Monday - Prep VS Alteryx
Monday felt like a very productive day. We spent the morning thinking about the differences between using Alteryx and Tableau Prep, undertaking various Preppin' Data and Alteryx challenges in both software. This was a great exercise as it really got me thinking about what I wanted to do to the data, plus it felt good to tick off challenge after challenge.
After lunch we started discussing our placements. It feels really early to be talking about this, but I know it's good to get the ball rolling, and it definitely gave me lots to think about regarding what I want out of my placements. We finished the day with a Makeover Monday challenge. I can't decide how much I'm improving with these. My design has definitely got slicker, but I feel like the more I'm learning about Tableau, the longer it's then taking me to do these challenges as there are more and more things I want to try with the data.
Tuesday - Security and Ethics
Tuesday was pretty intense, and not really something I foresaw covering when I applied to the Data School. However, by the end of the day I really understood the necessity, and benefit of discussing these topics with respect to data. I was particularly interested in ethical data practices. I've long been aware of the potential for bias in data, and how data can perpetuate social prejudices. A great example of this is the gender data gap, as spoken about in Caroline Criado Perez's book, Invisible Women. However, there were levels to data ethics that I hadn't been aware of, such as the way that machine learning can reinforce biases. When technology is fed and learns from data that is biased, it then starts to perpetuate those biases by itself, as it doesn't have the intelligence to understand the meaning behind the data. This lesson gave me a lot to think about moving forward, especially when I will be out on placement.
Wednesday - Spatial Data and Whiteboard Tableau
Tableau days have come to be my favorite - the novelty of creating a chart that looks really cool still hasn't worn off. Today we were looking at spatial data i.e. data relating to locations. We learnt how to plot data points on a map and draw lines between said points, which sounds pretty basic but allows you to do super interesting things like track the trajectory of a storm
We then spent the rest of the day testing our Tableau skills, using whiteboard Tableau. This meant thinking about some data, and how we wanted to present it, and then sketching out what our Tableau worksheet should look like, but using a whiteboard. For anyone wanting to gain confidence with their data skills - this is a great way to practice, and check your knowledge as it really makes you think about where you are putting your fields in Tableau, and how you think they are going to look.
Thursday - Preparing for Client Projects
Our first client project has popped up out of nowhere - I missed the memo that I have already been at the DS for 5 weeks???
We spent today getting into the nitty-gritty of consulting, and how we can use our skills in data analytics with regards to a client project. We discussed the stages of a project, what questions we need to ask to set us on the right path, and the importance of documenting our work. This is a habit I've really been trying to get into since day 1, so hopefully this should feel natural to me by next week! I'm not sure if I'm ready for next week, but I think that's kind of the point?
Friday - Pop Quiz?
Tomorrow we have a lovely surprise in the morning - a Tableau quiz! I actually think this will be a really good opportunity to check in at where I'm at, and see what areas I'm lacking in. Expect a blog on something Tableau related tomorrow...