From spreadsheet power-user to your first SQL-heavy analytics role

Many strong analysts begin as spreadsheet power users. The shift to SQL is less about syntax and more about thinking in sets, joins, and grain: what does one row mean, and what double-counting would fool you?

We bridge Excel intuition with explicit mapping exercises: pivot concepts to GROUP BY, VLOOKUP patterns to joins, and “assumptions hidden in a cell” to documented transformations.

Stakeholder questions are the spine of analytics work. Practice translating a vague ask into a measurable outcome before you touch a query — it saves rework and reads as senior behaviour in interviews.