<h4><strong>The perfect orchestration of internal and external resources</strong></h4><p>When it comes to casting a data team, it’s not just about finding the right people with data magician skills. To hit the jackpot you should strike a balance between your internal and external teams. Whether you are a seasoned data leader or just starting, this post is a must-read for everyone up-to this challenge.</p><figure class="image"><img src="https://hiflylabswebstorage.blob.core.windows.net/hiflylabs-web-strapi-container/assets/Marci_cikk_vo2_1162a51736.png" alt="Marci-cikk-vo2.png" srcset="https://hiflylabswebstorage.blob.core.windows.net/hiflylabs-web-strapi-container/assets/thumbnail_Marci_cikk_vo2_1162a51736.png 245w,https://hiflylabswebstorage.blob.core.windows.net/hiflylabs-web-strapi-container/assets/small_Marci_cikk_vo2_1162a51736.png 500w,https://hiflylabswebstorage.blob.core.windows.net/hiflylabs-web-strapi-container/assets/medium_Marci_cikk_vo2_1162a51736.png 750w,https://hiflylabswebstorage.blob.core.windows.net/hiflylabs-web-strapi-container/assets/large_Marci_cikk_vo2_1162a51736.png 1000w," sizes="100vw" width="1000px"></figure><h4><strong>Why all the buzz?</strong></h4><p>None can argue with the fact that in today's business environment data has become a crucial asset for organizations - a gold mine that offers unique business opportunities. At the same time data leaders are increasingly grappling with the need to prioritize <i>efficiency </i>over <i>speed </i>and <i>volume</i>.&nbsp;</p><p>Besides recruiting the top data talents and casting a robust team, most companies have invested heavily in their data infrastructure in the last few years. CEOs and stakeholders now set expectations that require measurable results from the data teams. The good news is that data is among the best candidates in IT to provide solid and measurable ROI. However, the cost side of things is more under control nowadays. The challenge is to live up to the growing expectations of the business teams while keeping costs at bay.</p><p>If you want to pave the way for optimal performance, enable your organization to harness the power of data and stay ahead of competition, you should evaluate the added values of your <strong>internal data resources</strong> and <strong>external consultants</strong> and build a data team that relies on both.</p><h4><strong>Look at the data from an external perspective!</strong></h4><p>By no means, the internal team is key to the success of data projects, as they have a much better organizational involvement and a better feel on the nuances of processes. Given that data is usually deemed to be a precious business asset, furthermore an important source of competitive advantage, it is rare that the whole data organization gets outsourced.&nbsp;</p><p>Infrastructure and SaaS spending shot up in the last few years, their toolset and usage is likely to be optimized. The internal data team can be asked to try and suggest ways to economize on SaaS and/or cloud spending. However, there is a good chance that they won’t be able to think “out of the box” due to the lack of their external perspective. Experts who are up-to-date with data-driven achievements in several sectors are usually more efficient in judging ideas and suggesting better ones.</p><h4><strong>Casting a team for success:</strong></h4><p>No matter in which industry or sector your company plays in, it is inevitable to have <strong>Chief Data Officers or Heads of Data/Analytics </strong>to run the show. These guys steward the data movement and have a vision of the data strategy. Keep in mind that this role cannot be&nbsp; outsourced effectively (interim CDOs can be a band-aid fix to some situations, but far from ideal in the long term).</p><p><strong>Data analysts</strong> are best to be organized within the business line/unit (eg. marketing, finance, etc.),&nbsp; in smaller organizations they are even shared between business functions. These analysts have a perfect understanding of the company’s business and also the data coming from the source systems that get calculated in the data warehouse. Thus, my advice is that most of these roles should be kept in-house, however in order to get some fresh perspective, I suggest augmenting data analysis with external experts.&nbsp;</p><p>When it comes to <strong>technical roles</strong>, it is crucial to keep up with the rapidly evolving technology landscape. However, we must face the fact that internal engineering teams are often stretched thin and lack the bandwidth to constantly explore new technologies or tools. Even if time is set aside for education, the pain points of the current tech stack can limit their ability to gain a comprehensive understanding of new technologies. Cutting-edge consultants are incentivized to stay on top of emerging trends and have the opportunity to work with diverse tech setups, providing them with a broader perspective.</p><h4><strong>Act now, think long term.</strong></h4><p>Teaming up with a reputable data engineering consulting firm can yield several benefits that go beyond simply gaining new insights. Their expertise can be utilized to conduct an audit of your current cloud usage, leading to potential enhancements in the efficiency of the data processing operations. Fine-tuning system performance often requires a fresh set of eyes and an outside perspective. This evaluation, in turn, can result in substantial cost savings from the get-go, without compromising functionality.</p><p>While audits can be game-changing in the short-term, we shouldn’t overlook the long-term value of comprehensive team augmentation and knowledge transfer. Reliable data engineering partners will provide guidance to clients on strategy, technology selection, and best practices. Furthermore, they often possess a more flexible resource pool, enabling partners to handle workload spikes and address skill gaps for short-term needs. Unlike permanent team members, consultants can offer long-term stability and dependability, as they retain critical information that might have been missed when previous employees departed – making them even more committed than traditional staff, in a way.</p><p>Ultimately, a strong partnership with a consulting firm can lead to greater efficiency, stability, and success for organizations in the fast-paced world of data analytics, where employee fluctuation can be especially challenging.</p><h4><strong>In essence, I recommend to cast your Data Team like this:</strong></h4><ul><li>CDO / Head of Data reporting to the CDO</li><li>Internal data analysts seasoned with a couple of external consultants</li><li>Internal engineering team with continuous augmentation/support from external experts</li></ul><p>Striking the right balance between internal and external resources will become an ongoing challenge, especially as data technology continues to evolve rapidly. Data leaders who can navigate this balance and build effective teams will be well-positioned to succeed in the data-driven future.</p>

Casting Your Data Team

<h4>What is a common trait in both music and Analytics Engineering?</h4><p>How does someone with an artistic interest get into the world of data?&nbsp;</p><figure class="image"><img src="https://hiflylabswebstorage.blob.core.windows.net/hiflylabs-web-strapi-container/assets/Zsombor_interview_1_6c8702e92a.jpg" alt="The Art of Data - Interview with Zsombor Földesi" srcset="https://hiflylabswebstorage.blob.core.windows.net/hiflylabs-web-strapi-container/assets/thumbnail_Zsombor_interview_1_6c8702e92a.jpg 245w,https://hiflylabswebstorage.blob.core.windows.net/hiflylabs-web-strapi-container/assets/small_Zsombor_interview_1_6c8702e92a.jpg 500w,https://hiflylabswebstorage.blob.core.windows.net/hiflylabs-web-strapi-container/assets/medium_Zsombor_interview_1_6c8702e92a.jpg 750w,https://hiflylabswebstorage.blob.core.windows.net/hiflylabs-web-strapi-container/assets/large_Zsombor_interview_1_6c8702e92a.jpg 1000w," sizes="100vw" width="1000px"></figure><p>Zsombor Földesi has grown from a junior engineer to a key member of the Analytics Engineering team over the past years. He started programming as a hobby during his high school years, and since then he has been constantly learning, mentoring, developing, and always working on something new.&nbsp;</p><p>Find out how one turns from music to data, and from junior developer to lead engineer, by reading our 3-minute-long interview with Zsombor.</p><h2>1. What did you want to be when you were a child?&nbsp;</h2><p>Initially, I was interested in the philosophy of art, and I was also active in music. I got into coding when I started making noise generators, step sequencers, and MIDI controllers with my friends.</p><p>At the beginning I played with microcontrollers just for my own amusement. For example, creating a digital interface to an acoustic instrument like a drum, or hacking an old children's synthesizer to generate more interesting sounds.</p><p>It all started with building strange devices, but we never finished anything.&nbsp;<br>It wasn't about that… It was about the process itself and finding out how it is possible to create what we have imagined.</p><h2>2. How did data come into the picture?</h2><p>The whole process starts with data. Getting data from somewhere, wrangling it, then triggering some action - that's what I've always been interested in.&nbsp;</p><p>When I started learning Python 7 years ago, the world opened up. I coded things like web scrapers to fetch articles from every Hungarian news portal, looking for answers to social questions by setting different rules and looking for patterns.</p><p>But I have done many other projects, from <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/ddj6enndi0y2345/Air%20freshener%20proof%20of%20concept.mp4">Facebook Messenger-controlled air freshener</a>, to a web based VR museum, but for me, the final product was never the goal, but rather to learn how something could be implemented. I think these projects taught me a lot about system architectures, even though at the time I didn’t know this was called a “proof of concept” then.</p><p>In 2017, I joined a game developer group to work on a multiplayer gesture-controlled VR game, named Orion City. The project was developed in a startup incubator called Kitchen Budapest, where I was able to meet a lot of inspiring and talented people, with whom I could learn a lot.</p><h2>3. How did you end up at Hiflylabs?</h2><p>In 2018, I started looking for my first “real adult” job.&nbsp;</p><p>I wrote the first CV of my life, which was not perfect, to say the least. Besides my bedroom projects, it also contained a few spelling mistakes. The first place I sent my CV was Hiflylabs.</p><p>I was interested in buzzwords like “Big Data” and “Neural networks”, but all I knew was that I wanted to do software development with a focus on data. The expectation for the job was to know SQL and Python and fortunately, I had that knowledge.</p><h2>4. How did you become an Analytics Engineer? Why did you choose this career?</h2><p>Things soon picked up, and I started working on projects with my current mentor and Hiflylabs’ CTO András Zimmer.&nbsp;</p><p>At that time, the Analytics Engineering team did not exist. András and I worked on technically complex projects that did not fit into the competencies of other teams, like productionising ML projects on Kubernetes or doing Hiflylabs’ first cloud-native DWH project, but these were all joint works with colleagues from other teams.</p><p>It was already clear in 2020 that dbt has the potential to be a perfect match for our use cases, and we would need more engineers on board to fulfill our client's needs. The team started to expand and since 2021 it has been known as the AXE (short for AnalytiX Engineering) team at Hiflylabs.&nbsp;</p><p>AXE is a well-knit team, made up of people I can relate to, and enjoy working with.</p><p>We are a technology-focused team with business acumen, a tech squad that is deployed when a client requires a rapid solution, quick understanding, and projects where we can act on our technological desires.</p><h2>5. What do you like most about Hiflylabs?</h2><p>There are always exciting and challenging tasks, and I'm lucky because I can do what I love.&nbsp;</p><p>For motivation, I only need a list full of tasks. I'm quite greedy, but they won't hold me back at Hiflylabs.&nbsp;</p><p>During my 5 years here, I contributed to over 20+ projects with 15 clients.&nbsp;</p><p>There is always room for improvement, and András has always supported me in that.&nbsp;<br>The professional network is very strong, there are diverse projects, and you can always solve exciting problems in different environments with leading-edge data technologies.&nbsp;</p><p><i>If you want to improve, then no one is going to stop you from doing things that you like, things you’re interested in.</i></p><p>At Hiflylabs it’s fine if you are a fresh university graduate without any experience, just be open-minded, and determined and we will teach you the rest.&nbsp;</p><h2>6. What does the modern data stack ecosystem mean to you, and why do you like working with these tools?</h2><p>BI has been around for quite some time. The foundations of the industry were laid down more than 25 years ago, today’s question is no longer whether you should deal with BI, but how efficiently you can do it compared to your competitors. What changed is how quickly and from what source the clients need data. The palette of different data tools has become more colorful.</p><p>Now dbt is the heart of a bubbling ecosystem. I am sure it will be around for a long time.&nbsp;<br>Now, the question for me is how the new tools in the modern data stack will integrate with each other.</p><p>Currently, dbt is mostly used by startups and SMBs. It is exciting to see how enterprises will adopt it, and where they will take this technology.</p><h2>7. What does it take to be a good analytics engineer?</h2><p><i>There's a lot of knowledge and expertise mixed in what we do, but it's not rocket science.&nbsp;</i></p><p>A good analytics engineer understands the language of business, is open to understanding different business needs, and can translate them into code. SQL was designed for this, but it gives you the edge if you have the software engineering chops and if you can think in architecture.</p><p>If you are interested in the world of data and have some questions or would like to hear more about the team's best practices, catch up with Zsombor at the next <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.meetup.com/budapest-dbt-meetup/events/295732824/">Budapest dbt Meetup</a> for a chat!&nbsp;</p>

The Art of Data - Interview with Zsombor Földesi

<p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/nszoni/"><strong>Sonny</strong></a><strong>, a talented, young Analytics Engineer was walking straight into a trap. One that 99% of young and hungry IT professionals fall for. Sonny entered the long distance race of data projects like a 400 meter dash.</strong></p><p><strong>After</strong><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.hiflylabs.com/blog/2022/6/23/analytics-engineer-son-nguyen"><strong> the first part of our interview</strong></a><strong> with him, Sonny now talks about how his project leader stood up for his mental and physical well-being, about his drive and how he raises his game. If you're looking to get into the data side of IT, this will be an inspiring conversation.</strong></p><h2><strong>What does our mentoring system give you?</strong></h2><p>Fortunately, I got assigned a mentor, who is always there when I have any questions and who supports me. I did expect some professional guidance as well, but honestly, the amount I received was a huge surprise. In the beginning, I was thinking that “oh, it will be good that I can ask questions from someone” as I was sure that I will make mistakes. In contrast, I got so much empathy and professional knowledge, help and support from my mentor. We talk outside of work as well and I can share anything with him. He does not only help to solve work-related problems, but also he is there for me as a friend.</p><h2><strong>What is your favorite Hiflylabs story?</strong></h2><p>I have one, it’s in connection with empathy and leadership. There was a phase when I worked a lot, around 10 hours a day. One time, around 9-10 in the evening András, our CTO called, and we chatted for about half an hour. This half hour meant a lot to me. The mere fact that my colleague, my boss called me, only to make sure that he tells me why it is not good for me to work 10 hours a day… It is very unusual for a company to dedicate this much attention to people. He told me “Sonny, you must not sprint the marathon”. This message made me realize that this data company has plans with me on the long run.&nbsp;</p><h2><strong>What motivates you on a day-to-day basis</strong> <strong>as an Analytics Engineer?</strong></h2><p>I want to do well in this role. Also, I want people to see how great it is to work at Hiflylabs so that more people will apply, and I can work with exceptional people strengthening our culture. Next to company successes, building my career is also important to me. Every time I meet with a problem, device, or task, I see it as an opportunity for me to improve. This is the motivation for me to sit down and do my job every day; I know that I will be able to learn something and help the company get better, that will lead to more opportunities of professional growth for me. This is what I call a win-win.&nbsp;</p><h2><strong>How do you measure your performance on a given project?</strong></h2><p>I never feel like I did 100% well on a project. So, for me, measuring performance comes down to feedback from clients. Like when they introduce me to a third person saying something like “He is Sonny, a talented Analytics Engineer from Hiflylabs.” I also felt very honored when I was asked to co-present on a dbt meetup by a foreign lecturer, Mark Rittman. And not to mention invitations from CEOs of other companies. Even if I’m not always satisfied with myself, it feels good to know that I can create real value for clients.</p><h2><strong>What does success mean to you?</strong></h2><p>Besides the above-mentioned instances, the one that I’d like to highlight is that I joined Hiflylabs as a total newbie to the world of data and by now I can safely say that I have achieved something. For example, there was a conference where my name was mentioned by someone from dbt Labs with regards to a blog post I wrote previously. Then again, having the opportunity to participate in this interview or to write blog posts are also valuable for me.</p><h2><strong>Is sharing knowledge a well-working system in the team?</strong></h2><p>Of course! Tech workshops are held regularly where we can discuss weekly and monthly developments, as it is highly important to see where the market is moving. I couldn’t do this on my own, so having a team helps a lot. By now the team is made up of 12 people who usually dig out new technologies on these forums. When I joined the company, there were only 4 of us. Fortunately, the dynamics of the team didn’t change as we grew.&nbsp;</p><h2><strong>How does a regular day of yours look like?</strong></h2><p>I work part-time as I haven’t finished my studies yet. Usually, my days are following a scheme but there are some irregularities that need to be taken care of. I like changes to my days because it usually means new challenges.</p><p>We start everyday with a standup meeting, catching up on who did what and what is the scope for the given day and how we should prioritize to be able to finish everything by the end of the day. I like these meetings as they are great for setting a daily goal and to discuss current issues.&nbsp;</p><h2><strong>Why do you like working with dbt?</strong></h2><p>It’s the community, modularity, tidiness and the readability that makes me really enjoy the experience. It’s amazing to use a tool that has an easy construction like dbt and works perfectly out of the box. dbt bringing the countless best practices that it already has from software to data world is just the cherry on top. For me, its definition also involves the slack community which enhances the experience - always having someone to turn to, network with and just to share memes with etc. It’s awesome how it can bring together people from all around the world.&nbsp;</p><h2><strong>How much do you think people are defined by their role? Do you feel defined by being an Analytics Engineer?</strong></h2><p>A lot unfortunately. It is because of society. When you tell others about your occupation, they instantly start coming up with stereotypes about you. I believe that my personality and its improvement is not characterized by my occupation, but by the community behind it and the people who surround me. As a matter of fact, I have an employee personality and a general, private one. My employee personality reflects the professional identity of Hiflylabs and the values that my private personality also regards highly.&nbsp;</p><p>Find out more about <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.hiflylabs.com/blog/">Hiflylabs' Data Blog</a></p><p>&nbsp;</p>

Should you sprint the Marathon?

<p><strong>Those who attended the first Budapest dbt Meetup in May, might already be familiar with our Analytics Engineer, </strong><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/nszoni/"><strong>Son N. Nguyen</strong></a><strong>. He is the young data ninja who was asked by Mark Rittman himself to co-present his talk. This time we asked Sonny not about the secrets of dbt but about himself. It’s time to discover how he transformed from an economist to an Analytics Engineer, how he got hooked on Hiflylabs and what role the iconic spiral staircase played in this story.</strong></p><figure class="image"><img src="https://hiflylabswebstorage.blob.core.windows.net/hiflylabs-web-strapi-container/assets/szoni3_768x768_a1b8954281.jpg" alt="szoni3-768x768.jpg" srcset="https://hiflylabswebstorage.blob.core.windows.net/hiflylabs-web-strapi-container/assets/thumbnail_szoni3_768x768_a1b8954281.jpg 156w,https://hiflylabswebstorage.blob.core.windows.net/hiflylabs-web-strapi-container/assets/small_szoni3_768x768_a1b8954281.jpg 500w,https://hiflylabswebstorage.blob.core.windows.net/hiflylabs-web-strapi-container/assets/medium_szoni3_768x768_a1b8954281.jpg 750w," sizes="100vw" width="750px"></figure><p>Reading time: 3 min</p><p><strong>When did you get in touch with IT?</strong></p><p>I have always been pretty interested in technology and IT. Even as a kid, I had many gaming consoles and played a lot. However, I did not continue my education in this field, and after high school, I started studying economics. I thought that IT was too dry for me. I wanted to understand the human world in its context, so I oriented myself towards the social sciences. Ultimately, I chose to turn back to informatics, as all my interests and experiences led me toward data. I realized that practically everything started to spin around data: news, politics and even soccer.</p><p>I didn’t have to give a second thought to the direction of my Master’s degree. I’m currently doing my MS in Data Science at the Central European University (CEU). How come I’m working in Data Engineering but studying Data Science? Well, I believe that having knowledge from both sides of data is highly beneficial in the field.</p><p>It makes my position at Hiflylabs more agile and flexible. Sometimes the Data Analyst team needs someone who knows Data Science while the task is related to Data Engineering. That's when I step in.&nbsp;</p><p>At Hiflylabs, I started as a junior Data Engineer. By now, I’m an Analytics Engineer, basically at the crossroads of the two main data-related roles: Data Engineering and Data Science or Analysis.</p><p><strong>Which leads to a more robust knowledge or mindset: learning or working?</strong></p><p>I believe that work experience is a lot&nbsp;more powerful. I’m not sure if I could learn Data Engineering skills on my own, but joining Hiflylabs has given me a quick and easy introduction to the main elements of this field. You’ll be very motivated to learn new things when surrounded by the right people who can show you there’s much more to this job than data cleansing.&nbsp; The best way to master these skills is by practice.</p><p><strong>Do you feel like you are surrounded by people like that?</strong></p><p>Absolutely! András and Zsombor have taught me a lot in the last year and a half, and I feel there is still much more to come. The way they teach me about data, and their enthusiasm about the field and some of the tools or technologies, are just so inspiring. I feel like I’m starting to be like them in this respect. It's a constantly evolving field that can solve more and more interesting problems.</p><h2><strong>Do you remember how you first met Hiflylabs?</strong></h2><p>I followed Hiflylabs on social media for months before I applied, and I knew some people who were already working for the company. I first started to study their career paths and then browsed the website, and I was very impressed by the company’s values. I also checked out the office because something I’ve learned about myself is that I hate working in “all-glass offices”. I was simply fascinated by the spiral staircase. It made me realize that <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/5174421/admin/">Hiflylabs</a> is not a stressful, suit-wearing workplace, but a friendly and supportive one.</p><p>I first applied to the Data Platform team. During the interview process, it became clear that I was not the right fit for the position, but I felt the desire to join the Hiflylabs team. András and Zsombor immediately saw how motivated I was to get closer to data analytics and gave me his vote of confidence. I remember how excited I was when they got back to me with a positive answer, about joining the team as an Analytics Engineer.</p><h2><strong>What was your first experience at Hiflylabs?</strong></h2><p>When I joined, COVID was around so I did not have the chance to meet my colleagues for three months. But after this, my first personal experience was when Andi Lukács, who is responsible for onboarding, showed me around and introduced me to people, and I could feel that everyone was genuinely interested in me, there was this welcoming feeling and I really appreciated this.&nbsp;</p><h2><strong>What would you say to IT students still figuring out their careers?</strong></h2><p>I meet many people who are still unsure about their career path, and I always say just go on and study something. This way you sure will make something out of it! However, I think it is easiest to switch to IT from economics, as it is fewer steps away than some other fields. I was motivated, and I had some skills to make the move, but also I had a lot of support from the community that surrounded me, which made me sit down and study even in my free time.</p><p>You can find our other blogposts&nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/5174421/admin/">here</a>.</p>

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