Action in Action: Highlights from Our Year

As 2024 draws to a close, we here at Action are reflecting on a satisfying year of growth, creativity, and high-impact content. From thoughtful blog posts and the launch of a newsletter to videos that educated and sparked conversations, our team worked hard to deliver value to our clients, partners, and the greater data analytics community.

Here are a few 2024 highlights:

Dataiku Delights and the Everyday AI Hype-o-Meter

In January 2024, we launched a new YouTube series covering Dataiku. While Dataiku Delights was designed to focus on tips, tricks, and “aha” moments while using the Dataiku software, we decided to pull out all the stops on a silly couple of initial episodes covering Dataiku’s Everyday AI conference and the hype surrounding the Dataiku platform and other AI-based or AI-enhanced data tools. We had a lot of fun creating a retro NASA-inspired “Hype-o-Meter” and feeding claims made at the conference into it. Have we entered “the age of fast-food intelligence?” Is the idea of Prompt Engineer as the next begin job category a “Down to Earth” claim or a “Moon Shot”? Watch the videos and see what The Actionauts had to say. Also, check out Easy Python Package Management, a more typical Dataiku Delights episode and the full playlist to date.

Tableau 2024, Expectations and Takeaways

In April of 2024, several Actionauts went to the Tableau Conference in San Diego. Before going, Keith Helfrich, Jonathan Drummey, and Robert Rouse met to discuss what they hoped to see and take away from the conference. Then, fresh from the event, they recorded the above video. Keith and Jonathan also followed up with a 3rd video sharing their thoughts on Tableau’s product direction.

Talking to Data Thought Leaders

In 2024, we also started interviewing data executives and other industry thought leaders. Besides Jeremy Paytas’ fascinating conversation with Portable’s Ethan Aaron, we spoke to Luke Komiskey of DataDrive, and David Jayatillake of Cube, among others. See the full playlist.

Let’s Make Sense of This

It was a big year for our flagship video offering, The Sensemakers. During 2024, we rebranded The Sensemaker’s Video Podcast as The Sensemakers, with a new theme song and intro, and continued our work with the Mental Models and Everyday Design Practices sub-series. We also launched a new sub-series called Alteryx: Art of the Exam, a thorough and authoritative look at the very challenging Alteryx Expert Exam and how to best prepare for it. This series is being led by Alteryx Ace, Matthew Montgomery. In the coming year, we will be expanding the scope of The Sensemakers to include additional hosts, guests, and content beyond the Tableau platform.

Tip and Tricks and Action Bits

Also launched in 2024, Action Bits is our show of quick tips, insights, and workplace breakthroughs in Tableau and other data tools. This series proved to be one of our most popular offerings. Look for more useful Action Bits in 2025.

Here’s Your Unfair Advantage

This year saw the launch of Actionaut Shaun Davis’ excellent Analytics Advantage newsletter. This weekly missive provides insights and practical ideas from an experienced data analyst, directed at business leaders at companies large and small. So far, Shaun has covered topics like The Hidden Costs of Excel, How Data Visualization Empowers Smarter Business Decisions, the Benefits of an Independent Data Model, and much more. We’re thrilled with the response the newsletter has gotten and look forward to bigger and better things for it in the coming year.

Intern Takes Over the Company

In early 2024, we brought on an intern, a brilliant young woman named Autumn Kloth, a student at Florida State University. Autumn quickly found her feet at Action and began creating a series of blog posts about her internship. Together, these posts became the most popular content on the blog this year. Check out her SQL Murder Mystery post. She has also become an indispensable part of Action’s creative and marketing teams. Autumn has set the bar pretty high for all future Action interns. Way to go, Autumn!

Two other blog highlights of note were Actionaut Sharon Resheff’s How I Became a Data Rockstar and Christine Carragee’s Searching Beyond the Lamp Post: Finding the Right Data Talent.

As we turn the lights out on 2024 and head into a new year, we’re excited to continue pushing boundaries, creating impactful content, and serving our clients, the data community, and beyond. Thank you to everyone who engaged with our work this year. Your support inspires and drives us forward.

If you missed any Action content this year, be sure to check out our blog and YouTube channel to catch up on everything. And if you’re not already subscribed to the Analytics Advantage, sign up to stay ahead of the curve in 2025!

Here’s to another year of innovation, growth, and actionable insights.