The wonderful world of data

The data analyst tools

Spreadsheets: Excel, Google sheets
- Collect, store, organize, and sort information
- Identify patterns and piece the data together in a way that works for each specific data project
- Create excellent data visualizations, like graphs and charts.
- Spreadsheet A characteristic or quality of data used to label a column in a table.
query Language: MySQL, SQL, etc.
- Allow analysts to isolate specific information from a database(s)
- Make it easier for you to learn and understand the requests made to databases
- Allow analysts to select, create, add, or download data from a database for analysis
- Structured Query Language (SQL)
Visualization tools: Tableau, Looker
- Turn complex numbers into a story that people can understand
- Help stakeholders come up with conclusions that lead to informed decisions and effective business strategies
- Have multiple features
  - Tableau's simple drag-and-drop feature lets users create interactive graphs in dashboards and worksheets
  - Looker communicates directly with a database, allowing you to connect your data right to the visual tool you choose

Spreadsheets	Databases
Software applications	Data stores - accessed using a query language (eg SQL)
Structure data in a row and column format	Structure data using rules and relationships
Organize information in cells	Organize information in complex collections
Provide access to a limited amount of data	Provide access to huge amounts of data
Manual data entry	Strict and consistent data entry
Generally one user at a time (working independently)	Multiple users (Tracks changes across team)
Controlled by the user	Controlled by a database management system
stored locally	stored across a database
Built-in functionalities	Useful across multiple programs

You might want to consider a spreadsheet when you have a smaller dataset, such as one with just 100 rows.