Imagine that you interview for a data analyst role at a local ice cream company. The hiring manager explains that the company needs a data analyst because they want to learn more about their customers. First, they want to understand their customers' ice cream flavor preferences. Then, they will use this customer data to help make important decisions.

The hiring manager explains that they do not collect any customer data, and they don't know where to begin. The hiring manager asks you: Can you please explain how you would approach this task?

Before responding to the question, you consider each step of the data life cycle.

Recap: The data life cycle

The steps of the data life cycle are:

Plan: What plans and decisions do you need to make? What data do you need to answer your question?

Capture: Where does your data come from? How will you get it?

Manage: How will you store your data? What should it be used for? How do you keep this data secure and protected?

Analyze: How will the company analyze the data? What tools should they use?

Archive: What should they do with their data when it gets old? How do they know when it's time?

Destroy: Should they ever dispose of any data? If so, when and how?