Data Engineer vs. Analytics Engineer: Key Differences A job description that lists Python, SQL, Snowflake, Airflow, dbt, and BigQuery tells candidates what they’ll be working with. It still leaves an important question unanswered: what does the company need them to fix? Several of those tools appear in both roles, so the list won’t settle the hiring decision. The comparison below is a starting point. Where the responsibilities fall will depend on who’s already doing the work and where the team needs help.