GENERAL - Data Analyst Interview Questions
GENERAL - Data Analyst Interview Questions
In an interview, these questions are more likely to appear early in the process and cover
data analysis at a high level.
In data mining, raw data is converted into valuable It cannot identify inaccurate or
information. incorrect data values.
Data Wrangling is the process wherein raw data is cleaned, structured, and enriched
into a desired usable format for better decision making. It involves discovering,
structuring, cleaning, enriching, validating, and analyzing data. This process can turn
and map out large amounts of data extracted from various sources into a more useful
format. Techniques such as merging, grouping, concatenating, joining, and sorting are
used to analyze the data. Thereafter it gets ready to be used with another dataset.
3. What are the various steps involved in any analytics
project?
This is one of the most basic data analyst interview questions. The various steps
involved in any common analytics projects are as follows:
Understand the business problem, define the organizational goals, and plan for a
lucrative solution.
Collecting Data
Gather the right data from various sources and other information based on your
priorities.
Cleaning Data
Clean the data to remove unwanted, redundant, and missing values, and make it ready
for analysis.
Use data visualization and business intelligence tools, data mining techniques, and
predictive modeling to analyze data.
Interpret the results to find out hidden patterns, future trends, and gain insights.
• Handling duplicate
5. Which are the technical tools that you have used for
analysis and presentation purposes?
As a data analyst, you are expected to know the tools mentioned below for analysis and
presentation purposes. Some of the popular tools you should know are:
MS Excel, Tableau
Python, R, SPSS
MS PowerPoint
• Create a data cleaning plan by understanding where the common errors take
place and keep all the communications open.
• Before working with the data, identify and remove the duplicates. This will lead
to an easy and effective data analysis process.
• Focus on the accuracy of the data. Set cross-field validation, maintain the
value types of data, and provide mandatory constraints.
• Normalize the data at the entry point so that it is less chaotic. You will be able
to ensure that all information is standardized, leading to fewer errors on entry.
• It helps you obtain confidence in your data to a point where you’re ready to
engage a machine learning algorithm.
• It allows you to refine your selection of feature variables that will be used later
for model building.
• You can discover hidden trends and insights from the data.
Uses simulation
algorithms and
Uses data aggregation and Uses statistical models and
optimization techniques
data mining techniques forecasting techniques
to advise possible
outcomes
• Systematic sampling
• Cluster sampling
• Stratified sampling
Univariate analysis is the simplest and easiest form of data analysis where the data
being analyzed contains only one variable.
Univariate analysis can be described using Central Tendency, Dispersion, Quartiles, Bar
charts, Histograms, Pie charts, and Frequency distribution tables.
The bivariate analysis involves the analysis of two variables to find causes,
relationships, and correlations between the variables.
Example – Analyzing the sale of ice creams based on the temperature outside.
The answer to this question may vary from a case to case basis. However, some
general strengths of a data analyst may include strong analytical skills, attention to
detail, proficiency in data manipulation and visualization, and the ability to derive
insights from complex datasets. Weaknesses could include limited domain knowledge,
lack of experience with certain data analysis tools or techniques, or challenges in
effectively communicating technical findings to non-technical stakeholders.
• Data Ownership and Rights: Respecting data ownership rights and intellectual
property, using data only within the boundaries of legal permissions or
agreements.
• Data Quality and Integrity: Ensuring the accuracy, completeness, and reliability
of data used in the analysis to avoid misleading or incorrect conclusions.
• Social Impact: Considering the potential social impact of data analysis results,
including potential unintended consequences or negative effects on
marginalized groups.
You should name the tools you have used personally, however here’s a list of the
commonly used data visualization tools in the industry:
• Tableau
• Microsoft Power BI
• QlikView
• Google Data Studio
• Plotly
• SAP Lumira
This is one of the most frequently asked data analyst interview questions, and the
interviewer expects you to give a detailed answer here, and not just the name of the
methods. There are four methods to handle missing values in a dataset.
Listwise Deletion
In the listwise deletion method, an entire record is excluded from analysis if any single
value is missing.
Average Imputation
Take the average value of the other participants' responses and fill in the missing value.
Regression Substitution
Multiple Imputations
It creates plausible values based on the correlations for the missing data and then
averages the simulated datasets by incorporating random errors in your predictions.
• 68% of the data falls within one standard deviation of the mean
• 95% of the data lies between two standard deviations of the mean
• 99.7% of the data lies between three standard deviations of the mean
Time Series analysis is a statistical procedure that deals with the ordered sequence of
values of a variable at equally spaced time intervals. Time series data are collected at
adjacent periods. So, there is a correlation between the observations. This feature
distinguishes time-series data from cross-sectional data.
This is another frequently asked data analyst interview question, and you are expected
to cover all the given differences!
Overfitting Underfitting
Happens when the model learns the random This happens when there is
fluctuations and noise in the training dataset in detail. lesser data to build an accurate
model and when we try to
develop a linear model using
non-linear data.
An outlier is a data point that is distant from other similar points. They may be due to
variability in the measurement or may indicate experimental errors.
The graph depicted below shows there are three outliers in the dataset.
To deal with outliers, you can use the following four methods:
• Null hypothesis: It states that there is no relation between the predictor and
outcome variables in the population. H0 denoted it.
In Hypothesis testing, a Type I error occurs when the null hypothesis is rejected even if it
is true. It is also known as a false positive.
A Type II error occurs when the null hypothesis is not rejected, even if it is false. It is
also known as a false negative.
Ans: The choice of handling technique depends on factors such as the amount and
nature of missing data, the underlying analysis, and the assumptions made. It's crucial
to exercise caution and carefully consider the implications of the chosen approach to
ensure the integrity and reliability of the data analysis. However, a few solutions could
be:
• sensitivity analysis
It's important to note that outlier detection is not a definitive process, and the identified
outliers should be further investigated to determine their validity and potential impact
on the analysis or model. Outliers can be due to various reasons, including data entry
errors, measurement errors, or genuinely anomalous observations, and each case
requires careful consideration and interpretation.
Yes, you can provide a dynamic range in the “Data Source” of Pivot tables. To do that,
you need to create a named range using the offset function and base the pivot table
using a named range constructed in the first step.
27. What is the function to find the day of the week for a
particular date value?
The get the day of the week, you can use the WEEKDAY() function.
The above function will return 6 as the result, i.e., 17th December is a Saturday.
AND() is a logical function that checks multiple conditions and returns TRUE or FALSE
based on whether the conditions are met.
Syntax: AND(logica1,[logical2],[logical3]....)
In the below example, we are checking if the marks are greater than 45. The result will
be true if the mark is >45, else it will be false.
29. Explain how VLOOKUP works in Excel?
VLOOKUP is used when you need to find things in a table or a range by row.
Here, A11 cell has the lookup value, A2:E7 is the table array, 3 is the column index
number with information about departments, and 0 is the range lookup.
If you hit enter, it will return “Marketing”, indicating that Stuart is from the marketing
department.
30. What function would you use to get the current date
and time in Excel?
In Excel, you can use the TODAY() and NOW() function to get the current date and time.
31. Using the below sales table, calculate the total quantity
sold by sales representatives whose name starts with A,
and the cost of each item they have sold is greater than
10.
You can use the SUMIFS() function to find the total quantity.
For the Sales Rep column, you need to give the criteria as “A*” - meaning the name
should start with the letter “A”. For the Cost each column, the criteria should be “>10” -
meaning the cost of each item is greater than 10.
• Select the entire table range, click on the Insert tab and choose PivotTable
• Select the table range and the worksheet where you want to place the pivot
table
• Drag Sale total on to Values, and Sales Rep and Item on to Row Labels. It will
give the sum of sales made by each representative for every item they have
sold.
Using this table, let’s find the records for movies that were directed by Brad Bird.
Now, let’s filter the table for directors whose movies have an average duration greater
than 115 minutes.
Answer all of the given differences when this data analyst interview question is asked,
and also give out the syntax for each to prove your thorough knowledge to the
interviewer.
WHERE HAVING
SELECT column_name(s)
FROM table_name
WHERE condition
GROUP BY column_name(s)
HAVING condition
ORDER BY column_name(s);
36. Is the below SQL query correct? If not, how will you
rectify it?
The query stated above is incorrect as we cannot use the alias name while filtering data
using the WHERE clause. It will throw an error.
37. How are Union, Intersect, and Except used in SQL?
The Union operator combines the output of two or more SELECT statements.
Syntax:
Let’s consider the following example, where there are two tables - Region 1 and Region
2.
Syntax:
The Except operator returns the uncommon records that are the results of 2 or more
SELECT statements.
Syntax:
A Subquery in SQL is a query within another query. It is also known as a nested query or
an inner query. Subqueries are used to enhance the data to be queried by the main
query.
Below is an example of a subquery that returns the name, email id, and phone number
of an employee from Texas city.
FROM employee
WHERE emp_id IN (
SELECT emp_id
FROM employee
We can use an inner join to get records from both the tables. We’ll join the tables based
on a common key column, i.e., ProductID.
The result of the SQL query is shown below.
You must be prepared for this question thoroughly before your next data analyst
interview. The stored procedure is an SQL script that is used to run a task several times.
Let’s look at an example to create a stored procedure to find the sum of the first N
natural numbers' squares.
Here is the output to print all even numbers between 30 and 45.
Tableau Data Analyst Interview Questions
All the combined sheets or tables contain a common Meanwhile, in data blending,
set of dimensions and measures. each data source contains its
own set of dimensions and
measures.
LOD in Tableau stands for Level of Detail. It is an expression that is used to execute
complex queries involving many dimensions at the data sourcing level. Using LOD
expression, you can find duplicate values, synchronize chart axes and create bins on
aggregated data.
Feature selection is the process of selecting a subset of relevant features from a larger
set of variables or predictors in a dataset. It aims to improve model performance,
reduce overfitting, enhance interpretability, and optimize computational efficiency.
Here's an overview of the process and its importance:
- Improved Model Performance: By selecting the most relevant features, the model can
focus on the most informative variables, leading to better predictive accuracy and
generalization.
- Overfitting Prevention: Including irrelevant or redundant features can lead to
overfitting, where the model learns noise or specific patterns in the training data that do
not generalize well to new data. Feature selection mitigates this risk.
- Interpretability and Insights: A smaller set of selected features makes it easier to
interpret and understand the model's results, facilitating insights and actionable
conclusions.
- Computational Efficiency: Working with a reduced set of features can significantly
improve computational efficiency, especially when dealing with large datasets.
Extract: Extract is an image of the data that will be extracted from the data source and
placed into the Tableau repository. This image(snapshot) can be refreshed periodically,
fully, or incrementally.
Live: The live connection makes a direct connection to the data source. The data will be
fetched straight from tables. So, data is always up to date and consistent.
• Inner Join
A Gantt chart in Tableau depicts the progress of value over the period, i.e., it shows the
duration of events. It consists of bars along with the time axis. The Gantt chart is mostly
used as a project management tool where each bar is a measure of a task in the
project.
• Drag Profit on to Colour, and Quantity on to Label. Sort the Sales axis in
descending order of the sum of sales within each sub-category.
51. Create a dual-axis chart in Tableau to present Sales
and Profit across different years using the Sample
Superstore dataset.
• Drag the Order Date field from Dimensions on to Columns, and convert it into
continuous Month.
• Drag Sales on to Rows, and Profits to the right corner of the view until you see
a light green rectangle.
• Synchronize the right axis by right-clicking on the profit axis.
• Under the Marks card, change SUM(Sales) to Bar and SUM(Profit) to Line and
adjust the size.
52. Design a view in Tableau to show State-wise Sales and
Profit using the Sample Superstore dataset.
• Drag the Country field on to the view section and expand it to see the States.
From the above map, it is clear that states like Washington, California, and New York
have the highest sales and profits. While Texas, Pennsylvania, and Ohio have good
amounts of sales but the least profits.
You use dimensions to define the structure of the The layout is like a text table with
treemap, and measures to define the size or color variations in values encoded as
of the individual rectangles. colors.
• Drag top and bottom customers set on to Filters, and Profit field on to Colour
to get the desired result.
Data Analyst Interview Questions On Python
• By initializing a list
• By initializing a dictionary
You can use the column names to extract the desired columns.
Since we only want the odd number from 0 to 9, you can perform the modulus operation
and check if the remainder is equal to 1.
You can either use the concatenate() or the hstack() function to stack the arrays.
Suppose there is an emp data frame that has information about a few employees. Let’s
add an Address column to that data frame.
Declare a list of values that will be converted into an address column.
63. How will you print four random integers between 1 and
15 using NumPy?
To find the unique values and number of unique elements, use the unique() and
nunique() function.
• Group the company column and use the mean function to find the average
sales
So, those were the 65+ data analyst interview questions that can help you crack your
next data analyst interview and help you become a data analyst.
Conclusion
Now that you know the different data analyst interview questions that can be asked in
an interview, it is easier for you to crack for your coming interviews. Here, you looked at
various data analyst interview questions based on the difficulty levels. And we hope this
article on data analyst interview questions is useful to you.
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