Data Science and Analytics (SQL, Tableau, Excel)

By the end, you can clean a data set in Excel, query a database with SQL, build a dashboard in Tableau or Power BI and present three clear findings.

Job-ready skillAbout 150 hours3 stagesFree

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Data analysts turn raw numbers into answers that help a business decide what to do. Banks, retailers, mines and government departments in South Africa all need people who can clean data, query it and present it clearly.

Turn on JavaScript to track your progress. The lessons are:FoundationsLearn spreadsheets properly: sorting, filtering, formulas, pivot tables and charts.Task: Download a free public data set (for example Stats SA or a sample sales file). In Excel or Google Sheets, clean it, build one pivot table and two charts, and write three findings in plain English.Core skillsQuery data with SQL and learn basic statistics.Task: Load a sample database (free on SQLite Online) and write ten SQL queries that answer business questions, including a JOIN and a GROUP BY. Save the queries with a one-line explanation each.Applied practiceBuild dashboards and tell the story behind the numbers.Task: Build a one-page dashboard in Tableau Public or Power BI from a South African data set. Publish it and record a two-minute voice note or video explaining what a manager should do based on it.

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What competent looks like

Cleans messy data and documents the steps
Writes SQL with JOIN, GROUP BY and filters
Builds a clear dashboard with a single message
Explains findings to a non-technical person
Checks numbers before sharing them

The South African route

No licence is needed. The free Google Data Analytics and Microsoft Power BI learning paths are recognised by employers. Show a portfolio of two or three dashboards on Tableau Public or GitHub.

Free resources

Data analysis courses
Microsoft Learn
Relational database certification
freeCodeCamp
Free data sets
Stats SA

These links go to free courses and sites run by other organisations. We chose them in October 2026 but do not run them, so check costs, dates and entry requirements on their site. Broken link? Tell us.

Jobs it can lead to

Junior data analyst
Reporting analyst
Business intelligence intern
Data capturer moving into analysis