In our new blog series we would like to introduce our colleagues. In this interview, David, our Data Warehouse Analyst tells us about the secret world of DWH Analysts and gives us a glance into how he gets away from it all. David has been a member of our team for almost a year, working with one of our banking partners 40 hours a week.

Hello David! Tell us about yourself, how long have you been working at SCALER (formerly called CodingLab - Ed.),and how did you become a Data Warehouse Specialist?

Robi Tőkés reached out to me in June 2022, asking if I’d like to join the team - they were looking for a data warehouse specialist for a banking project. It wasn’t unfamiliar ground for me as I had been working in the banking sector since 2017. I started as a financial expert, then I retrained as a DWH Analyst.

What does a DWH Analyst actually do?

Our main job is basically to map out how an objective can be achieved at the database level. Our standard activity is to prepare technical specifications with which we define the requirements for a given project from the architectural level to the code level. The input to our work is usually a concept, while the output is a code, which the developer can build into the database.

The DWH Analyst role creates a link between the business area (or in case there is one, the Business Analyst) and the development team.

What is your working method? How is the team built?

We work remotely most of the time - I find it easier to work with online presentations and screensharing. It seems a bit more complicated to me to discuss the tasks and the problems to be addressed by projecting everything in a meeting room.

Our project team is of 12-15 people, and remote working turns out just perfectly for us.

Is there anything you consider a challenge currently?

Maybe I wouldn’t call it a challenge, because it’s rather like the nature of our work to run into completely new (so-called ‘greenfield’) issues almost on a daily basis. These always must be examined thoroughly, and finding the solution is not always easy, but in the end we always succeed.

In addition to flexibility, our work requires a high level of autonomy and the ability to solve certain problems on your own or by using knowledge bases accessible online.

As it’s the hottest topic nowadays, it’s an inevitable question: how do you think AI will affect the DWH field?

At present,the field of databases is so specific in my opinion that finding the right solutions is quite a time-consuming process even with human resources - in fact, there are problems that might require 4 experts of different fields. In this way I find it highly unlikely that AI could take over significant tasks in the DWH sphere in the short run.

If we were in 2026 and you were working on the same project, do you think things would go in a similar way? Do you think there’s any trend or change we can expect in the upcoming years?

As far as I’m concerned, the working method would remain the same. And although the technology is faster and more modern day by day, and even though the developer platform is evolving constantly, the basics of the system have been unchanged for 15 years, and I reckon they will remain the same in the future as well.

If you could be anything for one day, what would you want to be?

Sailor. I sail inland on a hobby level. Gives you a sense of freedom like nothing else.

It’s a sharp contrast to coding. Sounds fantastic! Do you have any other pastime activities?

I've been skiing for a long time, and every year, around January, I go to the mountains with a group of friends to relax.

Recently I’ve also picked up hiking as a new hobby. Last time, we did a 200 km tripin the north of Sweden in Lapland, basically in the middle of nowhere. It was an awesome experience, but I guess it’s not my thing in the long run.

Did you find any traces of Santa in Lapland?

Well, there are plenty of reindeer...

Who knows, maybe some of them will be on duty in December... :) - Ed.

Quick question: books or series?

Books.

If you could only recommend one book, what would it be?

The Digital Fortress by Dan Brown. That’s a great novel.

Do you have any bucket list destinations?

I’d love to cross the Atlantic Ocean in a large catamaran sailboat. These 1-month voyages depart from the Canaries and head to Cuba, from where you can fly home.

Hope your dream will come true one day. Thank you for the interview, David!

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