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Data tools and skills guides

The tools and skills UK employers ask for: SQL, Power BI, Excel and more.

The four data analyst tools laid out in learning order
Learning path

Excel, SQL, Python or Power BI: What Should You Learn First?

The expensive mistake is not picking the wrong tool. It is picking all four at once and quitting at month three.

Kwame Boateng·Jul 12, 2026·5 min read
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A ranked list of the skills UK data analyst employers ask for
Skills

Data Analyst Skills in 2026: What UK Job Adverts Actually Ask For

Most skills articles are opinion. This one is a count of what UK job adverts actually list.

Aug 16, 20265 min read
Planning and building a first Power BI dashboard
Skills

Power BI for Beginners: Building a Dashboard That Belongs in a Portfolio

Power BI appears in 49.2% of UK analyst adverts, ahead of Tableau. Here is how to build a first dashboard that survives an interview.

Jun 17, 20265 min read
Reviewing and checking a SQL query
Skills

SQL for Data Analysts: What You Actually Need to Learn (and What to Skip)

SQL appears in 56% of UK data analyst adverts. Full database courses teach far more of it than analysts ever use.

Jun 14, 20265 min read