Developer Data Modeling Mistakes: From Postgres to NoSQL
Tips to Become a Better Data Analyst - Data+Women Germany
1. Skills for Success
Tips to Help you Become a
Better Data Analyst
Sarah Bartlett
Data + Women Germany | June 2020
2. Sarah Bartlett
BI & Analytics Consultant @ Slalom
Tableau Zen Master
Tableau Social Ambassador
Co-leader of London Tableau User Group
@sarahlovesdata | sarahlovesdata.co.uk
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3. My Professional
Background
• Degree in Business & Economics
• 12+ years working in data & analytics
• Tableau user for 6 years
• 3 years BI consulting experience
• Tableau Certified Associate – 2018
• Tableau Certified Professional – 2019
• London TUG co-leader since 2016
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14. Data Viz
Triangle
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Data
• Data collection methods
• Data wrangling
• Data structures
• Basic statistics
• Evaluate hypothesis’s & data storytelling
Design
• Layout
• Fonts
• Colour
• UX
Tools
• BI tools – i.e. Tableau, Power BI, MS Excel
• Code – i.e. D3.js, ggplot2, Python
• Pen & paper
Credit: Will Chase @W_R_Chase
16. Master
The
Basics
Utilise free training resources
Tableau: www.tableau.com/learn/training/20202
Power BI: powerbi.microsoft.com/en-us/learning/
Data science / code; Python, R, SQL: datacamp.com/,
freecodecamp.org/news/
Attend a formal training class
◦ At work, online or via a user group / meetup
◦ Udemy, LinkedIn Learning, Coursera
Study best practices in data presentation
community.storytellingwithdata.com/
18. Practice
Regularly
• Choose learning projects that challenge you
• Choose a combination of small scale & larger projects
• Join a community project:
21. Ask the
Right
Questions
Is your data source trustworthy?
Is my data complete?
Can this data actually help me answer my
question or do I need additional data?
Understand the limits of your data
○ How Charts Lie by Alberto Cairo
○ Avoiding Data Pitfalls by Ben Jones
23. Study
Design
Fundamentals
Traditional design teachings (i.e. web or graphic design)
do not always apply to data viz
○ The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman
○ Practical Typography by Matthew Butternick
○ The Big Book of Dashboards by Steve Wexler,
Jeffery Shaffer and Andy Cotgreave
○ Storytelling with Data by Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic
○ Reflections in Design blog by Sam Parsons
25. Publish
your
Work
○ Publish your work – i.e. Tableau Public
○ Share on social media – Twitter / LinkedIn /
Instagram / Pinterest
○ Seek feedback & iterate
○ Show progression
○ Create a visual CV
28. Engage
with the
Community
• Join a user group or meet up
• Tableau: usergroups.tableau.com/
• Power BI: www.pbiusergroup.com/
• R / R Ladies
• Join Twitter & follow data people - #datafam
• Join the Data Visualisation Society
• Find a mentor - mentoringmeetup.com/
• SWD Community – Practice, give/receive feedback
https://community.storytellingwithdata.com/
31. Get
Certified
• Prove your tool-specific & data viz skills
• Boost your CV
• Stand out from the crowd
• Test your knowledge – fill in the gaps
• Earn badges & swag!
32. 32
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ASSOCIATE
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Tableau Certification Paths
34. Community
Resources
Tableau
• Viz Wiz –Blog by Andy Kriebel - www.vizwiz.com/
• Flerlage Twins –Tableau tutorials & templates for
more advanced chart types - flerlagetwins.com
Power BI
• Power BI Tips - https://powerbi.tips/
• Guy in a Cube – Bite-sized You Tube lessons
R & Python
• R Weekly - https://rweekly.org/
• R Graph Gallery - http://r-graph-gallery.com/
• Dev.to - Articles & discussions about Python -
https://dev.to/t/python
36. Teach
Others
○ Start a blog or video channel
○ Mentor someone
○ Present at User Groups & Meetups
○ Answer questions on Community Forums
○ Run lunch & learn sessions at work
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Master the
Basics
Build strong
foundations
Practice
Regularly
Refine your skills &
choose projects that
challenge you
Publish your
Work
Share your work & seek
feedback
Engage with the
Community
Engage with others &
build your network
Get Certified
Prove your skills
Teach Others
Share your knowledge
and give back
Ask the Right
Questions
Know the questions to
ask of your data
Study Design
Fundamentals
Layout, typography,
colour
Leverage
Community
Resources
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Thanks!
Twitter | @sarahlovesdata
Blog | www.sarahlovesdata.co.uk
Email | sarah_bartlett@outlook.com
Public | public.tableau.com/profile/sarah.bartlett#!/
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