Your data has something to say.
Let’s make it clear.
You don’t need to be a data expert. You just need a little clarity.
Join 1600+ data professionals learning how to find insights, explain them clearly, and make real impact every week.
What Explain the Data Offers
📚 For Learners
✔️ Weekly newsletter with practical lessons on data communication
✔️ Free datasets and project challenges to practice with
✔️ Templates, checklists, and guides for clear analysis
💼 For Companies
✔️ Contract consulting on dashboards and data pipelines
✔️ Team training workshops on stakeholder communication
✔️ Help building systems that make data actually understandable
Who This Is For
You're learning Data Analysis
✔️ Just starting out or switching careers
✔️ In a bootcamp or teaching yourself
✔️ Want to learn how to explain your work
✔️ Need practical resources, not theory
You're Hiring for Data Help
✔️ Need dashboards or reporting automated
✔️ Want your team to communicate better
✔️ Looking for a contractor who can teach
✔️ Value insights that drive business results
Whichever describes you, you're in the right place.
Behind Explain the Data
I’m a data analyst and the founder of Explain the Data.I started it because I was frustrated. I could build complex dashboards and run deep analyses, but when it was time to share my findings, people’s eyes would glaze over.The problem wasn’t my technical skills. It was how I communicated.So I learned to explain data in plain language and began teaching others to do the same.Today, Explain the Data exists with one simple goal: to help analysts make their insights clear and easy to understand.
Making Data Communication Simple, Not Complicated
Explain the Data was founded because most data education teaches the wrong thing. They teach you SQL, Python, and Tableau. But they don't teach you how to make a CEO care about your 15% churn rate.How to explain what you found to people who don't speak data.That's the skill that actually gets you hired. That's the skill that gets your recommendations acted on. That's the skill that turns analysts into trusted advisors.And almost nobody teaches it.
What We Offer
Tips, stories, and ideas that help you think more clearly about your data.
Practice analyzing and explaining with datasets we've collected and shared.
Simple reads to help you understand data concepts and tell better stories.
Guides, cheat sheets, and templates that help you work with data more clearly.
Text
How We're Different
This isn’t a course. It’s not a bootcamp. It’s not a funnel.We don’t focus on "learning every tool." We focus on helping you:
- Get clear on the problem
- Clean your dataset
- Ask good questions
- And explain the answer in a way that actually makes senseYou’ll find original datasets, write-up prompts, helpful templates, and a community mindset.Everything here is free. We're not trying to sell you a $2,000 course. We're just genuinely helping people get better at explaining their work.
Who This Is For
If you're learning data analysis on your own, switching careers into data, or just want to get better at explaining your work to non-technical people, this is for you.We don't care if you know Python or not. We care if you can take an insight and make someone who doesn't know Python understand why it matters.That's the skill that changes careers.
Explore the Projects
Each project on this page is designed to help you understand and explain data in a clear way. You will find project write ups, documentation, and links to explore the data yourself.These aren’t just random datasets. Every single one here was collected and shared by Explain the Data. They were created to help you practice real skills.But here’s the part that makes it different: we don’t just want answers. We want your explanation.Clean the data. Explore it. Then tell us what you did. You can write a post, an article, share screenshots, or even record a quick video.That’s the skill we care about here. Can you make sense of the numbers? Can you explain them clearly?When you share your work, tag @Explain the Data on LinkedIn so we can cheer you on and learn from your perspective too.
Need Help Explaining Your Project?Start here if you’re not sure how to explain your analysis. These guides will help you structure your thoughts, highlight key insights, and walk us through your process like a pro.
Analyze Global Freelance Projects
This dataset gives you a peek into real freelance jobs posted online. You’ll find job titles, price ranges, required skills, and client info. It’s a great way to explore trends in freelance work and practice breaking down project details.
Try Answering These
• What is the average freelance rate in different countries?
• Which skills or tags show up the most in high-paying jobs?
• Are highly-rated clients paying more for projects?Find more detailed steps and questions in the project documentation linked above.
Analyze Public Projects on GitHub
GitHub is full of projects. This dataset gives you a look at 14,000+ public GitHub repos. You can explore stats like stars, forks, languages, and activity. It’s a great way to practice data cleaning, trend analysis, or storytelling with real-world tech data.
Try Answering These:
• What are the most starred repos in this dataset?
• Do repos with a README get more stars?
• Can you spot any repos that seem “hidden gems” (low stars but high health)?Find more detailed steps and questions in the project documentation linked above.
Analyze UK Property Sales
This dataset gives you a chance to explore real UK property sales. You’ll see how house prices changed over time, which types of homes sold the most, and how often people moved. You’ll practice joining tables, sorting by dates, and exploring how prices changed over time.
Try Answering These:
• Which homes had the biggest price increase between sales?
• How often are properties being sold and resold?
• What’s the average sale price for different property types?Find more detailed steps and questions in the project documentation linked above.
Helpful Resources
These tools and templates are here to make your learning journey smoother. Everything here is free, simple, and made to help you explain your data more clearly.
Data Cleaning Checklist
This checklist shows every step from raw file to clean file. Follow it to spot errors and make data ready for study.
Project Write-Up Template
This guide helps you explain what you did, how you did it, and what it means.
Dashboard Review Checklist
Before you hit share, run this list. It catches slow pages, hidden labels, and weak color choices.
Tool Picker Guide for Beginners
Answer a few quick questions and the guide points you to Excel, SQL, Tableau, or Python. Choosing a start tool becomes easy.
Portfolio Page Template
A simple map for your story. It helps recruiters see value without digging.
Final Data Analysis Checklist
Run these checks on data, code, visuals, and docs. They make sure the project is solid before share.
Video Walkthrough Script Template
Use the guide to tell why the project matters, what the data says, and what comes next. Viewers will stay with you.
LinkedIn Profile Checklist
Tick each item to tune your profile for search and human eyes. Recruiters will see value fast.
Data Dictionary Template
This sheet stores every column name, type, and meaning. It stops guess work for anyone who reads the data.