From Numbers to Strategy: A Career as a Data Analyst

The role of a data analyst is to process and interpret all available data in order to extract:

• Information for business decision-making.
• Data for understanding specific situations.

This professional transforms figures and statistics into actionable conclusions. To this end, they sort through large amounts of data, check its quality and highlight opportunities. They then create detailed reports (graphs, charts, etc.) to present to management and the teams concerned.

To perform their duties, data analysts use a variety of tools on a daily basis. These include office software such as Excel, languages such as SAS, VBA and ACCESS, and SQL databases.

Data analysts generally work within a company, reporting to the IT department (CIO). They can work in a variety of sectors (e-commerce, finance, healthcare, cosmetics, agri-food, etc.) and help organizations identify market opportunities and develop new services and products.

This professional is therefore required to work in collaboration with other experts such as product managers, financial analysts and marketers.

In addition to companies, data analysts can also work in local authorities, research organizations or consulting firms.

The profession of data analyst is accessible with a five-year degree and fluency in English may be required.

It is possible to start with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics, statistics or computer science at a university. Students can also choose a bachelor’s degree, such as the Bachelor Data Analyst at ISC Paris.

Once you have a three-year degree, there are several paths you can take:

• Whether at a university or a specialized school, many master’s programs prepare students for careers in big data. You can opt for a master’s degree in Data Science or Business Analytics.
• To specialize further and benefit from training that is recognized in France and abroad, graduates can continue their studies with a Master of Science. This will give them a double degree, which is highly valued in the professional world.
• To become a data analyst, it is also possible to study for an engineering degree with a specialization in big data, statistics and IT.

Data analysts are often confused with data scientists. However, their roles are completely different, and data analysts can choose to progress to the position of data scientist. Data scientists are responsible for designing algorithms and various automation systems to create predictive analyses based on data.

This is a technical position that requires advanced knowledge of statistics, programming, and artificial intelligence.

Better known as the Chief Data Officer (CDO), this executive supports the company’s digital transformation. They are responsible for data and work with all stakeholders (marketing, communications, engineering teams, etc.) to make the best use of big data and ensure its quality and security.

The business intelligence (BI) consultant designs and implements data reporting and visualisation systems. They work closely with various teams (sales, HR, accounting, etc.) to meet their data analysis needs.

Data engineers are responsible for collecting, storing and managing company data. They work closely with data scientists and data analysts to ensure that data is available and easy to use.

A data analyst can progress to the position of Data Director. The latter is responsible for the company’s data strategy. They work with senior management to define data-related objectives and initiatives.