What is the difference between an Analytics Engineer & a BI Manager?

The green groceries and the chefs of the data kitchen

This is part of a series where we compare professions. We interviewed Joe Berni (analytics engineering) and Jenny Smedley (business intelligence manager) to find out more!

What made you want to get into analytics engineering / BI development?

Joe: Interestingly, I only discovered I really wanted to become an analytics engineer after I became one. After starting out initially as BI developer/data analyst, I soon learned that I had a greater interest in the technical aspects of data roles over the actual data analysis.

Jenny: At the omni-present school career fairs, I had; physio, french wood polisher and occupational therapist come up as the suggested careers. So it is a bit of a surprise that I ended up as a senior BI manager. However, the role does allow me to do many of the activities I enjoy the most; juggling multiple tasks, engaging with stakeholders, and of course bossing people around — only joking!

What does your typical day look like?

Jenny: Every day is very different so it’s tough to describe a typical day. If I had to summarise; checking in with my team to make sure they are OK / if there is anything I can help them with or blockers I can remove would be high on the list. Then getting on with my own work, whether this be a strategy document, resource planning proposal or a good old fashioned bit of troubleshooting some code. At the end of the day, I always try to tie off any loose ends ready to start again the following day.

Joe: I start the day with the usual stand up discussing any blockers & key things I have achieved the day before — making sure there is plenty of time to catch up on all things not work related also! I will spend time on-boarding some of our data analysts/scientists to dbt as-a-product, an initiative that allows all data professions to interact with dbt @ Gousto. Work on a given project that may contain data modelling, the creation of a data pipeline, and reviewing GitHub pull requests from data analysts who are making changes to our data models.

What skills/tools are most crucial for your job?

Joe: Being able to understand the technical aspects of data and explain them to all stakeholders, no matter the technical knowledge of the audience. It also helps if you’ve got strong SQL skills, coupled with Python, dbt, git & experience working in an agile fashion. We also use Databricks & AWS (Redshift, Athena, etc), as well as general tools like Slack & Miro.

Jenny: I work with technical tools such as Sisense and Periscope — but for working up proposals and business plans, nothing beats old fashioned Google-sheets / Google-docs or Google slides. I do find Miro boards useful for initial planning as well

Who are your key stakeholders?

Jenny: Theoretically, anyone at Gousto who rely on the tools to enable them to perform their role, as well as our third party suppliers who provide our BI tools. On a day-to-day basis, I mainly work with the BI developers, analytical engineers and data analysts

Joe: Anyone in the business who wants to get their hands on data or make use of Databricks or dbt.

How do your two professions interact?

Joe: As an analytics engineer, I am responsible for building the core models that BI developers use to build their Sisense dashboards. We often work with the BI team to understand their stakeholder requirements and ensure that the data we provide them fulfils these. BI developers also get involved with dbt as-a-product, and work closely with us to make changes to our models or create any new ones they might need.

Jenny: Analytical engineers are essential to BI development. They build and model ingested data for us and recently have been working closely with my team to enable us to model some of the tables ourselves, reducing time taken for dashboard development. They are also often our first point of call if an issue is spotted within a dashboard

What advice would you give to someone coming into your profession?

Jenny: Be curious and adaptable — it’s a fascinating world as there are usually multiple ways to do something so you are always learning. As a manager, I value different opinions and ways of looking at things so never think you have to conform to a particular model or persona — just be yourself. I am a strong believer that you can develop any skills as long as the person has the willingness to learn

Joe: Be inquisitive. I personally believe the strongest attribute of a good Analytics Engineer is asking WHY we do things the way we do and HOW they can be improved. Don’t worry about not having experience with every bit of the modern tech stack. Companies often list 10+ tools they use and it can be daunting as somebody looking to enter the space. Most of these tools can be picked up very quickly, and it’s far more important to be curious and want to learn than it is to have experience in every tool.

Check out more stories from Gousto and make sure to follow us here, so you catch the next instalment in our series of “What’s the difference between…”.

While you’re waiting for that you can check out this post about the experiences of two Gousto interns.