Courses for Data Analyst

The landscape for data analysts is expanding continuously. Demand for data-driven insights across industries has driven the need for qualified data analysts.

Behind cutting-edge insights in business today, you'll find data scientists, data engineers, SQL database administrators and a variety of other programmers and Big Data specialists.

There are so many courses -- including a variety of certificate programs and online offerings -- that the choices can be overwhelming. Plus, the blurred lines between data analysis and data science can add to the confusion.

With the volume of courses and overlap of specialties, the question becomes where to begin.

CONCEPTS FOR DATA ANALYSTS

To find the right courses for data analysts, we should first answer the question: What is data analytics?

Data analytics is the process of examining data in search of meaningful insights and conclusions.

Data analysts generally possess a background in mathematics or statistics. They strive to discover insights from large data sets. To do so, they often rely upon programming abilities, data management skills or data modeling.

Aspiring and experienced data analysts alike may pursue studies surrounding data visualization, programming in R or Python, business intelligence tools and data science. Courses on Big Data are a staple as well.

Some coursework for a data analyst will include a dive into data modeling tools. But the subject matter is so broad that the curriculum and point of emphasis will differ between courses.

DATA SCIENCE VS. DATA ANALYTICS

Data scientists and data analysts are distinguished in the scope of their focus.

Data science is a cross-disciplinary field that combines computer science, math and statistics. It leverages Big Data architecture, database management, coding, programming and machine learning to predict outcomes and events.

Data analysis focuses on discovering trends and insights within a data set to improve efficiency. Generally speaking, data analytics is viewed as more entry-level discipline.

Peeling away another layer, we find the issue of data science vs. machine learning.

Machine learning falls under the umbrella of artificial intelligence. It is the science of training systems to act intelligently through algorithms and statistical models.

Machine learning is commonly viewed as a subset of data science.

Finding The Right Data Analyst Courses

Formal education in math and statistics forms a robust foundation for data analysts, complemented by numerous introductory courses to ease entry into the field. Meanwhile, professional data analysts can advance their skills with more advanced offerings. 

AWS, Talend and WhereScape offer a wide range of classes both online and in classrooms. Upon successful completion, you will receive industry-recognized certification.

Areas of focus include: cloud essentials, Big Data and Big Data architecture, data management and machine learning.

Understanding course offerings can help you choose the right path. Whether you're a system architect, app developer, cloud practitioner or data scientist, there are data analyst programs for you.

Free Snowflake Education:

Snowflake offers various types of training for data analysts such as expert-led courses, hands-on workshops and demos to enhance their data analytics expertise.

Virtual Hands-On Lab: From Zero to Snowflake in 90 Minutes

This hands-on workshop shows you how to drastically reduce time to insight, scale up or down instantly depending on need and analyze all your data from all your sources with Snowflake's platform. Learn how to set up a data warehouse and other workloads in order to receive the actionable insights your business needs. Find a workshop near you.

Data Cloud Academy

The Data Cloud Academy’s expert-led courses will show you how the Data Cloud enables you to get the most out of your data. Learn how your organization can deploy several analytic workloads across different regions and clouds. Learn more about the program.

Snowflake Weekly Live Demo

Learn how Snowflake has altered the landscape for data cloud analytics. Our weekly 30-minute demos feature product experts introducing key Snowflake features, explaining Snowflake's unique architecture and answering live questions.