No Code Data Analytics
No code data analytics has been growing in popularity as more and more companies introduce tools with simple user interfaces.
This is great for the average data consumer who can now work more independently.
But it brings up a question for individuals wanting a career focused on analytics.
Can you work as a data analyst without knowing how to code?
Data Analyst as Programmer
Most of us think of data analytics as a programmer-adjacent role.
We talk about learning Python, R, SQL, and SAS.
But is it absolutely necessary to know how to code to be a data analyst?
No Code Data Analyst / Data Scientist Movement
There’s a growing movement of no code data analyst and data scientist roles.
The fundamental goals of these jobs are the same, but they’re done without knowing a programming language.
This is enabled by the rise of more and more applications that allow the user to analyze data in an intuitive way (often drag and drop).
In my video on How I’d Learn Data Analytics if I was Starting Over, I mentioned one of the first decisions you’ll need to make is whether to learn to code or go a no code route.
No Code Data Analytics Tools
The main no code options are learning Tableau or Power BI. There are many other no code platforms as well, but these are probably the most mainstream options.
I call these no code options, but they’re more like code-optional.
Learning to code in Python, R, or SQL will expand what you can do in Tableau and Power BI, but you can do a LOT without any programming.
There are many, many data analyst jobs that only require knowledge of Tableau or Power BI and don’t require coding skills.
Can you become a data analyst without coding?
In my view, these tools work for the majority of analysis you’ll do as a data analyst.
The main gap I see - if you don’t have any coding skills - is that forecasting and simulation options are much more limited. This doesn’t mean you CAN’T do them, but it does mean you’ll have fewer options and inputs than if you had the more open ended option of coding. This might not be a problem for you though. Or in industries / companies / roles that have a lot of stability.