Databases and data visualization: tools of the trade
Launched at the beginning of the 2023-24 academic year by emlyon business school and Ecole Centrale de Lyon, the BSc Data Science for Responsible Business provides an in-depth and intensive introduction in the first year of the four-year program to the key tools and skills future Data Analysts will need to master. Central to this objective is the “Databases and Data Visualization” module, led by Professors Jean Savinien (Academic Director and Associate Professor of Mathematics) and Zied Bouyahya (Associate Professor).
How is this module incorporated into the curriculum? With what objectives?
Zied: “The module is delivered over the course of the second semester of the first year of the program. The aim is to provide students with foundational knowledge and skills in two interconnected areas - SQL and NoSQL, and Data Visualization and Analysis. We adopt a learning by doing approach to help students comprehend the bridge between understanding data storage and transforming that data into actionable insights. In doing so, we set them up for data-centric courses to come later in the program.”
How would you describe the student profile for the module and the BSc as a whole?
Jean: “The program is aimed at high school graduates with a specialty in Maths. We welcome students from diverse international backgrounds so long as they share a common interest in technology, business intelligence, and decision-making processes.
“In terms of characteristics, we’re looking for candidates who are analytical, intellectually curious and tech-savvy and with a career focus and willingness to work closely with others. Our first cohort offered a real blend of profiles, nationalities and a healthy gender balance, as well as a nice mix of students interested in the computing side to the BSc, and others driven by the future business opportunities the program will help create.”
What are the main areas covered and skills developed?
Zied: “The focus of the module is on handling and mastering the tools of the data analysis profession, namely database queries using SQL (which accounts for around 80-90% of such operations across the world) and data visualization. During the database part of the curriculum, students get to grips with the main principles while acquiring concrete operational know-how of database management and statistical analysis of data. For the data visualization part, the focus turns to Python libraries such as Matplotlib and Seaborn, and how data analysis can be leveraged to extract meaningful insights and create compelling visual narratives for stakeholders.
“The development of skills is a key objective throughout, which includes database querying and management, data storytelling and visualization, critical thinking and analytical reasoning, proficiency with tools and technologies widely used in the job market, and teamwork and presentation skills. We also help students get to grips with the act of interpreting data rather than just processing it. In so doing, they’ll acquire increased business acumen as well as an impressive array of skills.”
What practical dimension is there to delivery of the module?
Jean: “The module emphasizes a hands-on learning approach through lab sessions, case studies and projects. In labs, students work on real databases and datasets to apply querying and visualization techniques. In case studies, students work on real-world scenarios to demonstrate how data is transformed into actionable insights. They undertake projects where they design, query, and visualize data solutions for a specific problem, working on real data to ensure that the project is as industry relevant as possible.
“So far, they’ve covered such diverse areas as the world of Formula 1, the rising trend of cryptocurrency, and human behavioral patterns such as reading and other leisure activities. The overarching aim is for them to appreciate the many different approaches one can adopt to data analysis and the breadth of sectors and types of study to which it can be applied, as they’ll find out later in life.”
How do the module and teaching approach help boost students’ employability?
Jean: “We are both firm believers that it’s not passing exams that produces high-potential data analysts, although this is of course a necessary step towards obtaining the degree! This BSc will provide them with essential building blocks, of which this module is a perfect illustration. The main skillsets we want to hone within them (and which we think employers are looking for) are technical proficiency, analytical and problem-solving abilities, communications, and portfolio development.”
Zied: “When working on real-world data, students are faced with the heart of data science for business. As they’ll discover during their career, technical aspects of the profession and business stakes will, ideally, interact fruitfully to both bring new business insights as well as develop new technical strategies and scientific inquiries. By developing in them a blend of technical knowledge, expert handling of the tools of the trade, and the professional skills they’ll need to apply their knowledge and know-how effectively in the working world, they should become all the more attractive in the eyes of recruiters.”
