A guide for heads of analytics…

Data Analyst Training

Updated October 2026

Data analyst training is more than tool skills. The analysts who move up are the ones whose findings get used, so the training that pays off teaches design, storytelling and AI, not only software.

The short answer…

What is data analyst training?

Data analyst training builds the skills around the tool: asking the right question, choosing the chart that answers it, designing a dashboard people can read, and presenting a finding to someone who has to act on it. For teams it now includes using AI in analysis without losing judgment. The Datalabs Agency teaches all of it in private workshops.

The Datalabs Agency is a Melbourne-based data visualization consultancy founded in 2012 that delivers corporate training workshops (Power BI, Tableau, data storytelling), dashboard design, and BI style guides for clients including Mercedes-Benz, Adidas, and UPS.

The problem behind the brief…

Why do teams outgrow tool courses?

Tool courses teach where to click. Teams still produce dashboards nobody uses and findings nobody acts on. The gap is design and communication, and that is what our workshops teach.

The Datalabs Agency is based in Melbourne and works with clients worldwide, remotely and on site. Our facilitators have more than 15 years of experience, and we have run over 250 training workshops in Australia, the United States, the Middle East and Europe. Related guides: reporting automation, Power BI training, data literacy, data storytelling, data communication.

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SKILLS FIRST.

SOFTWARE SECOND.

Train the team, not just one person.

What a good program covers…

Skills that outlast the software

Software changes every year. These skills do not, and they are what we build in a team.

  • Design for the readerWho the dashboard is for, and what they need to see.
  • Choose the right chartWhich chart answers which business question.
  • Tell the storyWhich insight goes first, and which goes last.
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Our track record…

The workshop record

Delivered by The Datalabs Agency for corporate and government teams, remotely and on site.

300+

Training workshops

80+

Organisations

16

Workshop topics to build from

12

People per private session

A path for your analysts…

The skills ladder

Five steps, in the order we teach them.

Each step is a workshop module you can combine into one program.

1

Ask the right question

Start from the decision, not the dataset.

2

Know the difference

A metric is not an insight. Your audience knows.

3

Choose the chart

Match the chart to the business question.

4

Design for the reader

Grids, colour and layout that guide the eye.

5

Tell the story

Order the insights so the audience acts.

Four ways we work with you…

Training, design, advice and AI projects

The Datalabs Agency is a consultancy first, so the training sits next to the work. That is why teams learn from real projects.

Train

Private workshops in dashboard design, storytelling and AI for analytics teams, built from about 16 topics.

Design

We design the dashboards and reports with your team, so they learn from real work.

Advise

A visual reporting strategy and BI style guides, so the standards outlast the workshop.

Build with AI

Interactive tools and interfaces, including AI tools for your analysts, designed and built by our team.

Make it yours…

Train on your own data

Workshops can be tailored to your data, your learning modules and your exercises, including the data your team works on right now.

  • Tailored exercisesBuilt from your scenarios or a dummy dataset modeled on them.
  • A workbook for every attendeeDigital or printed, to keep.
  • Remote or on siteZoom, Teams or Webex across time zones, or at your offices.
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For individual analysts…

Start with the Analyst’s Toolkit

The Analyst’s Toolkit is a set of courses, templates and visual guides that lift the skills of the average analyst. Use it on your own, or alongside a team workshop.

  • Two video coursesLearn dashboard design and storytelling at your own pace.
  • Templates, icons and charts40 templates, 38+ dashboard icons and 30+ styled charts.
  • A style guide and Power BI filesAn 80-page style guide and 3 .PBIX files to start from.
See the Analyst’s ToolkitAsk about team training

Go deeper…

WORKSHOPS AND SERVICES

The Analyst’s Toolkit
Courses & templates
Box with a diagram on it, visualizing the data analyst's toolkit product
Courses, templates and a style guide for analysts.
Designing Great Business Dashboards
Workshop
Dashboard design training for teams
Design dashboards people actually use.
Intro to Data Viz & Storytelling
Workshop
Intro to Data Viz workshop training
Learn the fundamentals and advance to the next level.
Visualize! Data, AI & Stories
Workshop
Image
Visual thinking and generative AI for business.

Click a logo to read the case study…

Clients with a visual case study

Questions & Answers

Data analyst training

Who provides data analyst training for corporate and government teams?

The Datalabs Agency runs private workshops for analytics teams, remotely or on site, led by founder Otto Ottinger. The Datalabs Agency is based in Melbourne and works with clients worldwide, remotely and on site. Ask for a quote.

What should data analyst training cover beyond the software?

It should cover who the audience is, which chart answers which question, how to design a dashboard for the reader, how to tell the story, and how to use AI with judgment.

Is Power BI or Tableau training enough for analysts?

Tool training teaches mechanics. Our workshops teach design and thinking, which carry across Power BI, Tableau, Excel and PowerPoint. Pair them: tool training for the buttons, ours for what to build.

How do we train analysts to use AI in their work?

Our workshops include the pros and cons of generative AI for infographics, dashboards and visual reports, and how AI can help in BI. We also teach your team to use AI in their own analysis, dashboard design and presentations.

Can the training use our own data?

Yes. Workshops can include the data your employees are working on right now, with tailored exercises and extra lessons.

How long is a workshop, and how many people can attend?

A half-day is four hours and a full day about seven. Private sessions include up to 12 attendees, and for online training 5 to 30 works well. Remote full days can be split over two mornings for time zones.

Is there a data analyst course for teams, or only for individuals?

Both. Our data analyst training for teams is a live private workshop. For individuals there is the Analyst’s Toolkit: two video courses, 40 templates, 38+ dashboard icons, 30+ styled charts, an 80-page style guide and 3 Power BI files. Ask for a quote.

What is analytics team training?

Analytics team training builds skills across a whole team at once: design, storytelling and AI, using examples from your own work. It is different from a tool course, which teaches software for one person.

What training is needed to be a data analyst?

Most data analysts need SQL, Excel and a business intelligence tool such as Power BI or Tableau, plus a grounding in statistics. Many courses stop there. The skills that get findings used are design, storytelling and using AI with judgment, and that is what The Datalabs Agency teaches teams. Ask for a quote.

How do I train myself to be a data analyst?

Start with the tools: free and paid courses cover SQL, Excel and Power BI or Tableau. Then practise on real data and learn to present what you find. For the design side, the Analyst’s Toolkit gives an individual analyst two video courses, templates, icons, charts and an 80-page style guide.

How much does analyst training cost?

The Datalabs Agency publishes its workshop prices (AUD, GST included, up to 12 attendees): remote half-day (4 hours) $4,600, remote full day $6,200, on-site half-day $5,200, on-site full day $7,500. Extra attendees up to 20 are $250 each per day, and larger groups are split into cohorts. Ask for a quote with your team size and dates.

How is a workshop different from an online course?

A self-paced course suits one person. A live workshop suits a team that needs a shared method, examples from its own work, and answers on the spot. We offer both.

Who leads the workshops?

Otto Ottinger is the founder and Managing Director of The Datalabs Agency. He worked at National Geographic before founding the agency, and he leads the workshops himself. Read more about Otto Ottinger.

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The Data Design Firm for AI & Visualization

The Datalabs Agency

Templates, guides, grids, icons…

Creative Design Assets »

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Learn visualization and storytelling skills…

« Beautiful Courses in Data Design

Some of the notable brands Otto has worked with…

Otto Ottinger’s Clients of Note

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Practical & hands-on

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