
If you want to effectively harness data to reach your goals and improve your bottom line, “get me a database analyst!” should be your rallying cry. Referred to as
the tech industry’s hottest position by the Harvard Business Review, a data analyst mines and prepares data, performs statistical operations, builds models, and programs surrounding business applications. We went looking for some tips from database analysts to make sure you’re fully utilizing all they have to offer. Here are the top three suggestions.
- Be Specific. Data analysts love details. Ask them what car they drive, and they’ll give you all the reasons they bought it. Analysts need specifics if they’re going to give you the information you’re looking for. Clear objectives and goals help an analyst work at an accelerated rate, with less revisions and meetings required to achieve results. Instead of asking for general analysis of an initiative, your questions should be measurable and concise. Start with a clearly defined problem and then ask carefully honed questions that the data will help solve.
- Know in Advance How the Data Will Be Used. Database analysts work best when they understand how you’ll use the data. Before beginning a new project, take time to meet with your analyst and discuss which specific topics or features will help you quickly gain the knowledge you need. For example, whether the data will be used for internal or external discovery will affect how an analyst approaches the task.
- Understand the Results. Make sure you know what the data you’re getting reveals. Be sure you fully understand all the possible meanings and interpretations, as well as the limitations of the results. When it comes to reporting the results, be aware of the often-misused nuances between valid and validity, sufficient and significant, etc. What they mean to a data analyst may be different than how they’re interpreted by non-analysts. Instead of using the phrase “this causes that to happen,” say “a relationship exists between.”
It All Comes Down to Communication
What matters most is that you have an open and direct dialogue with your database analyst. Good communication will lead to more time invested in the right data that helps you discover ways to better serve your customers or clients. If you define the right data for answering your questions, it will help you draw accurate conclusions to best inform your decision-making process. And with the right database analysis methods and tools, what was once an overwhelming volume of disparate information becomes a simpler, clearer decision point.