Google Data Analytics Certificate Course 5 Review: Analyze Data to Answer Questions
An honest review of Course 5 where analysis finally gets real—hands-on SQL, pivot tables, and the skills analysts actually use daily.
Google Data Analytics Certificate Course 5: Where Analysis Gets Real
Course 5 is where the Google Data Analytics Certificate stops preparing you and starts making you actually do analysis.
This is where I started enjoying the program. You're taking cleaned data and extracting insights—the core of what analysts actually do.
What Course 5 Covers
- Organizing data for analysis - Structuring your approach before diving in
- Formatting and adjusting data - Getting data analysis-ready
- Aggregating data - Summarizing and grouping techniques
- Performing calculations - Building metrics and measures
- Pivot tables and SQL - Hands-on practice with both tools
What Works
Practical Spreadsheet Skills
The course gets genuinely hands-on with spreadsheet analysis techniques. Pivot tables, VLOOKUP, conditional functions—these are the tools you'll actually use every week as an analyst.
SQL Depth
You go deeper into SQL here with aggregations (SUM, AVG, COUNT) and GROUP BY clauses. This is essential.
I spend more time writing SQL queries than doing anything else in my analyst work. This course gives you the foundation.
Temporary Tables
They introduce temp tables, which is a huge deal. This is how you break down complex queries into manageable pieces. I use this technique constantly.
What's Missing
Statistical Analysis
The course touches on analysis but doesn't go deep into statistical methods. You won't learn hypothesis testing, confidence intervals, or significance testing here.
That's fine—those are intermediate topics. But know that you'll need supplementary learning if your role requires statistical rigor.
Real Complexity
The examples are clean and manageable. Real-world data is messier. Much messier.
Don't be surprised when your first real project involves joining 5 tables with inconsistent naming conventions and missing data everywhere.
The SQL Focus
If I had to pick the most valuable part of Course 5, it's the SQL practice.
Why SQL matters:
- Most data lives in databases, not spreadsheets
- Interviews almost always include SQL questions
- It scales better than Excel for large datasets
- It's the universal language of data
Spend extra time on the SQL sections. Replay the videos. Practice the queries multiple times. This is where your job-readiness actually develops.
The Bottom Line
Course 5 builds meaningful skills. The combination of spreadsheet and SQL analysis covers the two most common analyst tools.
After this course, you'll have done actual analysis—not just learned about it. That's a big shift.
Common Questions About Course 5
Q: Should I focus more on Excel or SQL in this course?
Both, but if you had to prioritize: SQL. Excel is more intuitive and you'll pick it up on the job. SQL requires more deliberate practice and is harder to self-teach.
Q: How do I know if I'm ready to move to Course 6?
Can you write a SQL query that joins two tables, groups by a dimension, and calculates an aggregate? If yes, move forward. If no, practice more.
Q: The SQL examples use BigQuery. Will this work in other databases?
95% yes. The syntax is nearly identical across PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQL Server, etc. You're learning transferable skills.
Excel for Analytics
The complete course for finance professionals who want to level up their Excel skills.
SaaS CFO turned educator. 20+ years in finance leadership, from Big 4 audit to building companies. Now helping 250,000+ professionals master the skills that actually move careers.