Foundations of Analytics Engineer Role: Skills, Scope, and Modern Practices
During this session, we’ll take a practical look at the Analytics Engineer role: what it actually covers, how it fits into modern data teams, and which skills matter most.
Rather than a step-by-step tutorial, this talk focuses on core concepts, real examples, and recurring patterns that define the work of Analytics Engineers today.
We’ll cover:
What the Analytics Engineer role really includes and how it complements data engineers, data scientists, and business teams
Technical foundations that keep an AE effective: SQL, data modeling, testing, version control, and development workflows
Soft skills that quietly shape impact: cross-team communication, stakeholder alignment, and systematic thinking
The talk draws on key insights from Fundamentals of Analytics Engineering, with Juan sharing lessons learned while writing the book and working with data teams.
By the end, you’ll have a grounded view of why the Analytics Engineer role exists, how it has evolved, and which capabilities are worth prioritizing if you want to advance in this career.
About the speaker:
Juan Manuel Perafan is an analytics engineer, educator, and community builder based in Utrecht. He’s the co-author of Fundamentals of Analytics Engineering, host of the SQL Lingua Franca podcast, and a dbt Community Award winner. Juan founded the Analytics Engineering Meetup Netherlands and the Dutch dbt Meetup, and has spoken at events like dbt Coalesce, Linux Foundation OS Summit, and Big Data Expo NL.
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