Data analysts spend half their time on housekeeping, according to study

US – Data professionals spend almost half of their time preparing data, rather than analysing it, research from the Digital Analytics Association (DAA) suggests.

Data analysis_crop

A survey conducted by TMMData and the DAA has found that 38.7% of data professionals spend more than 20 hours a week accessing, blending and preparing data rather than performing analysis.

The online survey of 824 DAA community members found that just under half ( 43.8%) of managers reported that 51% or more of their team’s week is spent collecting, integrating and preparing data, while 31.3% of analysts said they spend 21 or more hours a week on ‘housekeeping’ of data.

The survey also found that data integration was the most frequently cited investment priority for the coming year, reported by over 40% of management and 37.8% of staff.

Additionally, 70% of analysts said they have learned to code themselves to help them access or prepare data for analysis.

Bob Selfridge, TMMData chief executive and founder, said: "The industry as a whole still seems to be struggling to give analysts the quality data, quick access and self-service tools that will make it possible for them to focus on analysis rather than housekeeping."

We hope you enjoyed this article.
Research Live is published by MRS.

The Market Research Society (MRS) exists to promote and protect the research sector, showcasing how research delivers impact for businesses and government.

Members of MRS enjoy many benefits including tailoured policy guidance, discounts on training and conferences, and access to member-only content.

For example, there's an archive of winning case studies from over a decade of MRS Awards.

Find out more about the benefits of joining MRS here.

0 Comments


Display name

Email

Join the discussion

Newsletter
Stay connected with the latest insights and trends...
Sign Up
Latest From MRS

Our latest training courses

Our new 2025 training programme is now launched as part of the development offered within the MRS Global Insight Academy

See all training

Specialist conferences

Our one-day conferences cover topics including CX and UX, Semiotics, B2B, Finance, AI and Leaders' Forums.

See all conferences

MRS reports on AI

MRS has published a three-part series on how generative AI is impacting the research sector, including synthetic respondents and challenges to adoption.

See the reports

Progress faster...
with MRS 
membership

Mentoring

CPD/recognition

Webinars

Codeline

Discounts