies to analyse the data requirements of an organisation's business processes in order to create models for these data, such as conceptual, logical and physical mo...