To be a good analyst you need to be an investigator.
You have to have an inquisitive mind and question whether what you are seeing makes sense. It is too easy to collect numbers and say “this is the truth”, but the reality is it is never “the truth”.
Let me provide an example. A particular mobile device might be reporting numbers that are vastly different then the regular website. It would be easy to just accept the numbers and report them. But if you do that, you’re not an analyst, you’re a reporter and could be replaced with an automated report. You add no value.
But if you dig deeper, then you can provide insight no one else can. If you can provide possible reasons for the difference in numbers or provide testing suggestions, or compare your results to industry standards then you are investigating, you’re analyzing, you’re adding value. You will get closer to what is actually happening.
The difficulty in being an investigator is that some people, some parties, have no interest in the truth. They don’t want you to question the numbers. The results might be in their favor, and if you investigate the numbers might change (and not in their favor). Or they are concerned what dirty secrets you might uncover.
“And I would have gotten away with it, if it hadn’t been for these meddling kids!”
But if you are an analyst then you need to dig, you need to investigate, you need to question the answers you are given. There is no truth, but somethings are truthier than others. Remember, “lie, damn lies and statistics”.