A Mac window setup for data analysts
Queries, results, a notebook, a dashboard and the docs: a window layout for analysts that keeps the data in view while you work on it.
An analyst's day moves between writing a query, reading the result, and explaining it. The layout should keep the query and the result next to each other, with the rest one step away.
A layout to start from
| Column | Width | Holds |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Half | SQL editor or notebook |
| 2 | Half | Results, spreadsheet or chart |
| 3 | Two thirds | Dashboard or BI tool |
| 4 | A third | Docs, tickets, chat |
Tips
- Wide tables want width: give the results window full width (⌃ ⌥ F in ClutterFreeMac) when you read them, then put it back.
- Two windows of one spreadsheet compare sheets; see Excel side by side.
- An ultrawide monitor fits three of these columns at once; see ultrawide setups.
On a ClutterFreeMac strip, columns 1 and 2 share the screen, and the dashboard and docs wait to the right. Save it as a layout called Analysis in Settings, Arrange.
Questions
What is a good window layout for data analysis on a Mac?
Query and results side by side at half width each, with the dashboard and documentation in windows one step away.
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