Post job

Decision support analyst vs reporting analyst

The differences between decision support analysts and reporting analysts can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a decision support analyst, becoming a reporting analyst takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a decision support analyst has an average salary of $81,227, which is higher than the $73,478 average annual salary of a reporting analyst.

The top three skills for a decision support analyst include data analysis, SAS and tableau. The most important skills for a reporting analyst are power bi, data analysis, and dashboards.

Decision support analyst vs reporting analyst overview

Decision Support AnalystReporting Analyst
Yearly salary$81,227$73,478
Hourly rate$39.05$35.33
Growth rate10%11%
Number of jobs96,06887,731
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 73%Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Average age4244
Years of experience24

What does a decision support analyst do?

A decision support analyst is a support staff who perform a variety of specialized analyses such as financial analyses and cost-benefit analyses. Your duties typically include documenting analytical findings, designing and developing data reporting systems tailored for business operations, and providing team members with processed data as needed. Additionally, you will be responsible for managing data integrity and accuracy, diagnosing and troubleshooting system errors, and providing recommendations for improvements of the decision support systems. You are also expected to train other team members on how to use the system.

What does a reporting analyst do?

As a reporting analyst, you are responsible for collecting relevant reports, analyzing raw data, writing, and delivering executive-ready qualitative and/or quantitative reports as per clients' requirements. The results collected will be communicated to managers or clients, who will then provide suggestions based on their findings. This person must have excellent quantitative & qualitative analytical skills, a strong eye for detail, strong organizational and multitasking abilities, and be able to work on tight deadlines. Intermediate to advanced knowledge of Excel is a must for this position.

Decision support analyst vs reporting analyst salary

Decision support analysts and reporting analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.

Decision Support AnalystReporting Analyst
Average salary$81,227$73,478
Salary rangeBetween $58,000 And $112,000Between $56,000 And $95,000
Highest paying CityMountain View, CASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaWashington
Best paying companyMetaMeta
Best paying industryManufacturingFinance

Differences between decision support analyst and reporting analyst education

There are a few differences between a decision support analyst and a reporting analyst in terms of educational background:

Decision Support AnalystReporting Analyst
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 73%Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaNorthwestern University

Decision support analyst vs reporting analyst demographics

Here are the differences between decision support analysts' and reporting analysts' demographics:

Decision Support AnalystReporting Analyst
Average age4244
Gender ratioMale, 49.1% Female, 50.9%Male, 54.1% Female, 45.9%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 11.5% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 13.9% Asian, 12.9% White, 55.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%Black or African American, 7.5% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 8.5% Asian, 14.4% White, 65.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage11%12%

Differences between decision support analyst and reporting analyst duties and responsibilities

Decision support analyst example responsibilities.

  • Lead development of MicroStrategy base reporting system that clearly highlight previously unclear revenue from different customer segments.
  • Resolve and troubleshoot system problems.
  • Assist in design and implementation of overall ERP system.
  • Provide primary help desk support to the SAS user community on all aspects of SAS programming, processing, and data.
  • Used BluVista terminal emulation software to access store order numbers to change status and to troubleshoot lock status's on orders.
  • Prepare and distribute bi-weekly payroll and statistical reports.
  • Show more

Reporting analyst example responsibilities.

  • Accomplish in SOX compliance & internal audit & testing, business process documentation and supervising employee.
  • Help manage SOX program for organization including control development.
  • Manage data extractions to review attrition rates, management communication and annual review process through demographics study.
  • Lead development of MicroStrategy base reporting system that clearly highlight previously unclear revenue from different customer segments.
  • Charge with and achieve the production of accurate and timely monthly investor reports and reconciliations in accordance with applicable service agreements.
  • Gather business requirements and deliver business analytics base solutions using structured/unstructure business data to help achieve measurable business outcomes for clients.
  • Show more

Decision support analyst vs reporting analyst skills

Common decision support analyst skills
  • Data Analysis, 13%
  • SAS, 8%
  • Tableau, 7%
  • Financial Analysis, 7%
  • Cognos, 5%
  • PowerPoint, 3%
Common reporting analyst skills
  • Power Bi, 9%
  • Data Analysis, 8%
  • Dashboards, 8%
  • BI, 6%
  • Analyze Data, 6%
  • PowerPoint, 5%

Browse computer and mathematical jobs