Data analyst to data engineer
A data analyst already meets 47% of what the data engineer role asks for. The move turns on 12 required skills not yet in the profile.
57/ 100
1 How much of what a data engineer is expected to do is already part of a data analyst’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the data engineer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A data engineer role treats 11 of its required skills as things a data analyst already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- cloud technologies
- data models
- data storage
- digital data processing
- establish data processes
- manage data
What stands in the way is 12 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 13 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A data engineer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a data analyst background worth leading with.
- already held store digital data and systems working with computers
- already held establish data processes working with computers
- already held create data models information skills
- already held use data processing techniques working with computers
- already held manage quantitative data working with computers
- already held data models information and communication technologies (icts)
All 13 carried skills, including the 11 the data engineer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 15 missing skills fall into 4 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn data warehouse required
- still to learn database management systems required
- still to learn computer science required
- still to learn data analytics required
- optional, not held SAS Data Management optional
- optional, not held Teradata Database optional
- still to learn create data sets required
- still to learn manage research data required
- still to learn process data required
- optional, not held analyse pipeline database information optional
- still to learn develop data processing applications required
- still to learn implement data warehousing techniques required
- still to learn perform dimensionality reduction required
- still to learn design database in the cloud required
- still to learn manage ICT data architecture required
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a data engineer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 data warehouse study this
- 02 develop data processing applications practise this
- 03 database management systems study this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 13 skills that carry over
- already held cloud technologies knowledge
- already held data models knowledge
- already held data storage knowledge
- already held digital data processing skill
- already held establish data processes skill
- already held manage data skill
- already held manage quantitative data skill
- already held store digital data and systems skill
- already held unstructured data knowledge
- already held use data processing techniques skill
- already held use databases skill
- already held create data models skill
- already held statistics knowledge
3 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held SAS Data Management optional
- optional, not held Teradata Database optional
- optional, not held analyse pipeline database information optional
54 held skills the data engineer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role Hadoop knowledge
- not needed by the target role LDAP knowledge
- not needed by the target role LINQ knowledge
- not needed by the target role MDX knowledge
- not needed by the target role N1QL knowledge
- not needed by the target role SPARQL knowledge
- not needed by the target role XQuery knowledge
- not needed by the target role analyse big data skill
- not needed by the target role apply statistical analysis techniques skill
- not needed by the target role business analytics knowledge
- not needed by the target role business intelligence knowledge
- not needed by the target role collect ICT data skill
- not needed by the target role data engineering knowledge
- not needed by the target role data ethics knowledge
- not needed by the target role data mining knowledge
- not needed by the target role data quality assessment knowledge
- not needed by the target role data science knowledge
- not needed by the target role data visualisation software knowledge
- not needed by the target role database knowledge
- not needed by the target role define data quality criteria skill
- not needed by the target role deliver visual presentation of data skill
- not needed by the target role documentation types knowledge
- not needed by the target role execute analytical mathematical calculations skill
- not needed by the target role game theory knowledge
- not needed by the target role gather data for forensic purposes skill
- not needed by the target role handle data samples skill
- not needed by the target role healthcare analytics knowledge
- not needed by the target role image recognition knowledge
- not needed by the target role implement data quality processes skill
- not needed by the target role information architecture knowledge
- not needed by the target role information categorisation knowledge
- not needed by the target role information confidentiality knowledge
- not needed by the target role information extraction knowledge
- not needed by the target role information structure knowledge
- not needed by the target role integrate ICT data skill
- not needed by the target role interpret current data skill
- not needed by the target role make data-driven decisions skill
- not needed by the target role manage cloud data and storage skill
- not needed by the target role manage data collection systems skill
- not needed by the target role marketing analytics knowledge
14 further entries not listed here
6 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn data warehouse required
- still to learn database management systems required
- still to learn computer science required
- still to learn data analytics required
- optional, not held SAS Data Management optional
- optional, not held Teradata Database optional
Other moves recorded from data analyst
- data quality specialist 67% covered · moderate
- data entry clerk 63% covered · moderate
- chief data officer 56% covered · moderate
- ICT information and knowledge manager 50% covered · substantial
- data entry supervisor 49% covered · substantial
- data scientist 47% covered · substantial
- computer vision engineer 43% covered · substantial
- big data archive librarian 32% covered · career change
Common questions about this move
Can a data analyst become a data engineer?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A data analyst already covers 47% of what a data engineer is expected to do: 13 skills carry over, 11 of which the data engineer role treats as required.
What skills does a data analyst need to become a data engineer?
12 required skills are missing, plus 3 optional ones. They fall into 4 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information and communication technologies (icts). The single most important is data warehouse.
How hard is the move from data analyst to data engineer?
Its learning distance is 57 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.