The modern data-driven landscape has yielded a variety of unique job opportunities. Some of the most compelling involve the ever-changing intersection between cutting-edge technology and ambitious business initiatives.
Business intelligence, in particular, represents an exciting opportunity to drive strategic decision-making efforts and work closely with leaders across numerous fields and niches.
Blending information technology, data analytics, and strategic management, the distinctive role of business intelligence analyst is ideal for driven professionals who recognize the value of data and are eager to use it to drive impressive business outcomes.
Demand is at an all-time high, so this is a great time to enter the growing field of business intelligence. First, however, it’s important to understand: What is a business intelligence analyst, and what exactly do business intelligence analysts do? We answer these key questions in detail while also revealing how to become a business intelligence analyst.
What is a Business Intelligence Analyst?
First things first: understanding business intelligence (BI). This impactful practice begins with securing high volumes of data that can be leveraged to identify pain points, uncover potential solutions, and optimize day-to-day business functions.
Business intelligence analysts promote the data-driven optimization of workflows, along with strategic, data-backed reductions in operational expenses. These efforts inform benchmarks and illuminate market trends, which can be used to drive improvements in near-real time.
5 Key Responsibilities
While business intelligence analysts fulfill many functions, the majority of their work falls into one of these main categories:
- Data analysis and reporting – Forming the foundation of BI, data analysis draws on numerous sources of information, with data strategically collected and processed to expose meaningful trends and patterns.
- Decision support – Today’s leaders depend on BI analysts for accurate and actionable insights that help them make difficult decisions with confidence. Analysts present data via dynamic dashboards and visualizations, which make difficult concepts easier to understand.
- Data management – By updating and maintaining data collection systems and databases, BI analysts ensure that the data they gather and examine is reliable and relevant. This role may also encompass data cleansing, transformation, and governance.
- Collaboration with stakeholders – In addition to providing recommendations to aid in decision-making, BI analysts work with several stakeholders to streamline and optimize business processes. Collaborative efforts may involve department heads, data engineers, or external consultants.
- Trend analysis and marketing research – Through a blend of internal and external resources, BI analysts can not only reveal current market trends but also confidently predict future business conditions and demonstrate how organizations can adapt accordingly.
What Do Business Intelligence Analysts Do?
Business intelligence is a demanding field, and BI analysts are expected to keep pace with the constant flow of data and the frequent rollout of new systems or software. While no two days look exactly alike, these professionals can expect to dedicate the majority of their time to collecting, organizing, analyzing, and sharing relevant data.
Daily Tasks
On a daily basis, BI analysts look to a variety of sources to produce high quantities of data. Increasingly, this role calls for advanced tools that allow analysts to leverage big data. Key tasks include:
- Data collection and integration – From sales figures to market trends, BI analysts rely on a wide range of quantitative sources. These must be strategically integrated to form a unified and coherent impression. From there, strategies such as regression modeling and machine learning help analysts unearth hidden yet meaningful patterns.
- Monitoring and maintenance – Dashboards allow BI analysts to convey complex trends and developments, but these must be carefully maintained to ensure accuracy. This role emphasizes iterative improvements, which encourage BI analysts to continually evaluate — and, if needed, adjust — dashboards and other systems to meet the changing needs of the organizations they serve.
- Ad-hoc analysis – Several departments rely on business intelligence analysts to make sense of sizable and confusing data sets, dashboards, or reports. BI analysts often work closely with marketing, finance, or operations experts, developing visualizations or other tools to help these various stakeholders understand what data reveals and how these insights relate to specific objectives.
Long-Term Projects
While business intelligence has often been associated with the day-to-day optimization of business functions, the data BI analysts compile and examine can also play into long-term initiatives. Furthermore, some long-term efforts may seek to bring greater efficiency and insight to the general BI process — or to integrate more effective technological solutions as they become available. Examples include:
- Developing and implementing BI solutions – Business intelligence solutions have come a long way in a few short years, but BI analysts are eager to continue developing advanced solutions that limit silos and integrate systems to enable a unified look into business operations.
- Strategic analysis and reporting – BI analysts look at market trends, competitor details, and many other resources to reveal opportunities for growth from a strategic perspective. They may be involved in setting key performance indicators (KPIs), along with benchmarking and reporting on progress or return on investment (ROI).
- Cross-functional projects – BI analysts may work closely with stakeholders from several teams or departments, ranging from product development and marketing to logistics and supply chain operations. They may also work with project managers to determine how projects can be completed according to time, scope, and budget requirements.
Typical Data Analysis and Reporting Functions
Business intelligence analysts bring sophisticated perspectives to data-driven systems, revealing not only what collected data has to say but also what this means in the context of organizational objectives. This is one of the most compelling aspects of business intelligence, and typically, it involves these key elements:
- Trend analysis – Historical data can play a valuable role in predicting future trends. From cyclical patterns to seasonality, BI analysts can draw on strategically collected data to discover what is possible in the future and how businesses can prepare accordingly.
- Performance metrics – Key performance indicators play a central role in business intelligence. These provide quantitative support when measuring both performance and progress. Regular reviews of KPIs can reveal ongoing areas that need improvement.
- Customer analysis – BI analysts generally work closely with marketing professionals to develop a more nuanced understanding of customers and promote effective segmentation.
- Financial reporting – Drawing on data from accounting systems and other sources, BI analysts help produce actionable finance-oriented insights. This may involve collaborating with finance teams to conduct analyses of variance or to suggest course corrections when required.
- Risk analysis – Every business improvement initiative comes with risks attached, but often, these risks are not fully understood until they are uncovered through data analytics. BI analysts may be involved in developing key risk indicators and risk scoring models. From there, risk metrics can be conveyed via analyst-created dashboards or visualizations.
Exploring the Business Intelligence Analyst Career Path
Data-driven decision-making dominates modern business practices, and given the complications associated with selecting and implementing analytic solutions, it’s easy to see why so many organizations rely on business intelligence professionals to bridge the gap. With such a wide array of possibilities available, it is increasingly important for aspiring BI professionals to set targeted career goals and pursue relevant educational opportunities. We explore several valuable options below.
Industry Opportunities
Business intelligence drives powerful results across numerous industries. Name a sector, and you will almost certainly discover BI analysts behind the scenes, providing crucial insights to guide decision-making processes. Such positions are especially abundant in healthcare, finance, and supply chain management.
Entry-Level Positions and Progression
From entry-level positions to executive roles, there are plenty of opportunities for BI analysts to leverage their knowledge and experience. Though career progression may depend to some extent on preferred industries or niches, many aspiring BI professionals can expect to rapidly ascend an impressive career ladder that includes at least some of the following roles or titles:
- BI analyst I or junior BI analyst – Junior analysts work under the guidance of higher-level BI professionals to extract data and perform basic statistical analyses. Additionally, they may be involved in data transformation and dashboard maintenance.
- BI analyst II or senior BI analyst – Upon reaching the senior level, BI analysts receive greater autonomy, although strong collaboration is also expected. These senior professionals conduct advanced statistical analyses and may be involved in data modeling or even the development of data governance policies.
- BI developer or BI engineer – Tasked with developing (or optimizing) the dashboards and other tools that BI analysts rely on, BI developers and engineers help guide the process of gathering, analyzing, and sharing data.
- BI manager or director of business intelligence – Upper-level roles in business intelligence often involve coordinating BI activities and managing sizable teams consisting of junior and senior analysts, plus data analysts and other data-driven professionals.
Specialized Roles
There is significant overlap between business intelligence and other data-driven practices, to the point that some data-related terms are used interchangeably. Several specialized roles are thought to exist under the broader umbrella of business intelligence, such as:
- Data science – Placing greater focus on predictive modeling and machine learning, data science tends to be more technical than business intelligence. By combining data science and BI methodologies, however, organizations can generate maximum value from data-driven insights.
- Data architecture – Centered on the structure of data systems and assets, data architecture determines how data flows between various systems, sources, and applications. Data architecture is all about building a powerful framework, while business intelligence leverages that framework to produce actionable insights.
Some BI analysts prefer the autonomy that comes with working as a consultant, as this maximizes flexibility and autonomy while allowing clients to benefit from analysts’ unique perspectives. Others prefer industry-specific BI roles, which may involve healthcare, marketing, or financial intelligence.
Transitioning to Related Fields
The technical skills developed through BI training and experiential learning can drive positive outcomes in several aligned niches. BI development and engineering come to mind, of course, but experienced analysts may also move into these areas:
- Product management – Both business intelligence and product management call for data-backed insights, but with product management, these are leveraged to form a better understanding of customer desires and pain points as well as market opportunities and details regarding product life cycles or technical feasibility.
- Marketing analytics – Business intelligence processes can influence market research analytics, which strives to boost ROI for marketing campaigns. With marketing analytics, data is gathered and integrated from numerous channels. BI experience can elevate increasingly prominent marketing analytics strategies such as predictive modeling and natural language processing.
Continuous Learning and Certification
Due to the sheer versatility of modern business intelligence, many employers prefer to hire analysts with targeted experience. This can be conveyed through credentials and certificates.
Graduate-level programs can provide valuable preparation for challenging certification exams, such as the Certified Business Intelligence Professional (CBIP) and Microsoft Certified: Power BI Data Analyst Associate. Many SAS certifications are also relevant to BI analysts, including the Statistical Business Analyst and Visual Business Analyst certificates. Additional opportunities are available through IBM, SAP, and Tableau.
How to Become a Business Intelligence Analyst
It takes years of training to prepare for a career in business intelligence, yet many transferable skills allow other professionals to move into this realm with ease. In general, though, data-oriented degree programs are worth pursuing, along with experiential learning opportunities like internships.
Educational Requirements
A strong technical education could open doors to a range of rewarding BI roles. This can provide a valuable introduction to programming languages, modeling techniques, and other foundational concepts while also equipping future analysts with critical soft skills such as communication and problem-solving.
- Bachelor’s degree – At minimum, every aspiring business intelligence analyst should be equipped with a bachelor’s degree. Aim for tech-oriented majors or concentrations, such as computer science or information systems. With the right specializations and electives, a Aim for tech-oriented majors like aBachelor of Science in Business AdministrationBusiness Analytics.
- Master’s degree – Although not always required, a master’s degree can provide a competitive edge and may prove necessary for some specialized roles or leadership positions. The Master of Science in Data Analytics (MSDA) can provide an excellent path to business intelligence career advancement.
Essential Skills and Knowledge
Regardless of the degree pursued, business intelligence analysts are expected to develop many technical, management, and communication competencies.
Soft skills are highly valued in this field, especially when collaborating with cross-departmental teams. These include emotional intelligence, creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving.
Technical training begins with mastering programming languages. Proficiency in writing SQL queries is also a must. Furthermore, BI analysts should understand extract, transform, and load (ETL) processes, which allow them to gather and compile data from several sources. Ideally, these professionals will be thoroughly familiar with business intelligence tools such as Tableau and SAS.
Leveraging Graduate Education for a Successful BI Analyst Career
While multiple degrees and credentials can prompt success in business intelligence, the Master of Science in Data Analytics represents the most well-rounded path. This program places a substantial emphasis on technical skill development — but in the context of business concepts and processes. Advantages include:
Provides a Comprehensive Curriculum
Beginning with data analytics foundations, the MSDA curriculum covers all the concepts crucial to success in business intelligence. Through core courses, graduate students gain through exposure to:
- Programming languages such as Python
- Machine learning techniques involving cloud computing platforms
- Fundamental data warehousing concepts
- Data mining algorithms
- Big data programming techniques
Helps Develop Business Acumen
Technical proficiency is important, but with business intelligence, this is most impactful because of how it’s contextualized based on core business objectives. Through an MSDA business track, students can acquire critical accounting and finance skills while exploring the fundamentals of organizational behavior. Targeted courses are also available to BI analysts with aspirations in healthcare management or informatics.
Provides Real-World Applications
Theoretical training can provide a powerful foundation, but experiential learning brings this understanding into the real world. An MSDA provides plenty of opportunities to apply newly gained insights through capstone projects, business simulations, internships, and more.
Aids in Soft Skills Development
Soft skill development plays an essential role in graduate programs even when, at first glance, they appear to be strictly technical. For example, MSDA coursework encourages students to adapt their communication styles while conveying complex analytics concepts. Meanwhile, group projects and discussions prepare students for the collaborative realities of business intelligence.
Professional Networking Opportunities
A solid network can open up a myriad of exciting business intelligence opportunities. While many BI analysts rely on professional associations, the right degree program can play an instrumental role in forming or expanding networks. Graduate courses facilitate new connections, which can be further enhanced through experiential learning opportunities.
Elevate Your Business Intelligence Career With UTC
Business intelligence could form the basis of a rewarding career path. Are you ready to take your career in a new direction? Look to UTC’s Master of Science in Data Analytics for guidance and support. Reach out today to learn more about this program or to begin the application process.
