Week 15 : Data Analysis & Visualisation (Using Microsoft Excel & SQL) - Newbie swotting as a Business Analyst

Agile DeliveryWorkWizardBusiness Analyst

Apr 3

Written By Wawa Hals

Hello friends,

Welcome back to my #SwottingAsABusinessAnalyst series. Read my previous post here.

If you're new here, explore the initial post of my journey 'Swotting' as a budding Business Analyst.

In Week 15 (Week of March 11th), we delved deeper into the realm of data analysis, uncovering invaluable insights from datasets provided by my employer's Domain team. As a Business Analyst, this week was particularly enlightening as we honed our skills in dissecting data, identifying trends, and drawing meaningful conclusions to aid decision-making processes, building on what we learned in Weeks 12-14.

Training Objectives in Week 12-14:

We aimed to achieve the following by the end of the training:

Perform simple data analysis using Excel.
Learn basic query extraction/manipulation using SQL, Excel formulas, etc.
Develop an understanding of pseudocode.

This blogpost is divided into 3 sections, which I am splitting it into 3 different blogpost (it’s too long!) :

Making sense of data (Read here)
Pseudocode (Read here)
Data Analysis & Data Extraction (Read here)

At the end of our training in Weeks 12-14, we received an assignment containing raw data, which we were expected to convert into meaningful insights for stakeholders.

Download sample assignment here

Download the answer here

(I asked ChatGPT to create a random data)

Here’s my 5 takeaways :

#1 Understanding Data

From the data provided, I learned the importance of analyzing raw data to tell a meaningful story and make informed decisions. This involved several steps:

Data Extraction: Using SQL to extract data from the AWS database.
Data Cleaning: Ensuring raw data reflects logic and requirements by removing empty spaces, correcting typos, and eliminating duplications.
Data Analysis: Using Excel to turn raw data into insights using different charts.
Data Interpretation: Reading data to create a meaningful narrative.
Data Presentation: Sharing data in the preferred format (PowerPoint) during formal discussions with stakeholders.

#2 Data Accuracy and Collaboration

Data accuracy became a significant focus this week, emphasizing the importance of collaborating with colleagues to validate data sources, address discrepancies, and maintain data integrity throughout the analysis process.

I learned so much from just pairing with my colleague (she likes Excel, so she was having more fun than I was)

#3 Overcoming Challenges

As a new BA, I encountered challenges such as navigating data analysis and understanding the working environment. Learning in the working world differs from university, as it involves understanding BA knowledge, product and domain knowledge, organizational culture, and putting theory into practice.

Here in real working scenario, prioritising is key to overcoming “too much” things to do! I organise mine by categorising the work according to the areas of my learning.

I divided them into two main areas such as BA Knowledge and Domain Knowledge. I will then further breakdown the areas into sub-areas that I am learning and practicing. I wrote about this in my reflection blogpost here

#4 Knowing “Just Enough”

While some BA roles may require an expert Excel and data analysis skill, the role I am in only require me to know “just enough” on how to extract and analyse data. Data Analyst will be the person to go to if we require more complex data analysis.

Microsoft Excel

Neither I am fan of data analysis on Excel nor I am expert at using the function on Excel ~ but I must say it is important for BA to at least master the basic Excel skill as the following :

Data cleaning
How to do “pivot”
How to do “create chart” (complex chart to be created as you play around with the data and making sense of data to tell a meaningful story)

Writing and using SQL

SQL is a tool that you can use to extract raw data from AWS database.

Basic SQL can be learned as following : (I have discussed this briefly in my Week #12-14 Part 3 blogpost)

Basic SQL that BA needs to know (Read here)
SQL Tutorial (Read here)

#5 Commitment to Growth

Week 15 reinforced my commitment to growth and excellence in this role. I aim to continually improve my skills and contribute meaningfully to the BA school. Exciting, nervous, fear - all mix up together!

Overall, Week 15 of my journey as a Business Analyst has been enlightening and empowering. Join me next week as I continue to navigate the exciting world of business analysis and share more insights along the way.

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You can also explore my other blog post on Agile Delivery, Project Solutions, Agile Mindset and Career Bits on WorkWizard. Leave me a comment, would love to hear if we are on the same wavelength!

Read this article on medium : https://medium.com/@wawahalim