Data & Analytics Consulting
I turn ambiguous business questions into trusted, decision-ready data.
I'm Michael Whitaker — a technical business analyst and full-stack developer. I build BigQuery data models and Looker Studio dashboards that senior teams actually trust, closing the gap between business and engineering that so often leaves “technically correct” dashboards unused.
- 20+
- Years shipping data products
- 1,000+
- Online retailers served
- 17 TB+
- Modeled for executive reporting
What I do
From raw data to the answer the question was actually asking
My edge isn't just building pipelines — it's translating what stakeholders need into the right metrics. The technology serves the question, not the other way around.
BigQuery Data Modeling
Dimensional models and pipelines that turn fragmented source tables into a single, trusted layer your team can build on.
Looker Studio Dashboards
Executive-grade reporting anchored to the questions leaders actually ask — plus custom community visualizations (D3, Observable Plot) when native charts fall short.
AI-Driven Development
I build with AI in the loop — bespoke CLI tools and custom agent skills that automate the repetitive analysis, codify your workflows and put reliable automation in your team's hands.
Requirements & Metric Design
The part most teams skip: sitting between senior stakeholders and engineering to make sure the numbers answer the question being asked.
Custom App Development
Private Shopify apps and bespoke tools — Vue.js, Cloud Functions, BigQuery and Firestore — for workflows and visualizations built just for you.
Analytics Audits
Every third-party script on your site is a potential risk. I audit data quality, tracking accuracy and the security exposure of what you've installed.
Experience
Where I've done the work
News Corp Australia
2024 — PresentTechnical Business Analyst
Lead analyst translating business requirements into BigQuery data models and executive Looker Studio dashboards across editorial, advertising and subscription domains — trusted to sit between senior stakeholders and engineering and make sure the numbers answer the question being asked.
Executive reporting
Consolidated fragmented dashboards into a single executive-grade Looker Studio report over purpose-built BigQuery views and 17 TB+ of data.
Custom visualizations
Bespoke Looker Studio community visualizations (D3, Observable Plot) that move beyond native chart limits for a cleaner narrative.
Secure data foundations
Secured BigQuery environments — row- and column-level security, audit trails and Airflow orchestration — feeding trusted reporting.
Monitus LLC
Founder / Developer
2001 — Present
Marketing-analytics products and consulting used by 1,000+ online retailers — including Monitus Tools (analytics & CRO for the Yahoo! Small Business market) and Analytics Buddy, a Shopify app built on Vue.js, Cloud Functions, BigQuery and Firestore that helps retailers optimize product pages.
Whitaker-Sarda LLC
Developer
2004 — Present
Built automated tools to manage commercial real estate assets, including a real-time rent tracker for target markets to help optimize market rents.
Transcom Software
San Francisco, CA
1999 — 2001
Helped launch and market knowledge-management software in the US; built product demos and represented the company to clients and investors.
Selected clients
A few of the 1,000+ online retailers and organizations I've worked with over the years.
Get in touch
Let's figure out what your data is actually trying to tell you.
Whether you need a trustworthy dashboard, a data model that holds up, or an AI-driven analytics workflow — I'd be glad to talk it through.