From ZERO
to Data Analyst
Your step-by-step
Learning Path:
1. Start with the strong foundation
in Databases
★Learn basic database concepts: These are the core database
concepts
➔ What are Databases? What are Tables? What are rows and columns?
➔ Why are databases important?
➔ Features and Applications of databases
➔ What is RDBMS? RDBMS vs DBMS
➔ Types of databases
➔ Database Architecture and Three schema Architecture
➔ DBMS vs File System
➔ Data Independence
★Jump to Data Modelling: these are helpful for practical
understanding of database model
➔ ER Model concept. What is an ER Diagram?
➔ Notations of ER Diagram: entity, attribute, relationships, etc.,
➔ Mapping Constraints: one-to-one, one-to-many, many-to-one, and
many-to-many
➔ DBMS keys: Primary key, Candidate key, Foreign key, Alternate key,
Super key, Composite key, Artificial Key
➔ DBMS Generalization, Specialization, and Aggregation
➔ Conversion of ER Diagram to a Table
★Master Relational Data Model:
➔ Relational Data Model
➔ Understand about Join Operations: inner join, left outer join, right outer
join, full outer join, cartesian product, cross product
➔ Integrity Constraints: default, check, primary key, foreign key, not null,
unique
★Grasp the concept of Normalization
➔ What is normalization?
➔ Types of normal forms: 1NF, 2NF, 3NF, Boyce Codd NF, 4NF, 5NF
➔ Learn about Functional Dependency
★Make a strong foundation in Transactions
➔ What are Transactions? State of Transactions
➔ Life Cycle of Transaction
➔ ACID Properties
➔ What is a deadlock?
★Basics of concurrency control:
➔ What is concurrency control
➔ Methods to avoid the concurrency in databases
2. Learn SQL basics
★Introduction of SQL:
➔ What is SQL?
➔ Types of commands in SQL: DDL, DML, DQL, DCL, TCL
➔ How does SQL work?
➔ Key SQL Tools: MySQL, PostgreSQL, and SQLite
★Common SQL commands:
➔ SELECT
➔ FROM
➔ WHERE
➔ GROUP BY
➔ ORDER BY
➔ LIMIT
➔ DISTINCT
★Learn aggregations commands in SQL:
➔ Use aggregate functions like: SUM(), AVG(), COUNT(), MAX(), and MIN()
➔ How to use GROUP BY to aggregate the rows?
➔ How to filter the grouped rows using HAVING, to enhance the results.
★Master Combining Data: Joins
➔ Types of Joins: INNER, LEFT, RIGHT, OUTER, and CROSS
➔ Know when to use each of the types of JOINs
★Hands on with the SQL operators
➔ SQL Arithmetic Operators, Bitwise Operators, Comparison Operators,
and Compound Operators
➔ Cover SQL Logical Operators in depth: BETWEEN, EXISTS, AND, OR,
NOT, ANY, ALL, and many more.
3. Learn Excel
★Start with basic excel skills:
➔ Familiar with Excel interface like worksheet, ribbon, and quick access
toolbar
➔ Learn basic functions like SUM, COUNT, MAX, MIN, VLOOKUP,
HLOOKUP, COUNT, IF, INDEX, & MATCH
➔ Cover the data types: Numbers, Texts, Dates, and Currency formats
➔ Data sorting & filtering techniques
★Learn formatting:
➔ Cover all the formatting of Numbers, Texts, Cells, Tables, and Rows and
Columns
➔ Grab concept of conditional formatting to highlight the trends and
patterns
➔ Perform Data Validation to enhance the quality of the dataset.
★Master charts and pivot tables:
➔ Different types of Chart & Graphs, and how to use them
➔ Use Pivot tables to customize the large datasets for analysis.
★Excel for Data Analysis & Visualizations
➔ Use Power Query to transform large dataset
➔ Use Power Pivot to establish the relationships between datasets and
perform data modelling.
➔ Create interactive Dashboards using charts, slicers, and pivot tables.
➔ Use statistical methods such as descriptive statistics, correlation &
regression, and trend analysis, time series analysis &Machine Learning
Models to do advanced operations.
4. Learn a Data Visualization tool
★Choose the right tool:
➔ Based on your need, pick the right tool to learn. In the market there are
many trending tools like Power BI, Tableau, &Google Data Studio.
➔ Don’t jump over the tools, learn everything about one tool then, as per
need can learn another tool.
★Understand the basics of Data Visualization:
➔ Understand various chart types.
➔ Learn how to select the appropriate chart based on data and business
requirements.
➔ Follow basic principles: simplicity, accuracy, and clarity.
➔ Avoid misleading or complex charts (e.g., 3D charts).
★Learn about data sources and preparation:
➔ Learn how to import datasets from various sources (databases, CSVs,
Excel files, APIs, etc.).
➔ Understand basic functionalities: data connections, transformations,
modeling, and visualizations.
.
★Master the art of Dashboard creation
➔ Build interactive dashboards with modified datasets, applying filters,
calculated fields, and aggregates.
➔ Use a variety of visualizations (charts, graphs, tables, slicers) for
effective comparison and clarity.
➔ Choose colors & themes that align with the business vision.
5. Learn Advanced SQL
★Master Subqueries:
➔ Learn to apply nested &correlated subqueries for advanced filtration,
computation, and aggregation.
➔ Write efficient subqueries with joins to enhance results.
★Dive into Window Functions
➔ Master window functions like RANK(), LEAD(), LAG(), OVER(),
ROW_NUMBER(), etc. for advanced analysis such as moving averages,
advanced aggregations and rankings.
➔ Learn the difference between window functions and GROUP BY clause
★Use Common Table Expressions (CTE’s)
➔ Use CTEs to simplify complex queries for better readability and
understanding.
➔ Understand recursive queries to manage parent-child relationships.
★Work with advanced string and date functions:
➔ Perform advanced analysis using date functions like EXTRACT(),
DATEADD(), and DATEDIFF().
➔ Use complex string functions like REGEXP, CONCAT, and SUBSTRING
to extract insights.
★Ensure Query Optimization:
➔ Add indexes on columns to speed up filtering and joining, especially with
large datasets.
➔ Minimize joins, SELECT* statements, and correlated queries to improve
performance.
6. For ultimate growth and a
sustainable growth: Start learning
Python
★Python basics: Laying the foundation:
➔ Master basic syntax and concepts like variables, keywords, data types,
loops, and conditional statements.
➔ Get comfortable with advanced data types such as lists, tuples, strings,
sets, and dictionaries.
★Learn Data Wrangling with Pandas:
➔ Explore Pandas for data manipulation.
➔ Learn about Series and DataFrames, along with relevant in-built
methods for analysis.
➔ Practice handling duplicates, null values, grouping, filtering, and
reshaping data for analysis.
★Convert data into interactive Visualizations using Matplotlib
and Seaborn:
➔ Learn Matplotlib and Seaborn for static data visualizations (charts,
graphs, plots).
➔ Understand how to derive insights from visualizations.
➔ Use Plotly for advanced and optimized plots and dashboards.
★Statistical analysis with SciPy:
➔ Learn and implement statistical concepts like mean, median, mode, and
standard deviation.
➔ Use SciPy for correlation & regression, hypothesis testing, probability
calculations, and p-value determination.
★Dive into Machine Learning:
➔ Start with scikit-learn basics to explore machine learning approaches.
➔ Learn how to train, test, and tune models.
➔ Explore methods to solve classification and regression problems.
Have any questions ❓
Share them in the
comments 😀
