THE METHOD

How Insyt Works

Every lesson on Insyt is built the same way, so you always know what you are getting and how long it will take.

THE LOOP

Learn, Practise, Apply

Every lesson does the same three things, in the same order. You see the idea, you try it straight away, then you use it on your own work.

  1. 1

    Learn

    You see the idea before you read about it: a diagram, then a short explanation, then an example worked through with real numbers. One idea per lesson, never two.

  2. 2

    Practise

    You answer three questions, or write and run something yourself, within a minute of learning it. Whether you get it right or wrong, you are told why.

  3. 3

    Apply

    You get one small task to do with your own reports, such as finding when a dashboard last refreshed before you quote it. There is a box to note what you found, so it is not forgotten by next week.

This is why Insyt looks different from a written guide. If something has no questions and nothing to try at work, we call it a resource to look things up in, such as the glossary, rather than a lesson.

INSIDE A LESSON

What a Lesson Is Made Of

No lesson is a wall of text. Most lessons have all of these parts, in this order. A few drop one where it would be padding, for example a lesson with no common mistake worth naming.

Where you are in the course

Each lesson is numbered, for example lesson 3 of 8, and has its own web address so you can send it to a colleague.

The idea in one line

A single sentence summing the lesson up, such as “one extreme value can drag an average away from reality”, for when you are skimming.

Goal, time and what you need

What you will be able to do afterwards, how many minutes it takes, and anything to have open, such as a report of your own.

The idea, explained

A diagram first, then a short explanation, then an example with the numbers worked through so you can follow the arithmetic.

Three questions

Answer three questions, drawn from a larger set so a second go is not the same test. Each answer comes with the reasoning behind it.

Something to try at work

One task you can finish today with the reports you already have, and a box to note what happened when you tried it.

The common mistake

What people usually get wrong with this idea, such as quoting an average without checking the spread, and how to avoid it.

One line to remember

The idea boiled down to a sentence you could repeat in a meeting, which is also what goes on the printable cheat sheet.

Where to go next

The lesson that follows, and the glossary terms worth reading next for the role you have chosen.

HOW IT FITS TOGETHER

From One Idea to a Whole Role

Everything is built from the same unit. One idea makes a lesson, a few lessons make a module, and several modules make a course or a role programme.

LessonOne idea, taught and then practised4–6 minutes
ModuleThree to six lessons on one theme, with a check at the end20–40 minutes
Course or pathSeveral modules, a final assessment, a summary and a cheat sheet2–10 hours
Role programmeAll the modules and courses for one of the seventeen roles, with your progress saved as you goOngoing
LEVELS

Five Levels, So Nothing Is a Leap

A level says what you can already do, not how clever you are. The gap between one level and the next is deliberately small, so no lesson assumes something you were never taught.

1 · AwareYou have met the word but cannot use it yet. Every term is defined, examples come from everyday work, and no tools are needed.New to Business
2 · WorkingYou read and question what others produce. Reading reports, spotting problems, and asking clearly for what you need.People Managers
3 · BuildingYou make things other people use, with guidance. First queries, first dashboards, first models, with worked patterns to follow.Business Analysts
4 · FluentYou work unaided and make trade-offs. Performance, structure, edge cases, and reviewing other people’s work.Data Engineers
5 · LeadingYou set the approach others follow. Architecture, governance, risk, cost, and teaching it to other people.Senior Leaders

The role beside each level is an example of where it applies, in that role’s area colour. If a lesson feels like a jump, that usually means the level in between has not been written yet. Tell us, and it goes on the list.

PRACTICE

Practice You Actually Do

Reading gets you the idea; using it is what makes it stick. So wherever something can run in your browser, it does, and where it cannot, we say so rather than pretending.

Real, in the browser

SQL, Python, spreadsheet formulas, chart building and data cleaning run in the page. You write it, run it, and see real results and real errors.

Try the Query Workbench →

Simulations, clearly labelled

Power BI, Tableau, DAX and data models cannot run in a browser, so you work through a mock version instead. It is always labelled as a simulation, and the thinking carries over to the real tool.

Explained, with somewhere to go

Cloud platforms such as Snowflake and Databricks are explained with the code shown, then we point you at their own free accounts so you can try it for real.

Build Your Confidence with Data

Start with the basics, or jump straight to the role closest to your job.

Start with Data Basics → Browse by Role → Try the Workbench →