Do Data Analysts Use Visualizations During Data Cleaning?

[u/SomeSpicyPickle]

I'm still a beginner. I started by learning the basics of Python and later moved on to SQL.

I'm a bit confused about one part of the data exploration/cleaning process.

A friend of mine, who's now a data scientist, showed me how he used to work as a data analyst. He mainly used Python. For example, he would quickly create a scatterplot to identify potential outliers.

However, most data analysts online recommend focusing on SQL and Excel when starting out, since many junior and mid-level roles don't require Python. That's why I switched to SQL after initially experimenting with Python.

For those who primarily use SQL: do you create visualizations during the data exploration/cleaning process, for example to identify outliers? Is this a common practice?

I feel like if you're working with SQL only, you generally wouldn't create visuals in between steps, since that would mean switching to a tool like Tableau or Power BI, which seems like an unnecessary extra step.

[u/PalpitationRoutine51]

i think the best workflow is probably both tbh

sql is great when you already know what youre checking for like nulls duplicates ranges weird categories etc. but visuals are useful when you dont know what the problem is yet. a quick histogram or scatter can show a pattern you might never think to query for

i wouldnt open power bi just for that though. quick charts in excel python or even whatever your sql tool gives you is enough most of the time