The Analytics Power Hour
Michael Helbling, Moe Kiss, Tim Wilson, Val Kroll, and Julie Hoyer
Attend any conference for any topic and you will hear people saying after that the best and most informative discussions happened in the bar after the show. Read any business magazine and you will find an article saying something along the lines of "Business Analytics is the hottest job category out there, and there is a significant lack of people, process and best practice." In this case the conference was eMetrics, the bar was….multiple, and the attendees were Michael Helbling, Tim Wilson and Jim Cain (Co-Host Emeritus). After a few pints and a few hours of discussion about the cutting edge of digital analytics, they realized they might have something to contribute back to the community. This podcast is one of those contributions. Each episode is a closed topic and an open forum - the goal is for listeners to enjoy listening to Michael, Tim, and Moe share their thoughts and experiences and hopefully take away something to try at work the next day. We hope you enjoy listening to the Digital Analytics Power Hour.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Oct 9, 2018 • 1h 2min
#099: How Technical Should the Analyst Be? With Simo Ahava!
Are you deeply knowledgable in JavaScript, R, the DOM, Python, AWS, jQuery, Google Cloud Platform, and SQL? Good for you! If you're not, should you be? What does "technical" mean, anyway? And, is it even possible for an analyst to dive into all of these different areas? English philosophy expert The Notorious C.M.O. (aka, Simo Ahava) returns to the show to share his thoughts on the subject in this episode. For complete show notes, including links to items mentioned in this episode and a transcript of the show, visit the show page.
Sep 25, 2018 • 58min
#098: Successfully Managing the Analyst
As the axiom goes: people don't leave companies; they leave their managers. And, good analysts are constantly being approached with new opportunities. So, what's the secret formula for hanging on to analytics talent? Assuming simply chaining them to their desks isn't an option, then the trick is keeping them happy and motivated. On this episode, the gang discusses their experiences and perspectives on the topic. Tim tried to quit the show just before recording, but he then discovered that Michael had chained him to his desk. For complete show notes, including links to items mentioned in this episode and a transcript of the show, visit the show page.
Sep 11, 2018 • 55min
#097: Spotting and Assessing Analytics Talent with Simon Rumble
Tell me about a time you produced an amazing analysis. Please provide your response in the form of a Jupyter notebook that uses Python or R (or both!) to pull words from a corpus that contains all words in the OED stored in a BigQuery table. I mean, that's a fair question to ask, right? No? Well, what questions and techniques are effective for assessing an analyst's likelihood of succeeding in your organization? How should those techniques differ when looking for a technical analyst as opposed to a more business-oriented one? On this episode of the show -- recorded while our recording service clearly thought it was in a job interview that it needed to deliberately tank -- Simon Rumble from Snowflake Analytics joined the gang to share ideas on the topic. For complete show notes, including links to items mentioned in this episode and a transcript of the show, visit the show page.
Aug 28, 2018 • 58min
#096: Analyzing Online Learning Options for the Analyst with Lizzie Allen-Klein
Mama always said: life is like a box of chocolates, and online learning is sometimes like one of those boxes where you don't know which piece is delicious nougat and which piece is some sort of nasty, coconut-y cream. Well, maybe not your mama. But, it's a big world, so, surely, there's a mother out there somewhere who would agree with the sentiment. On this episode, the gang chatted with Google Consumer Insights Analyst Lizzie Allen-Klein about different learning styles and different approaches and options for learning new (and hard!) analytical skills. And there might have been an embarrassing interlude where Tim and Michael exhibited their respective possession of some Y-chromosomes. For complete show notes, including links to items mentioned in this episode and a transcript of the show, visit the show page.
Aug 21, 2018 • 13min
(Bonus) 1:1 with Jodi Daniels: GDPR and CCPA (Privacy!) Updates
For this mini-episode, Tim sits down (virtually) with Episode #077 guest Jodi Daniels from Red Clover Advisors to chat about the world of privacy post-May 25, 2018 (GDPR), as well as the upcoming California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (CCPA). Has the free-wheeling world of free-flowing consumer data ended, or are companies simply learning how to behave with more care? Give it a listen to find out?
Aug 14, 2018 • 54min
#095: The Rise of BI with Taylor Udell
Business Intelligence. It's a term that's been around for a few decades, but that is every bit as difficult to nail down as "data science," "big data," or a jellyfish. Think too hard about it, and you might actually find yourself struggling to define "analytics!" With the latest generation of BI tools, though, it's a topic that is making the rounds at cocktail parties the world over! (Cocktail parties just aren't what they used to be.) On this episode, the crew snags Taylor Udell from Heap to join in a discussion on the subject, and Moe (unsuccessfully) attempts to end the episode after six minutes. Possibly because neither Tableau nor Superset can definitively prove where avocado toast originated (but Wikipedia backs her up). But we all know Tim can't be shut up that quickly, right?! For complete show notes, including links to items mentioned in this episode and a transcript of the show, visit the show page.
Jul 31, 2018 • 52min
#094: Scaling a Culture of Experimentation with Andrea Burbank from Pinterest
The company: "Hey, you. That's a mighty nice test you've run. We should be doing that a lot more of those." You: "Um...okay. But, I'm only one person." In this episode, the gang chats with Pinterest's Andrea Burbank (Twitter | Pinterest) about how she (loosely) dealt with this scenario: from sheer force of will to get some early wins to strategic thinking combined with late nights, an obsession with checklists, and a willingness to be flexible as she slowly, but firmly, pushed the organization to steadily increasing test volume and test reliability. And sweet potato gnocchi. For complete show notes, including links to items mentioned in this episode and a transcript of the show, visit the show page.
Jul 17, 2018 • 51min
#093: The Proclivities and Personal Perspectives of the Analyst
Humans are creatures of habit. And analysts — those of us who haven't been so drawn into the world of artificial intelligence that we have become cyborgs, at least — are humans. In this episode, the gang explores the good and the bad side of analytical habits: what analyses we gravitate towards, how we go about approaching those analyses, and, to some extent, how those habits are impacted by our organizational environments. With a side dish of, "What is a data scientist, anyway?" (because who can resist a question that is both rhetorical AND controversial?!). For complete show notes, including links to items mentioned in this episode and a transcript of the show, visit the show page.
Jul 3, 2018 • 49min
#092: A Special Report - Data Journalism Meets Business Analytics with Walt Hickey
Walt Hickey, founder of the NumLock Newsletter and former chief culture writer at fivethirtyeight.com, dives into the intersection of data journalism and business analytics. He discusses how effective storytelling can transform raw data into relatable insights, emphasizing the balance between technical detail and engaging narratives. The conversation also covers the significance of data literacy, the challenges of communicating complex information, and the unique power of newsletters in fostering audience connection. Expect humor and insightful commentary on ad fraud and statistical methods too!
Jun 19, 2018 • 37min
#091: Data Literacy and (at!) MEE!
Are you reading this? If so, then you are literate. But, are you (and are your stakeholders) data literate? What does that even mean? On this episode -- recorded in front of a live audience at Marketing Evolution Experience in Las Vegas -- the gang tackled the topic. Mid-way through the show, they were delighted to be joined on stage by Gary Angel (unplanned, but due to a series of unfortunate travel and communication mishaps -- recording with a live audience is exciting! He is officially over halfway to joining the podcast's Five-Timers Club)! It was an engaging discussion with some smart questions from the live audience. For complete show notes, including links to items mentioned in this episode and a transcript of the show, visit the show page.
