Data Science Consultant

About Daniel Karp

I have been consulting in Database, Business Intelligence and Analytics technical roles for the past 23 years, in a wide variety of industries and workplace environments.

For the past 9 years or so I have concentrated on being involved in data science-related roles where possible.

Where My Data Science Journey Started

Back in 2014, a decade and a half into my career, I had been delivering application-based reporting projects in business intelligence technologies such as OBIEE, QlikView and Tableau.

I frequently also worked in data transformation and data modelling engagements, the odd strategic advisory role, and even project management gigs.

These roles had given me the opportunity to develop a range of both technical and soft skills, such as statistical programming, analytical thinking, business communication as well as the ability to think on my feet.

It was rewarding work but as time went on, I felt I wasn’t learning as much as before and felt stuck in a bit of a rut. I knew that if I didn’t do something about it I wouldn’t progress, eventually to be left behind in this rapidly developing world.

At about the time I was beginning to think through my options one of my fellow consultants, and regular coffee partner, decided that he wanted to become a data scientist. So I was inspired to dive into the field of data science as well. Taking advantage of the ability to learn online, I spent my evenings studying Data Science, beginning with Coursera’s Data Science Certificate.

When I felt ready, I approached my employer at the time about getting some work in the field, and they were very generous, agreeing to let me kick off the company’s very first Data Science division. This was to be the beginning of a successful journey into Data Science consulting. Combining my new knowledge with all that I had learned in Business Intelligence and Database consulting proved to be a potent mix.

I have to say, I feel really lucky. Since becoming a data scientist, I have now worked on many interesting and challenging data science-related projects across a variety of domains. I’ve worked in banking, health, mining, aquaculture and insurance – amongst others. Although the stress levels are a little higher than they were before my move, I can say with gratitude that I feel my career has been invigorated, and that the challenges have been well worth it!

I love taking on challenges and solving novel problems. I enjoy assisting businesses to understand their data and then leveraging it so that they can take informed, concrete actions to propel their businesses forward. I see machine learning, business intelligence and analytics as the tools to achieve this. With the ability to utilize the full power of modern data cloud platforms such as Azure, AWS and GCP, greater insights to help you make better business decisions are there to be had.

I’m constantly learning and enjoy sharing new insights and aha! moments from the projects I’m involved in. This website is where I share these insights.

To learn more about my current projects, head to the Machine Learning Insights blog.

To see some of my completed projects, head to the Projects page.