Description
Getting started in a Business Intelligence career may be the easiest way for a graduate to break into the IT industry, but it is no free lunch and a level of competency must be reached.
Graduate Career in Business Intelligence: Have You Got What It Takes?
Getting started in a Business Intelligence career may be the easiest way for a graduate to break
into the IT industry, but it is no free lunch and a level of competency must be reached.
Getting a job is only the first step, being well prepared to build a successful career is something
else.
Here are the five main areas a Business Intelligence specialist needs to be proficient in.
All of them are important, but none are deal breakers. Even if you only have one or two of the
items on this list, the rest can be learnt.
1. Relational Databases
Understanding how relational databases work is one of the most important things in Business
Intelligence. Working blindly to the table schema provided by the database developer will
drastically limit what you can do.
2. SQL
SQL, Structured Query Language is the programming language used exclusively for extracting
information from databases.
SQL does not change much between different databases, so learning one version is enough to
apply to all databases.
It is possible to have a successful Business Intelligence career and never be able to write a line of
SQL, but it can certainly make it easier when trying to solve more complex problems.
3. Basic Programming Skills
Most reporting software has an underlying scripting language similar to how Excel has macros.
All these languages have their own quirks and take some effort to learn, especially as many do
not have many resources to refer to.
But once learned, it is usual for reporting programmes to only ever be a few lines long and not
the hundreds that application software needs to function.
4. Reporting Software
J ust like the programming languages, it does not really matter which reporting software you
learn, it is more about understanding the theory.
That said, it makes sense to learn the most popular and that, by far and away, is Crystal Reports.
It is my software of choice, but more importantly, it is used by virtually everyone everywhere
and has huge support in the form of both documentation and user base.
5. Analysis Skills
This is the trickiest of the five to define as Business Intelligence analysis is different to what is
usually considered to beanalysis in the IT industry.
The other problem is that no materials exist to learn this specific skill set. It is one of the
problems of Business Intelligence for the beginner: it is such a new discipline that the books and
courses have not been written yet!
Summary
None of the above are essential prerequisites to starting a Business Intelligence career, but the
more you know, the easier it will be.
Every single one of these skills can be learnt in a reasonable time frame, and I would advise
learning them all to a comfortable level before going after any Business Intelligence position.
With the exception of number four, most of these subjects are covered as part of any
computer/IT relate degree, and if you have had the advantage of this level of training it is usually
enough to get you a solid start as a Business Intelligence analyst.
About the Author
J ason Dove is the author of 'Crystal Reports Formulas Explained' and a
Business Intelligence expert who has worked as a consultant for over
a decade providing top notch assistance for the world's leading
companies.
J ason is also the mastermind behind the revolutionary Scry Career
Primer, the only product on the market dedicated to launching your
IT career, covering everything from gaining industry experience and
writing a killer résumé to exploiting the most popular IT sectors.
Subscribe to his FREE Career newsletter here:http://www.scry-business-
intelligence.com/ScryCareerGuide.php.
doc_852205006.pdf
Getting started in a Business Intelligence career may be the easiest way for a graduate to break into the IT industry, but it is no free lunch and a level of competency must be reached.
Graduate Career in Business Intelligence: Have You Got What It Takes?
Getting started in a Business Intelligence career may be the easiest way for a graduate to break
into the IT industry, but it is no free lunch and a level of competency must be reached.
Getting a job is only the first step, being well prepared to build a successful career is something
else.
Here are the five main areas a Business Intelligence specialist needs to be proficient in.
All of them are important, but none are deal breakers. Even if you only have one or two of the
items on this list, the rest can be learnt.
1. Relational Databases
Understanding how relational databases work is one of the most important things in Business
Intelligence. Working blindly to the table schema provided by the database developer will
drastically limit what you can do.
2. SQL
SQL, Structured Query Language is the programming language used exclusively for extracting
information from databases.
SQL does not change much between different databases, so learning one version is enough to
apply to all databases.
It is possible to have a successful Business Intelligence career and never be able to write a line of
SQL, but it can certainly make it easier when trying to solve more complex problems.
3. Basic Programming Skills
Most reporting software has an underlying scripting language similar to how Excel has macros.
All these languages have their own quirks and take some effort to learn, especially as many do
not have many resources to refer to.
But once learned, it is usual for reporting programmes to only ever be a few lines long and not
the hundreds that application software needs to function.
4. Reporting Software
J ust like the programming languages, it does not really matter which reporting software you
learn, it is more about understanding the theory.
That said, it makes sense to learn the most popular and that, by far and away, is Crystal Reports.
It is my software of choice, but more importantly, it is used by virtually everyone everywhere
and has huge support in the form of both documentation and user base.
5. Analysis Skills
This is the trickiest of the five to define as Business Intelligence analysis is different to what is
usually considered to beanalysis in the IT industry.
The other problem is that no materials exist to learn this specific skill set. It is one of the
problems of Business Intelligence for the beginner: it is such a new discipline that the books and
courses have not been written yet!
Summary
None of the above are essential prerequisites to starting a Business Intelligence career, but the
more you know, the easier it will be.
Every single one of these skills can be learnt in a reasonable time frame, and I would advise
learning them all to a comfortable level before going after any Business Intelligence position.
With the exception of number four, most of these subjects are covered as part of any
computer/IT relate degree, and if you have had the advantage of this level of training it is usually
enough to get you a solid start as a Business Intelligence analyst.
About the Author
J ason Dove is the author of 'Crystal Reports Formulas Explained' and a
Business Intelligence expert who has worked as a consultant for over
a decade providing top notch assistance for the world's leading
companies.
J ason is also the mastermind behind the revolutionary Scry Career
Primer, the only product on the market dedicated to launching your
IT career, covering everything from gaining industry experience and
writing a killer résumé to exploiting the most popular IT sectors.
Subscribe to his FREE Career newsletter here:http://www.scry-business-
intelligence.com/ScryCareerGuide.php.
doc_852205006.pdf