Data, cloud, machine learning – that's where Andreas Balster comes in. Andreas is our cloud consultant for data analytics and loves to solve complex data challenges for our customers. In his free time he enjoys going on discovery tours off the computer.
Hi Andreas, what's your position at Ubilabs and how long have you been with us?
I have been a Cloud consultant for data analytics at Ubilabs for 2.5 years now.
Specifically, what do you do every day?
Since I'm involved in many projects, every day is a little different. In the morning, I answer emails, check the day's schedule and prepare for my meetings. Then I have a stand-up where I exchange ideas with teammates, prioritize tasks, and resolve any blockers.
Software projects in my team typically consist of many parts. Depending on the project, I'm there at the very beginning to design database schemas, somewhere along the way to identify interesting use cases, perform analyses and develop machine learning models, or at the end to build visualizations and dashboards for the customer.
From time to time, I support sales colleagues in meetings to show interested customers the possibilities of data analytics in Google Cloud and to co-develop ideas with them.
I also work on research projects, such as the Hegel project funded by the German Federal Ministry of Transport, in which Ubilabs is working with other research institutions to investigate the effects of the hyper network in logistics.
I spend around 20 percent of my work hours on training. I find machine learning topics particularly exciting. This has allowed me to complete three official Google certifications to become a Machine Learning Engineer, a LookML Developer and a Data Engineer. Ubilabs covered the costs of all the exams.
What do you like most about your work at Ubilabs?
I like to dig deep into customer requirements and the data they need. Some requirements are really quite complex. These are nice puzzles for me to figure out and I'm very happy when I've solved them.
What was your highlight at Ubilabs during the last year?
For our customer Fehrer Automotive, we built several interactive live dashboards in Looker using a great deal of sensor data from their production plant. The dashboards can be used to control the plant more effectively. This was exciting because complex key figures and visualizations had to be built from the very simple sensor data that enters the database every second. The data not only had to be visualized in a meaningful and understandable way, but also had to be displayed almost in real time. The data processing therefore had to be programmed very effectively.
What do you particularly appreciate about Ubilabs?
I appreciate the corporate culture and the team spirit. When challenges arise, we support each other. Also, no one focuses on mistakes, but on solutions and constant learning. As a result, we can always exchange ideas openly. And my colleagues are just great people – not only to work with, but also to meet after work for badminton or a game night.
When I'm not working, ...
... I like to spend time away from the computer. I really like to go hiking and discover new places.
Thank you, Andreas!
