Alteryx, Inc. released research exploring the
evolving role of the data analyst. The report, titled “The 2025 State of Data
Analysts in the Age of AI,” surveyed 1,400 global analysts including data, IT
and operations analysts, across five industries to determine how the role of
the data analyst is evolving amidst the rapid rise of analytics automation and
AI tools. The report suggests a shift toward a more strategic role that
reflects a transformation of the traditional analyst.
Key Findings:
- AI boosts productivity: Seven out of 10
analysts surveyed agree that AI and analytics automation make them more
effective and efficient in their roles. - Spreadsheet dependency
remains: 76%
of analysts surveyed still rely on spreadsheets for data preparation
tasks. - The role of the analyst
is becoming more strategic: 94% of data analysts surveyed agree that their role
impacts strategic decision-making and 87% say that their influence on
business decisions has increased in the past year. - Career growth and AI: Only 17% of analysts
surveyed express deep concern that AI will take over their jobs and 90%
believe that AI will facilitate the growth of their career.
AI tools appear to be making the role of the data analyst
more strategic, however, an overwhelming 76% of analysts surveyed still use
spreadsheets as their primary tool for cleaning and preparing data. Nearly half
(45%) of data professionals surveyed still spend over six hours per week on
data cleansing and preparation tasks. This ongoing dependency on manual data
manipulation can create inefficiencies and, more importantly, inaccuracies –
which, given AI’s dependency on data, could threaten the quality of AI output.
While this reliance on spreadsheets persists, data analysts
express significant optimism about what lies ahead. Nearly half (48%) of
analysts surveyed anticipate significant opportunities for career advancement
driven by AI adoption and use. In fact, only 17% of data analysts surveyed
express concern over AI replacing their jobs. This is a significant reduction
from a similar
survey of IT and data leaders in 2024, of whom 65% felt that
generative AI will likely replace existing job roles over the next two to three
years.
“For data analysts, the results are crystal clear,” said Jay
Henderson, SVP of Product at Alteryx. “Leveraging AI as an everyday tool has
boosted job satisfaction and reclaimed valuable hours for analysts. For
organizations, the challenge is to optimize these productivity gains. This
involves building a tech stack to manage advanced AI applications effectively.
Plans to implement AI across workforces must go hand and hand with providing
data workers the tools that consistently validate confidence in AI outputs. A
strong starting point is determining whether your data preparation capabilities
can meet these shifting demands.”
To learn more, download the full “The
2025 State of Data Analysts in the Age of AI” report from Alteryx for a
more in-depth look into the trends reshaping the role of the data
analyst.
