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The differences between business intelligence specialists and business analysts can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a business intelligence specialist and a business analyst. Additionally, a business intelligence specialist has an average salary of $91,250, which is higher than the $74,431 average annual salary of a business analyst.
The top three skills for a business intelligence specialist include power bi, analytics and tableau. The most important skills for a business analyst are project management, data analysis, and business analysis.
| Business Intelligence Specialist | Business Analyst | |
| Yearly salary | $91,250 | $74,431 |
| Hourly rate | $43.87 | $35.78 |
| Growth rate | 21% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 76,774 | 170,514 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A Business Intelligence Specialist is responsible for evaluating strategic techniques and operational processes that would support business functions and achieve goals efficiently. They assess technical applications and develop solutions for complex procedures to minimize downtimes and potential risks. They coordinate with system analysts to generate data and codes and design applications and servers to implement business decisions. A specialist must have excellent critical-thinking and technical skills to manage accounts and ensure clients' timely deliverables.
Business analysts are employees who are responsible for interpreting business data and coming up with business solutions. They are well-versed in whatever business the company is in, and they have strong business acumen. They collect data related to the business and then interpret and analyze the data. Business analysts should be able to conduct different levels of analyses and must also be able to create a sound study. Once the analysis is done, they provide recommendations or strategic direction to decision-makers that will help the business become sustainable and grow.
Business intelligence specialists and business analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Business Intelligence Specialist | Business Analyst | |
| Average salary | $91,250 | $74,431 |
| Salary range | Between $68,000 And $121,000 | Between $53,000 And $103,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Mountain View, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | Fried Frank | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Finance |
There are a few differences between a business intelligence specialist and a business analyst in terms of educational background:
| Business Intelligence Specialist | Business Analyst | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between business intelligence specialists' and business analysts' demographics:
| Business Intelligence Specialist | Business Analyst | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 65.9% Female, 34.1% | Male, 53.9% Female, 46.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 12.0% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 12.0% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |