Free roadmap, 2026 edition
Become a Data Analyst in 6 Months, With AI at Every Step
A month by month plan: what to learn, what to build, and where to learn it for free.
Month 1Excel and statistics- Month 2SQL
- Month 3Power BI
- Month 4Python
- Month 5Machine learning
- Month 6AI and portfolio
- 6months, 24 weeks planned
- 15 to 20hours a week
- 70%hands on practice
- 5,000+learners trained by TFA
Six months, three phases, planned week by week
Every month has two blocks of two weeks, each with its own topics and a project. Tap a month to see the plan.
Prefer to watch?This roadmap, explained month by monthMaz The Analyst on YouTube, in VietnameseBusiness statistics and Excel
Build a solid base in analytics, core statistics and the Excel skills every analyst uses daily.
Excel- Google Sheets
Analytics foundations and statistics
- What data analytics is: descriptive, diagnostic, predictive, prescriptive
- Data types: quantitative or qualitative, structured or unstructured
- Basic statistics: mean, median, mode, variance, standard deviation
- Inferential statistics: sampling, hypothesis testing, probability
Advanced Excel and visualisation basics
- Pivot tables, VLOOKUP, XLOOKUP, INDEX MATCH
- Conditional formatting and data validation
- Charts and dashboards, Power Pivot, Power Query
- Choosing the right chart for the question
Mini projectSales performance dashboard in Excel
SQL, plus your first AI tools
Query databases with confidence, and let AI assistants speed up how you write and debug SQL.
- SQL
- ChatGPT
- Claude
SQL fundamentals
- Database concepts: tables, rows, columns, keys
- SELECT, WHERE, GROUP BY, ORDER BY
- JOINs: INNER, LEFT, RIGHT, FULL
- Aggregations: COUNT, SUM, AVG, MAX, MIN
- Subqueries and common table expressions (CTEs)
PracticeSQLZoo and LeetCode SQL problems
Advanced SQL for analysis
- Window functions and views
- Query performance and tuning
- Database design for analysts
- Data transformation and ETL with SQL
- SQL for BI and dashboards
- First AI help: ChatGPT or Claude for writing SQL
Mini projectAdvanced analytics use cases with SQL
Free resources
Soft skills for months 1 and 2
- Critical thinking
- Business communication
- Asking good questions
- Understanding stakeholder needs
Analytical thinking and Power BI
Frame the business problem first, then answer it with interactive dashboards that refresh on their own.
- Power BI
- Tableau
Analytical thinking and problem solving
- Problem framing and business context
- Hypothesis driven thinking, before touching data
- Structured problem breakdown with MECE
- Designing an analysis plan
- Storytelling that persuades
ProjectData analysis report for a business problem
Automatic dashboards with BI tools
- Power BI: data connections, Power Query, DAX basics
- Interactive dashboards and reports
- Tableau: connecting to data, building visuals
- Dashboard design best practices
- Publishing and sharing reports
ProjectMarketing campaign performance dashboard
Python for data analysis
Clean, explore and chart data with pandas, then take your first step into machine learning.
- Python
- pandas
- scikit learn
pandas and NumPy
- pandas: DataFrames, Series, indexing, filtering
- Cleaning: missing values, duplicates, outliers
- GroupBy and aggregations
- Merging and joining datasets
- NumPy arrays and vectorisation
ProjectData cleaning and EDA with pandas
Visualisation and first machine learning
- Matplotlib and Seaborn charts
- Exploratory data analysis techniques
- Machine learning concepts
- Supervised and unsupervised learning
- Simple linear regression with scikit learn
ProjectSales forecasting with linear regression
Free resources
Soft skills for months 3 and 4
- Data storytelling
- Presenting to technical audiences
- Turning insights into recommendations
- Building a portfolio
Predictive analytics and machine learning
Build predictive models, judge them properly, and let AutoML and AI agents handle the repetitive parts.
- scikit learn
- ChatGPT
- Claude
Machine learning algorithms
- Classification: logistic regression, decision trees, random forest
- Regression: multiple and polynomial regression
- Clustering: k means, hierarchical clustering
- Evaluation: accuracy, precision, recall, F1 score, ROC AUC
- Cross validation and hyperparameter tuning
ProjectCustomer lifetime value prediction
AutoML and modern AI tools
- AutoML with H2O.ai, PyCaret, AutoGluon
- Automated feature engineering
- Model selection and ensemble methods
- Deploying a model, the basics
- ChatGPT or Claude for code, debugging and insights
ProjectAutomated predictive model pipeline with AutoML
Industry applications and your portfolio
Apply everything to marketing, sales or risk, then turn your projects into a portfolio that gets interviews.
- ChatGPT
- Claude
- Gemini
- GitHub
Domain applications
- Marketing: RFM segmentation, marketing mix modelling, A/B testing, attribution
- Sales: forecasting with Prophet or ARIMA, lead scoring, pipeline and territory analysis
- Risk: credit risk, fraud detection, churn prediction, risk scoring
Major projectAn end to end project in your chosen domain
Advanced AI and portfolio building
- Prompting strategies for data analysis
- LLM APIs such as OpenAI and Claude for insights
- AI powered dashboards and reporting
- NLP basics for text analytics
- Portfolio on GitHub, with case studies from your projects
- Resume and LinkedIn for data roles
Final capstoneAn AI enhanced analytics solution
Free resources
Soft skills for months 5 and 6
- Executive presentations
- Stakeholder management
- Project management
- Ethics in data and AI
- Personal branding
Build a portfolio that proves you can do the job
Three domains, three levels each, all on free public datasets. Start the beginner project in month 1 and finish the advanced one in month 6.
Marketing
- BeginnerCampaign performance dashboardExcelPower BI
- IntermediateCustomer segments for targetingSQLPython
- AdvancedPredict who will say yes to the next campaignPythonMachine learning
DatasetBank MarketingUCI, 45,211 rows
Sales
- BeginnerSales KPI dashboardExcelPower BI
- IntermediateRFM customer segmentsSQL
- AdvancedCustomer lifetime value forecastPythonMachine learning
DatasetOnline Retail IIUCI, 1,067,371 rows
Risk
- BeginnerCredit risk dashboardExcelPower BI
- IntermediateDefault rate by customer groupSQL
- AdvancedDefault prediction modelPythonMachine learning
DatasetDefault of Credit Card ClientsUCI, 30,000 rowsWant more data to practise on? Read our guide to trusted free data sources.
The resources worth your time, in one place
Books, courses, channels, practice sites and AI tools, picked for the six stages above.
Naked StatisticsCharles WheelanStatistics explained with everyday examples. 
Storytelling with DataCole Nussbaumer KnaflicTurn a chart into a clear message. 
Python for Data AnalysisWes McKinneyFree to read online, from the creator of pandas. 
Hands On Machine LearningAurélien GéronPractical machine learning, chapter by chapter. 
SQL CookbookAnthony MolinaroReady made answers to everyday SQL problems.
Google Data Analytics CertificateCourseraA broad first pass over the whole job. Excel Skills for Data AnalyticsCoursera, Macquarie UniversityExcel from formulas to dashboards. 
Data Analyst trainingMicrosoft LearnOfficial Power BI learning paths, free. SQL for Data ScienceCoursera, UC DavisQueries, joins and data cleaning. Machine Learning SpecializationCoursera, DeepLearning.AIThe classic introduction by Andrew Ng. 
Data Analysis with PythonfreeCodeCampFree certification built on projects.
Maz The AnalystThe Future AnalystData analytics in Vietnamese, from our team. 
StatQuestJosh StarmerStatistics and machine learning, clearly explained. 
Alex The AnalystAlex FrebergSQL, Excel and career advice. 
Leila GharaniExcel and Google SheetsFormulas and tricks you use every day. 
Guy in a CubePower BIShort, practical Power BI tips. 
Keith GalliPython and pandasLong form tutorials built around real data. 
Krish NaikMachine learningAlgorithms explained step by step.
SQLBoltSQLShort interactive lessons in the browser. SQLZooSQLExercises that check your answer instantly. 
DataLemurSQL interviewsInterview style SQL questions. 
LeetCode SQLSQLProblems sorted from easy to hard. 
HackerRank SQLSQLChallenges with badges to track progress. 
KaggleDatasets and notebooksFree data, notebooks and competitions. 
Tableau PublicDashboardsA gallery of public dashboards for ideas. 
GitHubPortfolioWhere your finished projects live.
Combo Roadmap
Prefer a guided path? Take the whole roadmap with TFA
Six Vietnamese courses that cover every month of this plan, with exercises, trainers and a community of 4,200+ learners.
Your six courses
- 1
Data Analytics 101Month 1Video course - 2AI Powered Excel & Google SheetsMonth 1Video course
- 3SQL for Data AnalyticsMonth 2Video course
- 4Agentic AI in Power BIMonth 3Live class
- 5Python for Data AnalyticsMonth 4Video course
- 6AI Agent for Data Analytics & Decision MakingMonths 5 and 6Live class
Combo Roadmap, 6 courses
23,576,000₫
17,689,000₫
You save 5,887,000₫ compared with buying the courses one by one.
See Combo Roadmap
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