Career Advice
Paul Brown
03.11.20
The Business Intelligence Analyst is responsible for helping businesses leverage data and identify opportunities for improvement, spot trends, as well as recognise potential issues and offer solutions. Their work is aimed towards improving efficiency, increasing productivity, and driving profits for the business.
The main duties and responsibilities of a Business Intelligence Analyst include:
- Learning and fully understanding the data landscape in databases and applications
- Using and developing data collection processes
- Reviewing and validating data
- Gathering end user reporting and dashboard requirements
- Developing dashboards and creating reports and supporting users with them
- Communicating insights to senior management and across the organisation
Business Intelligence Analyst Requirements
Traditionally, in order to become a Business Intelligence Analyst, you will first need an undergraduate degree in a related subject; this could be in Business Information Systems, Computer Science or Data Science, for example. You will then need to gain the appropriate qualifications and experience before you can begin your career.
However, at FDM, we offer you the opportunity to launch your career as a BI Analyst without the need for any prior work experience or necessarily a technical degree. Our Business Intelligence Graduate Programme is open to all graduates who have a passion for IT. FDM will provide you with expert training, equipping you with all the skills you need, followed by a two-year work placement as a Business Intelligence Consultant with our renowned clients.
A day in the life of a Business Intelligence Consultant
BI Developer
Trained in the FDM BI Stream
Business Analyst
Trained in the FDM BI Stream
Have you ever wondered what Business Intelligence professionals do? Find out from two of our FDM Consultants who share their experience on-site and tell us about how their careers have developed after training on the FDM Business Intelligence Graduate Programme.
What is your role and what does a typical day look like for you?
Kieran: My current role on-site is Business Intelligence Developer and I am part of a three-person developer team. My main duties involve reporting, particularly with PowerBI and SSRS. My day-to-day activities include project work, report building and maintenance and understanding user requirements. In order to do so, I have to communicate with business users about our data warehouse and identify how we can utilise it to deliver to their reporting needs. In addition, my role incorporates some business analysis work too, which has helped further expand my skill set.
Izhan: I am currently working as a Business Analyst at a global bank as part of their ‘Finance on the Cloud’ programme and my role focuses on compliance testing. I am responsible for ensuring that the data transferred onto the Cloud is compliant with the appropriate authorities and I also manage a few dashboards on the side.
What is your favourite thing about your role?
Kieran: My role requires me to work on a variety of projects and engage with stakeholders in different roles and departments every day, which I really enjoy. I currently run the company PowerBI training for users wanting to implement this technology in their roles and it feels great to have this responsibility. I’m also given the time to focus on my own professional development and take charge of my future.
Izhan: A major part of my role is to work side by side with the development team, based in India. My favourite thing is to liaise with different teams all over the world and talk to new and inspiring people on a daily basis.
What challenges do you face in your role and how do you overcome them?
Kieran: I have recently been involved in a project focused on implementing a new system to support engineers and everyone working on-site during our planned summer outage. We are operating under tight deadlines and, on top of this, one of our team members who was crucial for this project left, making our jobs a lot more difficult. As a team, we had to quickly adapt and divide the work between us. However, despite the challenges, we will be able to launch the system in time for the outage works to begin.
Izhan: The biggest challenge for me was starting this role remotely from home during the pandemic. The new virtual onboarding process was a new experience for both the client and myself. However, having good communication, regular video calls with the rest of the team and being supported by my colleagues really helped me through this challenge.
What is your academic and professional background?
Kieran: I have completed an undergraduate degree in Geology and I was interested in working with a client in the energy sector. Researching the field and specifically the organisations’ long-term goals, really helped me during the interview process and allowed me to secure a role with the right company.
Izhan: I studied Financial Economics at City, University of London. Even though I did not have any prior experience in BI, I was always fond of a career in this field, as it would have allowed me to combine my data and analytical skills I learnt at university, along with my passion for IT.
How did FDM help you get into your role?
Kieran: The professional skills module in the FDM Academy was extremely helpful as it reinforced the skills that I had previously learnt throughout university, such as communication and presentation skills. It also showed me how important it is to have and show confidence. FDM also provided me with the opportunity to be interviewed by major companies, which would normally be very difficult for recent graduates to access.
Izhan: The training really helped me understand the commercial sector. It polished my teamwork skills and provided me with the hands-on experience I needed in technology in order to secure my current role.
What are your top tips for someone trying to pursue a career in Business Intelligence?
Kieran: My number one top tip would be to apply yourself to develop a deep understanding of your field and become a subject matter expert. This can be tough at first, but also super rewarding, as it will undoubtedly set you up for a successful career. Another tip would be to be yourself during the interview process. Your future employers are looking for someone who will fit their team dynamic, so relax and be yourself.
Izhan: Stay up to date with the latest trends in technology. In the world we live in, technology often informs other sectors, especially within finance. Looking at technology from another perspective really helps understand how we can use IT to achieve great things.
If you’re interested in launching your career as a Business Intelligence Analyst, check out the FDM Graduate Business Intelligence Programme to find out more.