Previously, you’d hire data engineers before analysts because you needed someone to build the pipelines. Now, thanks to ELT and off-the-shelf analytics options, analysts can build basic pipelines on their own.
Hiring a data engineer becomes critical when it comes to successful expansion – off-the-shelf solutions will only take you so far. You should hire a data engineer when you predict that performance demands will outstrip current tools, or when coding requirements get too intense for your existing team.