5 Data Analyst Tools for Non-programmers
I’ve mentioned in a few videos recently about the popularity of no code analytics. Today we’ll look at 5 data analyst tools for non-programmers.
All of the options I’ll mention today are tools that can be used without any programming knowledge. However, they ALL also can be used with code to varying degrees to make them even more flexible and powerful.
The video above includes short demos of all the tools mentioned below.
Most of us think of data analytics as a programmer-adjacent role. We talk about learning Python, R, and SQL.
There’s a growing focus on no code analytics though. There’s what we’ll look at today.
Let’s get into the 5 data analyst tools for non-programmers.
1 - Tableau
It probably isn’t a surprise to see Tableau show up on this list.
As one of the most popular interactive data visualization tools, it’s a great tool for analytics that doesn’t require any programming knowledge.
You can conduct analysis quickly and create great visualizations from your data.
It’s also a quick tool to learn.
2 - Power BI
Like Tableau, Power BI is one of the leading data visualization tools. Functionally it’s not much different from Tableau.
Like Tableau, you can expand the capabilities of Power BI with programming knowledge, but it’s very functional without this.
However if you want to experiment with learning to code, you can insert Python and R scripts into Power BI or write DAX functions.
3 - Alteryx
Alteryx uses a drag-and-drop workflow that lets you cleanse, prepare, and blend your data without any code.
Connecting to data sources is easy with many connections available. Actions are set up in a ribbon format which feels intuitive from years of using Microsoft applications.
4 - SAS
One of the reasons I mentioned in the Top 4 Reasons to Learn SAS for Analytics video is that it allows you to use varied levels of programming.
The GUI in SAS Enterprise Guide makes it easy to build queries without knowing how to code.
SAS Viya even lets you build machine learning models without any code.
As with the other tools mentioned, adding in programming knowledge helps expand these tools - and there are many SAS tools which do require programming knowledge to use.
5 - IBM Watson Studio
IBM Watson Studio Desktop is a powerful, code-optional data science platform.
Most of their marketing is focused on using it to create, train and deploy machine learning models without having to write any code.
However, it’s just as useful for performing other analytics tasks. As you’ll see in the video, IBM Watson Studio is easy to use through interactive elements.
The layout is slightly more code forward than the other platforms we’ve talked about, but the no code option is right there with an additional click.
Picking a No Code Analytics Tool
Each of these 5 data analyst tools for non-programmers are relatively easy to learn while giving you a LOT of flexibility.
They do each have their differences, but their basic capabilities are the same.
They let you pull, cleanse, prep, analyze, and visualize your data without ever needing to write a line of code.