Data Analyst Roadmap for Beginners 2024

INTRODUCTION 

Welcome to the Data Analyst Roadmap 2024 – your guide to mastering essential data analyst skills for a total beginner (no coding or computer science background needed). In today's digital world, data is crucial for decision-making, and being good at data analysis is super important. Whether you're a beginner or want to improve your skills, this guide teaches you the essential skills and knowledge for this dynamic field. Discover the steps and tips to become a skilled data analyst with Roadmap for Data Analyst. 

A Data Analyst Roadmap serves as a strategic guide outlining the skills, tools, and knowledge required to excel in the field. It acts as a blueprint, helping individuals navigate the vast landscape of data analysis efficiently. The roadmap for data analysts caters to beginners and accommodates the needs of seasoned professionals aiming to refine their expertise in alignment with the latest industry trends. 

Table of Contents 

Key Components of the Data Analyst Roadmap for Beginners  

Data Analyst Roadmap for Beginners  

Week 0: Do Proper Research and protect yourself from SCAMS  

Week 1 and 2: Excel and Business Math/Statistics + LinkedIn Profile  

Week 3, 4, 5: BI tools (Power BI or Tableau) + LinkedIn Engagement + Business Fundamentals  

Week 6, 7 and 8: SQL + ATS Resume + Project Portfolio  

Week 9 & 10: Python and Pandas + Leveraging AI Tools + More Domain Knowledge  

Week 11, 12: Interview Prep & Practice  

How can I get guided learning all at one place with practical job assistance?  

Tips to Data Analyst Roadmap for Effective Learning 

Key Components of the Data Analyst Roadmap for Beginners 

1. Foundational Skills: 

Begin your journey by building a strong foundation. Understand the basics of mathematics, statistics, and probability. A sound knowledge of these principles forms the bedrock of effective data analysis.  

2. Learn Fundamental Skills: 

• Develop proficiency in programming languages commonly used in data analysis such as Python or R. These languages offer powerful libraries and tools for data manipulation, analysis, and visualization. 

• Gain familiarity with SQL (Structured Query Language) for querying databases, as it's a crucial skill for data analysts. 

• Understand basic statistical concepts and methods. This includes knowledge of probability theory, hypothesis testing, regression analysis, and other statistical techniques. 

3. Data Manipulation and Visualization: 

• Learn how to clean and preprocess data. This involves handling missing values, removing duplicates, and transforming data into a suitable format for analysis. 

• Acquire skills in data visualization using tools like Matplotlib, Seaborn, or ggplot2. Being able to create clear and insightful visualizations is essential for communicating findings to stakeholders. 

4. Database Knowledge: 

• Gain proficiency in working with relational databases. Understand concepts like normalization, database design, and efficient querying. 

• Familiarize yourself with popular database management systems like MySQL, PostgreSQL, or SQLite. 

5. Machine Learning and Advanced Analytics: 

• Explore machine learning algorithms and techniques. While not always required for all data analyst roles, having knowledge of machine learning can be beneficial, especially for roles involving predictive analytics or pattern recognition. 

• Understand how to apply statistical modeling techniques such as linear regression, logistic regression, clustering, and decision trees. 

6. Gain Practical Experience: 

• Work on projects that involve real-world data. This could be through internships, freelance work, or personal projects. 

• Participate in online competitions like those hosted on Kaggle, where you can practice your skills and learn from others in the data science community. 

7. Continuous Learning and Professional Development: 

• Stay updated with the latest trends, tools, and techniques in data analysis and related fields. 

• Consider pursuing certifications or additional courses to deepen your knowledge in specific areas of interest or to demonstrate expertise to potential employers. 

8. Soft Skills: 

• Develop strong communication skills, as data analysts often need to explain their findings to non-technical stakeholders. 

• Cultivate critical thinking and problem-solving abilities, as these are essential for tackling complex data analysis tasks.

Data Analyst Roadmap for Beginners

Following is the roadmap to learn Data Analyst skills for a total beginner (no coding or computer science background needed). It includes FREE learning resources for technical skills (or tool skills) + soft (or core) skills + Practice + Showcasing your work to get interview calls + Cracking Interview.

Total Duration: 3 Months  

1.5 hours in Tool Skills + 1 hour in Core Skills + 1.5 hours in practice = 4 hours study Every Day 

Week 0: Do Proper Research and protect yourself from SCAMS 

Unfortunately, a lot of systematic scams are happening in ed tech, especially in the data field where aspirants are provided with false promises like a 100% job guarantee or trapped into “Masterclasses” which are nothing but sales pitches to upsell their low-grade courses at exorbitant prices. You need to do complete research about the market and mentors before starting your journey. Providing you the links to a few posts that we have made in this regard which will support your research. 

Even though these posts are NOT sufficient, do your additional research. 

https://bit.ly/4at9Jaw

https://bit.ly/477IOOs

https://bit.ly/3GPD7dp

Week 1 and 2: Excel and Business Math/Statistics + LinkedIn Profile 

1. Excel 

Topics 

• Basic Formulas: SUM, AVERAGE, PRODUCT, MEAN, MEDIAN, IF, SUMIF 

• Advanced Formulas: VLOOKUP, MATCH, INDEX 

• Pivot Tables 

• Basic Charting, Filters, Sorting 

• Power Query 

• Ignore VBA, Macros etc.. 

Learning Resources 

Track A 

• Business math using Excel: https://youtu.be/npgbI8KYvN8 

• Google templates gallery for personal finance: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/u/0/?ftv=1 

• Budget planner: https://www.vertex42.com/ExcelTemplates/budgets.html 

Track B 

• Codebasics Excel course: https://codebasics.io/courses/excelmother-of-business-intelligence/ 

2. Business Math and Statistics 

Topics 

• Business Math 

• Arithmetic, Percentages  

• YoY (Year over year) Growth or Decline: When Apple grew from 50 to 60 million, what is the % growth? Answer: 20 % 

• If below is the cell phone sales breakdown, what is the % Market Share of iPhone? Answer: 42.10% 

• iPhone - 40 billion 

• Samsung Galaxy -20 billion 

• Google Pixel – 5 billion 

• Others – 30 billion 

• Basic Statistics  

• Mean, Median, Standard Deviation, Bell Curve, Percentile 

Learning Resources 

• Business math: https://youtu.be/npgbI8KYvN8 

• Business math (Hindi): https://youtu.be/vtrbOri8lag?si=DNmHRAbQCof5N_6H 

• https://www.khanacademy.org/ 

• Intro to percentage https://www.khanacademy.org/math/prealgebra/xb4832e56:percentages#xb4832e56:intro-to-percent 

• https://www.mathsisfun.com/ 

3. LinkedIn - Core Skill 

• Create a professional-looking LinkedIn profile. 

• Have a clear profile picture and banner image. 

• Add tags such as: Open to work etc. 

Use this LinkedIn Checklist to create a profile: Click here. 

4. Motivation 

• Fresher BCom to Data Analyst Podcast -> https://bit.ly/46VtfJK  

5. Assignment 

(Use the assignment tracker: https://bit.ly/4avdUmo) 

• Upskilling 

• Create your own budget sheet based on your monthly expenses. 

• Showing your work 

• Post the template of your budget sheet on LinkedIn and share your learning experience. (Tag Codebasics, Dhaval Patel and Hemanand Vadivel with the hashtag #daroadmap24 so we can engage to increase your visibility) Insight: Only 60 among 100 aspirants continue further. You be one among them 

Week 3, 4, 5: BI tools (Power BI or Tableau) + LinkedIn Engagement + Business Fundamentals 

Power BI 

Topics 

• Connecting to different data sources 

• Data transformation in Power Query 

• Creating metrics using DAX & Data Modelling 

• Creating visuals 

• Dashboarding 

• Publishing to Power BI Service 

Learning Resources 

Track A (Project Based Learning) 

• Sales insights Power BI project: https://bit.ly/3C1WKgA 

• Hospitality Insights Project: https://bit.ly/3DPBcoj 

• Cricket T20 Project: https://bit.ly/3j5I7lD 

• HR data analytics project: https://bit.ly/41vxcUz 

YT Channels to Follow 

• Curbal 

• Guy in a cube 

•  How to Power BI 

Track B 

• My Power BI course that can make you job-ready: https://codebasics.io/courses/power-bi-data-analysis-with-end-to-end-project 

Tableau 

Codebasics sales insights project : http://bit.ly/3YQSBFV 

HINDI codebasics sales insights project:  https://bit.ly/3hZXUCb 

Should I learn Power BI or Tableau? 

If someone asks me to pick between Power BI and Tableau, I always suggest Power BI as it is growing in popularity as compared to Tableau. This Gartner research shows Power BI is leading a BI game: Check here. 

LinkedIn - Core Skill 

Start following prominent data analytics influencers! 

• Hemanand Vadivel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hemvad/ 

• Injae Park: https://www.linkedin.com/in/injae-park/ 

• Shashank Singh: https://bit.ly/4apSnv7 

• Raghavan P: https://www.linkedin.com/in/raghavan-rp/ 

• Naveen S: https://www.linkedin.com/in/naveen-s6/ 

• Alex the Analyst: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-freberg/ 

• Munna Das: https://www.linkedin.com/in/munnadas/ 

Increase engagement!  

• Start commenting meaningfully on data analytics and career-related posts 

• Helps network with others working in the industry build connections. 

• Learning and brainstorming opportunity 

Business Fundamentals - Core Skill 

Learn business concepts from ThinkSchool and other YT Case Studies Example: How Amul beat competition using analytics:  https://youtu.be/nnwqtZiYMxQ 

Learn P&L fundamentals 

• There are many data analyst positions in finance department of any company and learning P&L is super important for this role 

• Resource: Investopedia 

• Power BI course for integrated business and tech learning 

Discord - Core Skill 

• start asking questions and get help from the community. These post shows how to ask questions the right way:  

https://bit.ly/3I70EbI

https://bit.ly/3tezRFi 

Motivation Mom with career break to Data Analyst: https://bit.ly/3MI2uRc

Assignment 

Upskilling 

• Do one unguided project from this list: https://bit.ly/43v4Ni2  

• Read and understand P&L statement of at least 3 public companies 

Show your work 

• Make a post on the unguided project on LinkedIn: Example: https://bit.ly/4737ckl 

(Tag Codebasics, Dhaval Patel and Hemanand Vadivel with the hashtag #daroadmap24 so we can engage to increase your visibility) 

• Make sure you are making at least 1 meaningful comment every day! Insight: Only 40 among 100 aspirants continue further. You be one among them 

Week 6, 7 and 8: SQL + ATS Resume + Project Portfolio  

SQL 

Topics 

Basics of relational databases 

• Basic Queries: SELECT, WHERE LIKE, DISTINCT, BETWEEN, GROUP BY, ORDER BY 

• Advanced Queries: CTE, Subqueries, Window Functions 

• Joins: Left, Right, Inner, Full 

• Stored procedures and functions 

• No need to learn database creation, indexes, triggers etc. as those things are rarely used by data analysts. 

Learning Resources 

Track A 

• Free SQL Tutorial with exercises: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rm0xH2Vpfi0 

• Khan academy: https://bit.ly/3WFku20 

https://www.w3schools.com/sql/ 

• https://sqlbolt.com/ 

Track B 

• SQL course for data professionals: https://codebasics.io/courses/sql-beginner-to-advanced-for-data-professionals 

Presentation - Core Skills 

• Learn presentation skills 

Death by PowerPoint: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iwpi1Lm6dFo 

ATS Resume Preparation 

• Resumes are dying but not dead yet. Focus more on online presence. 

• Here is the resume tips video along with some templates you can use for your data analyst resume: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buQSI8NLOMw 

Use this checklist to ensure you have the right ATS Resume: Check here. 

Portfolio Building Resources 

You need a portfolio website in 2024. You can build your portfolio by using these free resources.
 

Novypro 

• Helpful to add Power BI and Excel Projects. 

Linktree 

• Helpful to add multiple links in one page. 

GitHub 

• Another way to add projects and showcase it to hiring managers. 

Codebasics Portfolio Website 

• This is part of Codebasics Data Analyst Bootcamp. 

• Example Portfolios: https://codebasics.io/portfolio/ 

Assignment 

Upskilling 

Participate in SQL resume project challenge: https://bit.ly/40x3YEf 

Showing your work 

Add a link of your projects in your resume and LinkedIn. 

• (Tag Codebasics, Dhaval Patel and Hemanand Vadivel with the hashtag #daroadmap24 so we can engage to increase your visibility) Insight: 

Only 30 among 100 aspirants continue further. You be one among them 

Week 9 & 10: Python and Pandas + Leveraging AI Tools + More Domain Knowledge 

Python 

Topics 

• Variables, Lists, Dictionaries, Tuples, If condition, for loops, functions, modules, file handling, classes and objects, exception handling 

Learning Resources 

Track A 

Codebasics python tutorials (first 16) - https://bit.ly/3X6CCC7  

Codebasics python HINDI tutorials - https://bit.ly/3vmXrgw 

• Make sure to work on exercises in these folders: https://github.com/codebasics/py/tree/master/Basics/Exercise 

Track B 

• Python course: https://codebasics.io/courses/python-for-beginner-and-intermediate-learners 

Pandas 

Topics 

• Dataframe basics 

• Reading data from csv/excel files 

• Handling missing data 

• Group by, Concat, Merge 

Resources 

• Codebasics pandas playlist (first 9): 

• https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLeo1K3hjS3uuASpe-1LjfG5f14Bnozjwy 

• Kaggle datasets: https://www.kaggle.com/datasets 

• Kaggle notebooks: https://www.kaggle.com/notebooks 

Project Management 

• Scrum: https://scrumtrainingseries.com/ 

• Kanban: https://youtu.be/jf0tlbt9lx0 

• Tools: JIRA, Notion 

Leveraging ChatGPT 

• 4 Technical Areas where you can leverage AI: 

• https://bit.ly/3RSsf53 

Leveraging Domain Knowledge 

• Build domain knowledge to understand how to use business terms along with numbers 

All Links:  

• BSNL Story -> Link 

• Amul's pandemic strategy ->Link 

• P & G data culture -> Link 

• Bad loans at Banks -> Link 

• Burger King's Strategy ->Link 

• AB InBev Automation ->Link 

• Data Career in Insurance Industry -> Link 

• Ikea Case Study ->Link 

• PwC using Analytics -> Link 

• Data science at health care -> Link 

• Dashboard in local business -> Link 

• Walmart Using Power BI -> Link 

• Data Literacy at Starbucks -> Link 

• Efficiency Scoring in Business -> Link 

• Hospitality Insights -> Link 

Assignment 

• Make a LinkedIn project post with a video presentation. 

Example post: https://bit.ly/47WbRG9 

• (Tag Codebasics, Dhaval Patel and Hemanand Vadivel with the hashtag #daroadmap24 so we can engage to increase your visibility) 

Codebasics is promoting winning entries to employers. This way you can get interview calls. We do this in two ways. 

• We have a database of employers hiring for data analyst positions. We send the first 10 or 20 profiles based on their performance. 

• LinkedIn post by Dhaval (who has more than 150k followers and some of them are HR managers, data analytics senior managers): https://bit.ly/3jnni5c 

Discord: Start solving problems – this way you will be able to adopt to the problem-solving mindset
Insight: Only 20 among 100 aspirants continue further. You be one among them 

 
Week 11, 12: Interview Prep & Practice 

Interview Preparation 

SQL interview preparation 

• Use this website: https://datalemur.com/ 

• Also check this YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@techTFQ 

Power BI and other tech interview preparation 

Shashank’s YouTube Channel: LearnWidGiggs 

Practice Unguided Projects 

• Provide Ad Hoc Insights to Management 

• Provide Insights to the Executive Team/ Telecom Domain 

• Solve a supply chain problem/ FMCG Domain 

• Provide Insights to Marketing/ F&B Industry 

Explore the latest projects - Click here 

Job Applications 

• Cold emailing: https://youtu.be/tD_sQSzq6uY 

• Job referrals. Use LinkedIn as much as you can! 

• Follow this method to approach professionals: https://bit.ly/3tezRFi 

Assignment 

Participate in more resume project challenges. 

• These challenges help you improve technical skills, soft skills and business understanding.  

(Tag Codebasics, Dhaval Patel and Hemanand Vadivel with the hashtag #daroadmap24 so we can engage to increase your visibility) 

• Post your work at least once in 2 weeks on LinkedIn. 

Example post: https://bit.ly/3WMTgGK (Naveen S) 

• Make at least two posts per week. 

• Make at least two comments per week. 

• Discord server participation 

Insight: Only 5-10 among 100 aspirants reach until here and crack a job. You be one among them 

How can I get guided learning all at one place with practical job assistance? 

If you need guided learning with high-quality learning resources along with job assistance then check this affordable data analyst bootcamp by Codebasics: https://codebasics.io/bootcamps/data-analytics-bootcamp-with-practical-job-assistance 

The roadmap will help you save time compared to free learning resources. Also, it will provide job, and interview assistance along with a virtual internship 🔥🥳 

Tips to Data Analyst Roadmap for Effective Learning 

Spend less time consuming information, and more time in 

• Digesting 

• Implementing 

• Sharing 

• Group learning 

Use partner-and-group-finder channel on codebasics discord server for group study and hold each other accountable for the progress of your study plan. Here is the discord server link: https://discord.gg/r42Kbuk