Teaching an Old Dog New Tricks.

Source: Dev.to

Introduction

For a long time I considered myself a skilled data analyst who knew my spreadsheets inside‑out. That perception changed when I discovered LuxDevHQ (https://www.luxdevhq.ai) while scrolling through social media. Seeing alumni stories about how LuxDev transformed them into top‑notch analysts convinced me to take the challenge. I enrolled in their first online class and am now eager to share the onboarding tools our instructors recommended for Windows PCs.

Onboarding Tools for Windows PC

GitHub Desktop

1. Search for GitHub Desktop in your browser.
2. Click Download for Windows.
3. Run the installer and launch the application.
4. Sign up for a GitHub account (or sign in if you already have one).
5. Complete the setup using your name and email.

Git Bash

Git Bash lets you run Git commands from the command line.

1. Visit the Git website.
2. Click Install for Windows.
3. Run the installer as administrator.
4. Follow the setup wizard, making sure to:
   • Choose your preferred default editor (e.g., VS Code).
   • Complete the installation and launch Git Bash.

Power BI Desktop

1. Open the Microsoft Store.
2. Search for Power BI Desktop.
3. Click Install and wait for the download to finish.
4. Launch the app when installation is complete.

Direct store link:

Python 3.12

1. Open the Microsoft Store.
2. Search for Python 3.12 (the most stable version).
3. Click Install.
4. After installation, open Python to verify it works.

Direct store link:

Visual Studio Code

1. Open the Microsoft Store.
2. Search for Visual Studio Code (icon shown below).
3. Click Install.
4. Launch VS Code once the installation finishes.

Direct store link:

PostgreSQL

1. Visit the official download page.
2. Choose Windows and download the installer.
3. Run the installer as administrator and follow the setup wizard:
   • Select the components you need.
   • Set the data directory.
   • Create a password for the postgres user.
   • Keep the default port 5432.
4. Complete the installation and launch PostgreSQL.

Connecting with DBeaver

1. Open DBeaver.
2. Click New Database Connection.
3. Choose PostgreSQL from the list and click Next.
4. Enter the connection details (host, port, database name, username, password) that you set during PostgreSQL installation.
5. Click Test Connection; if successful, click Finish.

Aiven.io

1. Go to in your browser.
2. Click Start for free.
3. Sign up for an account (you can also use your Google credentials).

Conclusion

I hope this guide helps you get set up with the essential tools for data analysis on Windows. Stay tuned for the next article, where I’ll explain how to push and pull code, track changes, and master version control using Git.