Data Analyst Resume Keywords: SQL & Analytics Skills (2026)

I screen data analyst resumes daily. The biggest mistake? Listing tools without showing what you did with them.

"Proficient in SQL" tells me nothing. "Wrote complex SQL queries analyzing 10M+ transaction records to identify $2M in fraud patterns" tells me everything.

Here's the complete keyword guide for data analyst resumes. For the complete system on translating analytics work into business impact bullets, see our Professional Impact Dictionary.

SQL Keywords

Core SQL Skills

SQL
SQL queries
Complex queries
Joins (INNER, LEFT, RIGHT, FULL)
Subqueries
CTEs (Common Table Expressions)
Window functions
Aggregations
GROUP BY
HAVING

Advanced SQL

Query optimization
Performance tuning
Indexes
Execution plans
Stored procedures
Views
Temp tables
Data manipulation
Data extraction

SQL Databases

MySQL
PostgreSQL
SQL Server
Oracle
SQLite
BigQuery
Snowflake
Redshift
Databricks SQL

Excel Keywords

Core Excel

Excel
Advanced Excel
Spreadsheet analysis
Formulas
Functions
Data manipulation

Excel Functions

VLOOKUP
HLOOKUP
INDEX/MATCH
XLOOKUP
IF statements
Nested formulas
SUMIF/COUNTIF
Array formulas
Text functions
Date functions

Excel Features

Pivot tables
Pivot charts
Data validation
Conditional formatting
Power Query
Power Pivot
Macros
VBA
Data modeling
What-if analysis

Data Visualization Keywords

Visualization Tools

Tableau
Power BI
Looker
Google Data Studio
Metabase
Mode
Sisense
Qlik
Domo

Visualization Skills

Dashboard design
Dashboard development
Interactive dashboards
Data visualization
Visual analytics
Storytelling with data
Chart selection
Report design
KPI dashboards
Executive dashboards

Visualization Concepts

Data storytelling
Visual best practices
Color theory
Chart types
Drill-down
Filters
Parameters
Calculated fields
LOD expressions (Tableau)
DAX (Power BI)

Programming Keywords

Python for Data Analysis

Python
pandas
NumPy
Jupyter notebooks
Data manipulation
Data cleaning
Data wrangling
Matplotlib
Seaborn
Plotly

R Programming

R
RStudio
tidyverse
dplyr
ggplot2
R Markdown
Statistical modeling

Other Languages

SAS
SPSS
Stata
MATLAB

Statistical Analysis Keywords

Descriptive Statistics

Descriptive statistics
Mean, median, mode
Standard deviation
Variance
Percentiles
Distribution analysis
Summary statistics

Analytical Techniques

Regression analysis
Correlation analysis
Trend analysis
Time series analysis
Forecasting
Hypothesis testing
A/B testing
Statistical significance
Confidence intervals

Advanced Analytics

Predictive analytics
Segmentation
Clustering
Classification
Cohort analysis
Funnel analysis
Churn analysis
Customer analytics

Data Management Keywords

Data Quality

Data cleaning
Data validation
Data quality
Data integrity
Error detection
Outlier detection
Missing data handling
Data standardization

Data Processing

ETL (Extract, Transform, Load)
Data extraction
Data transformation
Data loading
Data pipeline
Data integration
Data migration

Data Concepts

Data modeling
Database design
Data architecture
Data governance
Data dictionary
Metadata
Master data

Business & Soft Skills Keywords

Business Analysis

Business intelligence
Business analytics
Requirements gathering
Business requirements
Stakeholder analysis
Process analysis
Gap analysis
Root cause analysis

Reporting

Reporting
Ad-hoc reporting
Scheduled reports
Automated reporting
Management reporting
Executive reporting
KPI reporting
Performance reporting

Communication

Data presentation
Stakeholder communication
Cross-functional collaboration
Technical documentation
Findings presentation
Recommendations
Insights communication

Industry-Specific Keywords

Finance/Banking

Financial analysis
Financial reporting
Revenue analysis
Cost analysis
P&L analysis
Budget analysis
Variance analysis
Risk analysis
Compliance reporting

Marketing

Marketing analytics
Campaign analysis
Attribution modeling
Customer segmentation
CLV analysis
ROI analysis
Conversion analysis
Channel performance

E-Commerce

E-commerce analytics
Sales analysis
Inventory analysis
Product performance
Customer behavior
Cart analysis
Pricing analysis

Healthcare

Healthcare analytics
Clinical data analysis
Patient outcomes
HIPAA compliance
Medical coding
Claims analysis

Action Verbs for Data Analysts

For Analysis

Analyzed
Examined
Investigated
Evaluated
Assessed
Explored
Identified
Discovered

For Reporting

Developed
Created
Built
Designed
Automated
Generated
Produced
Delivered

For Impact

Improved
Increased
Reduced
Optimized
Streamlined
Enhanced
Saved
Identified

For Communication

Presented
Communicated
Translated
Visualized
Reported
Summarized
Documented

Build your ATS-optimized data analyst resume with the right keywords

Keywords by Experience Level

Entry-Level (0-2 years)

SQL basics
Excel proficiency
Data cleaning
Basic visualization
Report generation
Data entry
Database queries
Pivot tables

Mid-Level (3-5 years)

Advanced SQL
Dashboard development
Statistical analysis
Python/R basics
ETL processes
Stakeholder communication
Project ownership
Mentoring juniors

Senior (6+ years)

Analytics strategy
Team leadership
Complex analysis
Advanced modeling
Cross-functional leadership
Executive communication
Process improvement
Best practices

Quick Reference: Top 50 Data Analyst Keywords

SQL
Excel
Tableau
Power BI
Data analysis
Data visualization
Reporting
Dashboards
Python
pandas
Statistical analysis
Data cleaning
ETL
Business intelligence
KPIs
Metrics
Pivot tables
VLOOKUP
Joins
Queries
BigQuery
Snowflake
Data modeling
A/B testing
Regression
Forecasting
Trend analysis
Cohort analysis
Segmentation
Data quality
Data validation
Automated reporting
Ad-hoc analysis
Stakeholder communication
Requirements gathering
Root cause analysis
Process improvement
Documentation
Cross-functional
Presentation skills
Google Analytics
Looker
Data extraction
Data transformation
Database management
Performance metrics
Revenue analysis
Customer analytics
Funnel analysis
Insights generation

Keyword Strategy for Data Analysts

SQL is Non-Negotiable

If you list only one technical skill, make it SQL. Specify your level:

Basic: SELECT, WHERE, joins
Intermediate: CTEs, window functions, subqueries
Advanced: Query optimization, stored procedures

Show Tool Depth

Weak: "Experience with Tableau"

Strong: "Built 15+ executive dashboards in Tableau, including real-time KPI tracking with custom LOD expressions and parameter actions"

Quantify Your Impact

Records/rows processed
Time saved through automation
Revenue impact of insights
Accuracy improvements
Report adoption rates

Match the Tech Stack

Read the job description. If they use Power BI, don't lead with Tableau. Mirror their exact terminology.

Common Data Analyst Keyword Mistakes

Listing Tools Without Results

Weak: "Proficient in Tableau, SQL, Excel"

Strong: "Built 15 Tableau dashboards tracking $2M monthly revenue, reducing executive reporting time from 8 hours to 30 minutes weekly"

Vague Analysis Claims

Weak: "Performed data analysis"

Strong: "Analyzed 2M transaction records using SQL and Python, identifying $500K in pricing optimization opportunities"

Missing Business Impact

Every analysis should connect to a business outcome. If your bullet doesn't answer "so what?", add the impact.

Certification Keywords

Certifications can strengthen your resume, especially for entry-level roles:

Data Analytics Certifications

Google Data Analytics Certificate
IBM Data Analyst Professional Certificate
Microsoft Certified: Data Analyst Associate
Tableau Desktop Specialist
AWS Certified Data Analytics

SQL Certifications

Oracle SQL Certified
Microsoft SQL Server Certification
PostgreSQL Certified Professional

Visualization Certifications

Tableau Desktop Certified Professional
Power BI Data Analyst Associate
Google Looker Developer

Include certifications only if relevant to the role and recent (within 2-3 years for technical certifications). Prioritize certifications that match the job description exactly—if they mention Power BI, the Microsoft certification matters more than Tableau.

Next Steps

For complete formatting guidance and examples, see our Data Analyst Resume Guide.

Data Analyst Resume Keywords: SQL, Excel & Analytics Skills