Webinar-competition "Data Detective: Analysts Lead the Investigation"

On August 4, the Master's program "Data Analytics and Social Statistics" held a webinar competition, "Data Detective: Analysts Lead the Investigation." Participants experienced firsthand how stories—with errors, unusual events, and unexpected patterns—hide behind dry tables.

Together with the program's speakers—Irina Pavlova, Anna Kartasheva, and Kirill Shkolnik—the participants mastered the tools of exploratory data analysis: they learned to spot anomalies and hidden patterns, verify calculations, select the right metrics, read graphs, and take their time jumping to conclusions. Throughout the meeting, the speakers assigned short tasks, and the participants searched for the correct answers, shared them in the chat, and earned points.

At the beginning of the webinar, Irina Pavlova, the program's academic director, described the master's program, its curriculum, specializations, learning format, and opportunities for applicants. Afterward, the meeting transitioned to a game-like format: participants were invited to become detective analysts and investigate the "case of the missing budget."

Anna Kartasheva reminded participants that data analytics begins not with tables, graphs, or complex models, but with the right question. Data alone doesn't tell the whole story: the same table can be used for reporting, identifying growth opportunities, or making management decisions. Therefore, an analyst truly is like a detective: they see clues, notice oddities, formulate hypotheses, verify them, and try not to jump to conclusions prematurely.

The participants examined three fundamental questions for an analyst: what happened, what to compare it to, and what to do next. Using simple examples, the speakers demonstrated the importance of separating observation from interpretation, why a number alone means little without context, and why different types of charts are appropriate for different research questions.

The main part of the webinar revolved around the "case of the missing budget." According to the scenario, the city development fund received a report of suspicious expenses. There was no direct evidence, but digital traces remained: numerical series, transaction tables, expense charts, and fragments of reports. To access the case materials, participants had to figure out a password: find patterns in numerical series, check the average cost, choose between the mean and median, and answer short questions on basic data analysis concepts.

The evening culminated in a final analytical investigation. To present a convincing theory of the incident, participants had to piece together all the facts they had uncovered: an abnormal increase in IT infrastructure costs, an error in calculating the average cost, data on complaints in the districts, and the unusually high value of one of the contracts. The final task required not only calculations but also genuine analytical logic: formulating a hypothesis, naming additional tests, and explaining what data was needed to confirm or refute the theory.

Ekaterina Nekrashevich won the webinar. She was nominated for "Best Webinar Analyst and Best Data Storyteller" for her answers to all the questions and a clear final conclusion.

There were also other nominations: "Best Team Detective," "Best Data Skeptic," and "Nomination for the Most Beautiful Hypothesis and Unusual Analytical Explanation of the Final Case."

"It was important for us to demonstrate that data analytics isn't a set of mechanical calculations, but a way of thinking. A good analyst doesn't rush to conclusions: they first document a fact, then seek context, check metrics, compare versions, and only then formulate an explanation. The data detective format clearly demonstrates that every table can have a real story behind it, and working with data requires a combination of attentiveness, logic, skepticism, and investigative curiosity," noted Anna Kartasheva, a research fellow at the International Laboratory for Applied Network Analysis at HSE University.

The webinar was part of a series of open events for the Master's program "Data Analytics and Applied Statistics." These meetings help applicants and anyone interested see how the program works: through practical tasks, working with research questions, discussing methods, and constantly moving from data to meaningful conclusions.

A recording of the webinar is available: