A guide to data for non-analysts. Learn data the easy way with this… | by Aadi Jain | Jun, 2022
Learn data the easy way with this practical guide
Why you should become fluent in data
For data analysts and a few other data-driven professionals, data is liberating; it puts an end to speculation and opinionated discussions and provides clarity and certainty. But for most others, data is confusing and intimidating and leads to a feeling of helplessness. This is a wide spectrum and most people I know fall somewhere in the middle, but there is a marked skew towards helplessness. I just used an analytics term! If you don’t know what ‘skew’ means, you can’t interpret the data I just provided, and that’s exactly my point.
When I started in analytics in 2013, data was at best supporting evidence. Over the years, it has become the focus of meetings and decision-making. Data is thrown around casually in conversations and it is assumed that everyone understands words like significance, p-value, sample size, normal distribution, etc. I have seen people bullied into silence with data.
Data is a language of communication and perhaps as important as English in the workplace. I have seen colleagues who are fluent with data make rapid progress in their careers while others stagnate. You don’t have to complete online courses or attend workshops. You just need to learn a few basic concepts and utilize the various resources already at your disposal.
How can you become fluent in data?
Before I share my advice, just a word of caution — this advice is based on my own learning experience and that of some of my colleagues. Use this as a guideline at best and find what works for you. Now let’s get to it:
- Honest assessment: Start with a reality check so you have a baseline for comparison later. When you come across data in the coming weeks, observe how you feel (confused, lost) and how much of it you understand. As you get better at working with data, you will understand more of it and feel more confident.
- Create a data dictionary: Every company has terms and definitions for important metrics. A data dictionary is the list of terms used in your company to refer to data. Once you know these terms, you will be able to take a more active part in discussions. First, you need to get all these terms. Here’s how you can get them:
— Go through company dashboards and reports. Note down the titles and labels in charts, and the column names in data tables
— Note down terms you often hear in meetings but don’t understand. - Get familiar with dashboards and reports: Companies have dashboards that track all the important metrics. Make sure to go through these dashboards once a week. If some metric is moving up or down, try and understand the reasons behind the same. This will help you appreciate how various factors influence metrics.
- Work with the analytics team: Analytics team is your best resource for data. Here’s how they can be part of your journey:
— Ask analysts to share data with you before meetings. If you don’t understand something, clarify it before the meeting. This will help you focus on the discussion during the meeting.
— If you don’t understand data shared on mail or slack, have a call and discuss the same.
— If you have asked for an analysis, spend time with analysts while they are working on it.
— Work on a short analysis from scratch. Get raw data from analysts and do the calculations in Excel or even on paper. This is the best way to get comfortable with data. - Practice mental calculations: Use your brain for simple calculations instead of a calculator. Then, verify it using a calculator. You should be able to add or multiply a few numbers on your own. If you can’t calculate on your own, you will struggle in meetings because there is no time to use a calculator.
- Learn some statistics: Analysts often use statistical terms while presenting an analysis. If you don’t understand these terms, you won’t understand the analysis. So, learn some concepts like significance testing, sample and population means, normal distribution, p-value, t-test, etc. You only need to learn to interpret these numbers and not the theory behind them. Get a list of such concepts from your analytics team as they may vary by domain.
- Utilize meetings and mail threads: I have learned a lot from sitting in meetings and listening to discussions. It’s the easiest way to learn from your colleagues and it doesn’t take any extra time. Here’s how you can get the most out of meetings:
— As mentioned above, get the data before the meeting so you can focus on the discussion.
— Listen to your colleagues as they discuss the data, interpret it, and ask questions.
— Read those long, boring discussions on slack that everyone ignores. You will learn a lot about interpreting data from these discussions. You will also learn to put across a point using data. It’s one of the best resources available to you. - Make it a habit: Practise makes perfect. You can practice your skills on any kind of data. You don’t have to rely on company data alone. You can find data while scrolling through social media, or watching the news, or even a tennis match. Make sure you read and interpret data as often as possible. Make it a habit that when you come across data, you read every number and understand it. This will make your data skills more universal.
You will need a few months before you become fluent in data. You will start understanding data within a couple of weeks and keep picking up more skills over the next few months. You will have plenty of opportunities to practice your newly acquired skills at work. Good luck!
Learn data the easy way with this practical guide
Why you should become fluent in data
For data analysts and a few other data-driven professionals, data is liberating; it puts an end to speculation and opinionated discussions and provides clarity and certainty. But for most others, data is confusing and intimidating and leads to a feeling of helplessness. This is a wide spectrum and most people I know fall somewhere in the middle, but there is a marked skew towards helplessness. I just used an analytics term! If you don’t know what ‘skew’ means, you can’t interpret the data I just provided, and that’s exactly my point.
When I started in analytics in 2013, data was at best supporting evidence. Over the years, it has become the focus of meetings and decision-making. Data is thrown around casually in conversations and it is assumed that everyone understands words like significance, p-value, sample size, normal distribution, etc. I have seen people bullied into silence with data.
Data is a language of communication and perhaps as important as English in the workplace. I have seen colleagues who are fluent with data make rapid progress in their careers while others stagnate. You don’t have to complete online courses or attend workshops. You just need to learn a few basic concepts and utilize the various resources already at your disposal.
How can you become fluent in data?
Before I share my advice, just a word of caution — this advice is based on my own learning experience and that of some of my colleagues. Use this as a guideline at best and find what works for you. Now let’s get to it:
- Honest assessment: Start with a reality check so you have a baseline for comparison later. When you come across data in the coming weeks, observe how you feel (confused, lost) and how much of it you understand. As you get better at working with data, you will understand more of it and feel more confident.
- Create a data dictionary: Every company has terms and definitions for important metrics. A data dictionary is the list of terms used in your company to refer to data. Once you know these terms, you will be able to take a more active part in discussions. First, you need to get all these terms. Here’s how you can get them:
— Go through company dashboards and reports. Note down the titles and labels in charts, and the column names in data tables
— Note down terms you often hear in meetings but don’t understand. - Get familiar with dashboards and reports: Companies have dashboards that track all the important metrics. Make sure to go through these dashboards once a week. If some metric is moving up or down, try and understand the reasons behind the same. This will help you appreciate how various factors influence metrics.
- Work with the analytics team: Analytics team is your best resource for data. Here’s how they can be part of your journey:
— Ask analysts to share data with you before meetings. If you don’t understand something, clarify it before the meeting. This will help you focus on the discussion during the meeting.
— If you don’t understand data shared on mail or slack, have a call and discuss the same.
— If you have asked for an analysis, spend time with analysts while they are working on it.
— Work on a short analysis from scratch. Get raw data from analysts and do the calculations in Excel or even on paper. This is the best way to get comfortable with data. - Practice mental calculations: Use your brain for simple calculations instead of a calculator. Then, verify it using a calculator. You should be able to add or multiply a few numbers on your own. If you can’t calculate on your own, you will struggle in meetings because there is no time to use a calculator.
- Learn some statistics: Analysts often use statistical terms while presenting an analysis. If you don’t understand these terms, you won’t understand the analysis. So, learn some concepts like significance testing, sample and population means, normal distribution, p-value, t-test, etc. You only need to learn to interpret these numbers and not the theory behind them. Get a list of such concepts from your analytics team as they may vary by domain.
- Utilize meetings and mail threads: I have learned a lot from sitting in meetings and listening to discussions. It’s the easiest way to learn from your colleagues and it doesn’t take any extra time. Here’s how you can get the most out of meetings:
— As mentioned above, get the data before the meeting so you can focus on the discussion.
— Listen to your colleagues as they discuss the data, interpret it, and ask questions.
— Read those long, boring discussions on slack that everyone ignores. You will learn a lot about interpreting data from these discussions. You will also learn to put across a point using data. It’s one of the best resources available to you. - Make it a habit: Practise makes perfect. You can practice your skills on any kind of data. You don’t have to rely on company data alone. You can find data while scrolling through social media, or watching the news, or even a tennis match. Make sure you read and interpret data as often as possible. Make it a habit that when you come across data, you read every number and understand it. This will make your data skills more universal.
You will need a few months before you become fluent in data. You will start understanding data within a couple of weeks and keep picking up more skills over the next few months. You will have plenty of opportunities to practice your newly acquired skills at work. Good luck!
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