To all my entry-level data friends...
Let's say you've just landed an exciting new job as a Data Analyst or BI Developer at <Dream Job> Company. And because this company is remarkably proficient at onboarding, you instantly have all the necessary database access you need to do to your job.
Now, one day <Company VP> approaches you with a list of 100 account numbers and asks you for all the transactions for the past year for those accounts. Naturally you run off to start querying, right?
Before you do, though, you might consider asking yourself (and/or the stakeholder) the following:
What questions does the data need to answer - do I have the right data? Do I need to apply filters or aggregate fields?
What volume of data will this query return and how to I deliver it in a usable/consumable format?
What if I need to run this report again? What if the next time there are 1,000 accounts?
These exact kinds of urgent/ad hoc situations really do happen to folks with access to data. And, I assure you it is much better to take a few extra minutes to gather requirements upfront than it is to repeatedly go back to <Company VP> with questions or deliver results that don't meet expectations, especially when time is short. It's okay not to get it exactly right the first time, but asking these kinds of questions will make sure you're at least heading in the right direction.