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What does a business intelligence analyst do?

Updated January 8, 2025
9 min read
Quoted expert
Rebecca Sarver
What does a business intelligence analyst do

The primary job of business intelligence (BI) analysts is to analyze data and identify areas of improvement for an organization. These professionals are responsible for identifying trends that may help managers, executives, and other departments make better decisions to improve company processes and modernization. Other duties include identifying areas of revenue loss and ways to maximize profit, analyzing competitors' use of BI, and implementing new methodologies and data analysis. This role is particularly analytical and needs a balance of communication, information technology, and problem-solving skills.

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Business intelligence analyst responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real business intelligence analyst resumes:

  • Manage daily KPI and dashboard reports for upper management and various departments.
  • Utilize T-SQL and advance database skills to develop and manage client's large volume of data.
  • Gather business requirements and deliver business analytics base solutions using structured/unstructure business data to help achieve measurable business outcomes for clients.
  • Envision and construct SalesForce dashboards to return key performance indicators for products.
  • Install and configure driver for Hadoop connection.
  • Stream leader for a major CRM project base on SalesForce.com.
  • Automate the process for building and monitoring OLAP cubes creation.
  • Assemble subject areas and create execution plan and accommodate the new Informatica mappings.
  • Provide subject matter expertise to other branches of the firm with OLAP cubes implementations.
  • Key role in EDW development project assisting with data mapping/validation between source and target.
  • Create user manuals, PowerPoint presentations, operations manuals and conduct end-user training as needed.
  • Experience in creating complex SSIS packages using proper control and data flow elements with error handling.
  • Perform different tasks like repeating tasks, reloading tasks and distribution tasks using the QlikView publisher.
  • Work extensively on new tableau features such as LOD expressions to simplify the existing report calculations.
  • Provide QlikView production support, including working with internal clients to identify issues and to ensure customer satisfaction.

Business intelligence analyst skills and personality traits

We calculated that 11% of Business Intelligence Analysts are proficient in Business Intelligence, Analytics, and Power Bi. They’re also known for soft skills such as Detail oriented, Creativity, and Interpersonal skills.

We break down the percentage of Business Intelligence Analysts that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Business Intelligence, 11%

    Conduct analysis of business processes and gather requirements for business intelligence needs using data in different formats and from various platforms.

  • Analytics, 11%

    Developed custom data warehouse utilizing Red Hat Linux Enterprise and MySQL to provide high-quality data analytics at a significantly lower cost.

  • Power Bi, 10%

    Prepare detailed statistical reports in Power BI to track progress of weekly, monthly and quarterly customers and sales growth.

  • Dashboards, 9%

    Developed multiple Views and combined them into Dashboards for interactivity by providing Quick Filter and Parameters for further data drilling capability.

  • Visualization, 7%

    Designed student survey databases using SQL management studio and built student survey visualization using Tableau software.

  • Data Analysis, 6%

    Identify business intelligence, reporting and data analysis needs and provide how data is turned into information which supports business processes.

Most business intelligence analysts use their skills in "business intelligence," "analytics," and "power bi" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential business intelligence analyst responsibilities here:

Detail oriented. The most essential soft skill for a business intelligence analyst to carry out their responsibilities is detail oriented. This skill is important for the role because "developers often work on many parts of an application or system at the same time and must therefore be able to concentrate and pay attention to detail." Additionally, a business intelligence analyst resume shows how their duties depend on detail oriented: "identified and documented detailed technical and functional requirements in preparation for the new enterprise data warehouse. "

Creativity. Many business intelligence analyst duties rely on creativity. "developers are the creative minds behind new computer software.," so a business intelligence analyst will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways business intelligence analyst responsibilities rely on creativity: "worked on creating an inventory for the various facts and dimensions involved in the dashboards. "

Interpersonal skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of business intelligence analysts is interpersonal skills. This skill is critical to many everyday business intelligence analyst duties, as "software developers must be able to work well with others who contribute to designing, developing, and programming successful software." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "attended and facilitated jad sessions, interpersonal interviews with the stakeholders, sme's and quality analysts. "

Problem-solving skills. A big part of what business intelligence analysts do relies on "problem-solving skills." You can see how essential it is to business intelligence analyst responsibilities because "because developers are in charge of software from beginning to end, they must be able to solve problems that arise throughout the design process." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical business intelligence analyst tasks: "involved in utilizing qlikview solutions to develop complex reports and executive dashboard. "

Analytical skills. Another crucial skill for a business intelligence analyst to carry out their responsibilities is "analytical skills." A big part of what business intelligence analysts relies on this skill, since "developers must analyze users’ needs and then design software to meet those needs." How this skill relates to business intelligence analyst duties can be seen in an example from a business intelligence analyst resume snippet: "developed and implemented a test qlikview business metric dashboard incorporating data from sql server, mainframe sources and excel spreadsheets. "

Communication skills. While "communication skills" is last on this skills list, don't underestimate its importance to business intelligence analyst responsibilities. Much of what a business intelligence analyst does relies on this skill, seeing as "developers must be able to give clear instructions to others working on a project." Here is a resume example of how this skill is used in the everyday duties of business intelligence analysts: "managed cross-team coordination and communication with data warehouse, operations, and accenture hr services team leads. "

Most common business intelligence analyst skills

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Compare different business intelligence analysts

Business intelligence analyst vs. Analyst lead

The duties of an analyst lead depend on one's line of work or industry of employment. Typically, their responsibilities revolve around performing research and analysis, coordinating with different departments to gather leads and data, reviewing findings, and producing reports and presentations for the stakeholders and other higher-ranking officials. Through the results, an analyst lead can provide advice, devise strategies for business optimization, spearhead the development of processes, identify strengths and weaknesses, and offer recommendations on areas in need of improvement. All of this is done while in adherence to the company's vision and mission.

If we compare the average business intelligence analyst annual salary with that of an analyst lead, we find that analyst leads typically earn a $15,015 higher salary than business intelligence analysts make annually.While their salaries may differ, the common ground between business intelligence analysts and analyst leads are a few of the skills required in each roleacirc;euro;trade;s responsibilities. In both careers, employee duties involve skills like analytics, power bi, and visualization.

While similarities exist, there are also some differences between business intelligence analysts and analyst lead. For instance, business intelligence analyst responsibilities require skills such as "business intelligence," "dashboards," "analyze data," and "data quality." Whereas a analyst lead is skilled in "project management," "customer service," "powerpoint," and "cloud security." This is part of what separates the two careers.

Analyst leads earn the highest salaries when working in the finance industry, with an average yearly salary of $110,488. On the other hand, business intelligence analysts are paid more in the start-up industry with an average salary of $88,964.analyst leads tend to reach lower levels of education than business intelligence analysts. In fact, analyst leads are 6.5% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.5% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.

Business intelligence analyst vs. Analyst

Analysts are employees or individual contributors with a vast experience in a particular field that help the organization address challenges. They help the organization improve processes, policies, and other operations protocol by studying the current processes in place and determining the effectiveness of those processes. They also research industry trends and data to make sound inferences and recommendations on what the company should do to improve their numbers. Analysts recommend business solutions and often help the organization roll out these solutions. They ensure that the proposed action plans are effective and produce the desired results.

Analyst positions earn lower pay than business intelligence analyst roles. They earn a $7,242 lower salary than business intelligence analysts per year.A few skills overlap for business intelligence analysts and analysts. Resumes from both professions show that the duties of each career rely on skills like "data analysis," "data warehouse," and "etl. "

In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, business intelligence analyst responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "business intelligence," "analytics," "power bi," and "dashboards." Meanwhile, an analyst has duties that require skills in areas such as "customer service," "troubleshoot," "project management," and "digital transformation." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.

Analysts earn a lower average salary than business intelligence analysts. But analysts earn the highest pay in the technology industry, with an average salary of $79,330. Additionally, business intelligence analysts earn the highest salaries in the start-up with average pay of $88,964 annually.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Analysts tend to reach lower levels of education than business intelligence analysts. In fact, they're 11.8% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.5% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for business intelligence analysts in the next 3-5 years?

Rebecca SarverRebecca Sarver LinkedIn profile

Lecturer in Human Services Studies, Elmira College

The use of remote and virtual meetings will continue, even after COVID-19. Face-to-face meetings may still be the preferred method of contact, but the reality is that many clients who need to access services do not have reliable and consistent transportation to get to the services. Phones and computers enable more convenient meetings that are less costly in terms of time and travel. Some clients may prefer not to leave their homes.

Business intelligence analyst vs. Data analyst

Data analysts are responsible for interpreting the company's statistics and providing sound recommendations to the organization. They manage the organization's data sets, usually related to market performance, finance, or human resources. They are in charge of studying the available data, spotting trends, interpreting what the data and the trends mean, and recommending suggestions that will help the organization perform better. Their recommendations should also be relevant and backed up with strong analyses. Data analysts are expected to have a good grasp of the current market trends in the industry.

On average, data analysts earn lower salaries than business intelligence analysts, with a $5,907 difference per year.Using the responsibilities included on business intelligence analysts and data analysts resumes, we found that both professions have similar skill requirements, such as "power bi," "visualization," and "data analysis.rdquo;

Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from business intelligence analyst resumes include skills like "business intelligence," "analytics," "dashboards," and "kpis," whereas a data analyst is more likely to list skills in "python," "data management," "data collection," and "bi. "

Data analysts make a very good living in the finance industry with an average annual salary of $86,172. On the other hand, business intelligence analysts are paid the highest salary in the start-up industry, with average annual pay of $88,964.Most data analysts achieve a lower degree level compared to business intelligence analysts. For example, they're 9.1% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.3% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Business intelligence analyst vs. Database analyst

A database analyst is primarily responsible for devising strategies on how to handle a company's collection of data and information. Typically, they are in charge of designing and implementing databases, evaluating existing ones, and providing recommendations for improvement. They are also responsible for testing, populating, and maintaining databases, ensuring accuracy and timeliness. Furthermore, as a database analyst, it is essential to adhere to the company's policies and regulations, all while coordinating with other administrators to make sure that all processes align with the company's goals.

Database analysts typically earn higher pay than business intelligence analysts. On average, database analysts earn a $5,411 higher salary per year.While their salaries may vary, business intelligence analysts and database analysts both use similar skills to perform their duties. Resumes from both professions include skills like "power bi," "data analysis," and "data warehouse. "While some skills are required in each professionacirc;euro;trade;s responsibilities, there are some differences to note. "business intelligence," "analytics," "dashboards," and "visualization" are skills that commonly show up on business intelligence analyst resumes. On the other hand, database analysts use skills like database management, database design, backup recovery, and c # on their resumes.The manufacturing industry tends to pay the highest salaries for database analysts, with average annual pay of $94,516. Comparatively, the highest business intelligence analyst annual salary comes from the start-up industry.In general, database analysts hold lower degree levels compared to business intelligence analysts. Database analysts are 10.2% less likely to earn their Master's Degree and 0.3% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of business intelligence analyst

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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