Business Intelligence Analysts
15-2051.01
Bright Outlook Updated 2025

Produce financial and market intelligence by querying data repositories and generating periodic reports. Devise methods for identifying data patterns and trends in available information sources.

Sample of reported job titles: Business Analyst, Business Intelligence Analyst (BI Analyst), Business Intelligence Consultant (BI Consultant), Business Intelligence Coordinator (BI Coordinator), Business Intelligence Specialist (BI Specialist), Competitive Intelligence Analyst, Intelligence Analyst, Market Intelligence Analyst, Market Intelligence Consultant, Strategic Business and Technology Intelligence Consultant

Occupation-Specific Information

Tasks

  • Generate standard or custom reports summarizing business, financial, or economic data for review by executives, managers, clients, and other stakeholders.
  • Maintain or update business intelligence tools, databases, dashboards, systems, or methods.
  • Manage timely flow of business intelligence information to users.
  • Provide technical support for existing reports, dashboards, or other tools.
  • Identify and analyze industry or geographic trends with business strategy implications.
  • Document specifications for business intelligence or information technology reports, dashboards, or other outputs.
  • Create business intelligence tools or systems, including design of related databases, spreadsheets, or outputs.
  • Collect business intelligence data from available industry reports, public information, field reports, or purchased sources.
  • Disseminate information regarding tools, reports, or metadata enhancements.
  • Conduct or coordinate tests to ensure that intelligence is consistent with defined needs.
  • Synthesize current business intelligence or trend data to support recommendations for action.
  • Analyze competitive market strategies through analysis of related product, market, or share trends.
  • Identify or monitor current and potential customers, using business intelligence tools.
  • Communicate with customers, competitors, suppliers, professional organizations, or others to stay abreast of industry or business trends.
  • Maintain library of model documents, templates, or other reusable knowledge assets.
  • Create or review technical design documentation to ensure the accurate development of reporting solutions.
  • Analyze technology trends to identify markets for future product development or to improve sales of existing products.
Find occupations related to multiple tasks

Technology Skills

  • Access software — Citrix cloud computing software
  • Accounting software — Fund accounting software; Tax software
  • Analytical or scientific software — IBM SPSS Statistics Hot technology ; Minitab; SAS In-Demand Hot technology ; The MathWorks MATLAB Hot technology ; 2 more
  • Application server software — GitHub Hot technology ; Oracle WebLogic Server; Red Hat WildFly
  • Backup or archival software — Veritas NetBackup
  • Business intelligence and data analysis software — Alteryx software Hot technology ; Apache Spark Hot technology ; Microsoft Power BI In-Demand Hot technology ; Tableau In-Demand Hot technology ; 4 more
  • Cloud-based data access and sharing software — Microsoft SharePoint Hot technology
  • Cloud-based management software — IBM WebSphere; Oracle Cloud software Hot technology ; Splunk Enterprise Hot technology
  • Communications server software — IBM Domino
  • Computer aided design CAD software — PTC Creo Parametric
  • Content workflow software — Atlassian JIRA Hot technology
  • Customer relationship management CRM software — Blackbaud The Raiser's Edge; Oracle Eloqua; Oracle Siebel Marketing Resource Management; Salesforce software Hot technology
  • Data base management system software — Amazon DynamoDB Hot technology ; Apache Hive Hot technology ; Elasticsearch Hot technology ; Oracle PL/SQL Hot technology ; 9 more
  • Data base reporting software — Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services SSRS Hot technology ; Reporting software; SAP Crystal Reports; SiSense Prism; 4 more
  • Data base user interface and query software — Airtable; Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud EC2 Hot technology ; IBM DB2 Hot technology ; Transact-SQL Hot technology ; 10 more
  • Data mining software — Data warehouse software; Google Analytics Hot technology ; Informatica Data Explorer; SAP NetWeaver BW
  • Desktop communications software — Eko; Skype
  • Desktop publishing software — Microsoft Publisher
  • Development environment software — Apache Kafka Hot technology ; Go Hot technology ; Microsoft PowerShell Hot technology ; Oracle SQL Developer Hot technology ; 14 more
  • Document management software — Adobe Acrobat Hot technology
  • Electronic mail software — IBM Notes; Microsoft Exchange; Microsoft Outlook Hot technology
  • Enterprise application integration software — Extensible markup language XML Hot technology ; IBM InfoSphere DataStage; Microsoft SQL Server Integration Services SSIS Hot technology ; SAP BusinessObjects Data Integrator
  • Enterprise resource planning ERP software — Microsoft Dynamics Hot technology ; Oracle PeopleSoft Hot technology ; SAP ERP Hot technology ; SAP software In-Demand Hot technology ; 7 more
  • Enterprise system management software — IBM Power Systems software
  • File versioning software — Git Hot technology
  • Financial analysis software — Delphi Technology; IBM Unica Enterprise; Oracle E-Business Suite Financials
  • Geographic information system — ESRI ArcGIS software Hot technology ; Geographic information system GIS software
  • Graphical user interface development software — Salesforce Visualforce
  • Human resources software — Human resource management software HRMS; Oracle Taleo
  • Information retrieval or search software — LexisNexis
  • Medical software — Epic Systems Hot technology ; Medical condition coding software; Medical procedure coding software; MEDITECH software Hot technology ; 1 more
  • Metadata management software — Data modeling software; Informatica software Hot technology ; Quest Erwin Data Modeler
  • Network monitoring software — Nagios; Wireshark
  • Network security and virtual private network VPN equipment software — Virtual private networking VPN software
  • Object or component oriented development software — C# Hot technology ; jQuery Hot technology ; Scala Hot technology ; Swift Hot technology ; 9 more
  • Object oriented data base management software — Hibernate ORM Hot technology ; PostgreSQL Hot technology
  • Office suite software — Microsoft Office software In-Demand Hot technology
  • Operating system software — Bash Hot technology ; Microsoft Windows Server Hot technology ; Red Hat Enterprise Linux Hot technology ; UNIX Shell Hot technology ; 8 more
  • Portal server software — Apache HTTP Server
  • Presentation software — Google Slides; Microsoft PowerPoint In-Demand Hot technology
  • Process mapping and design software — Microsoft Visio Hot technology
  • Program testing software — Hewlett Packard LoadRunner
  • Project management software — Atlassian Confluence Hot technology ; Microsoft Project Hot technology ; Oracle Primavera Enterprise Project Portfolio Management Hot technology
  • Requirements analysis and system architecture software — Unified modeling language UML
  • Sales and marketing software — Google Ads; Marketo Marketing Automation Hot technology
  • Spreadsheet software — Microsoft Excel In-Demand Hot technology
  • Transaction security and virus protection software — McAfee; NortonLifeLock cybersecurity software
  • Transaction server software — Customer information control system CICS
  • Video creation and editing software — YouTube
  • Web page creation and editing software — Adobe Dreamweaver; Facebook Hot technology ; Google Sites
  • Web platform development software — Apache Tomcat Hot technology ; Django Hot technology ; Microsoft ASP.NET Hot technology ; Ruby on Rails Hot technology ; 13 more
  • Word processing software — Google Docs Hot technology ; Microsoft Word Hot technology
Hot technology
Hot Technologies are requirements most frequently included across all employer job postings.
In demand
In Demand skills are frequently included in employer job postings for this occupation.

Occupational Requirements

Work Activities

  • Analyzing Data or Information — Identifying the underlying principles, reasons, or facts of information by breaking down information or data into separate parts.
  • Working with Computers — Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
  • Processing Information — Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.
  • Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others — Translating or explaining what information means and how it can be used.
  • Getting Information — Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
  • Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates — Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
  • Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge — Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
  • Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work — Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
  • Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events — Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
  • Making Decisions and Solving Problems — Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
  • Thinking Creatively — Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.
  • Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships — Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
  • Documenting/Recording Information — Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
  • Providing Consultation and Advice to Others — Providing guidance and expert advice to management or other groups on technical, systems-, or process-related topics.
  • Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or Information — Estimating sizes, distances, and quantities; or determining time, costs, resources, or materials needed to perform a work activity.
  • Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards — Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
  • Developing Objectives and Strategies — Establishing long-range objectives and specifying the strategies and actions to achieve them.
  • Communicating with People Outside the Organization — Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.

Detailed Work Activities

Find occupations related to multiple detailed work activities

Work Context

  • E-Mail — 95% responded “Every day.”
  • Spend Time Sitting — 77% responded “Continually or almost continually.”
  • Importance of Being Exact or Accurate — 64% responded “Extremely important.”
  • Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals — 55% responded “Some freedom.”
  • Freedom to Make Decisions — 64% responded “Some freedom.”
  • Indoors, Environmentally Controlled — 81% responded “Every day.”
  • Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams — 63% responded “Once a week or more but not every day.”
  • Telephone Conversations — 47% responded “Once a week or more but not every day.”
  • Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team — 43% responded “Very important.”
  • Time Pressure — 50% responded “Once a week or more but not every day.”
  • Duration of Typical Work Week — 67% responded “40 hours.”
  • Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results — 50% responded “Important results.”
  • Contact With Others — 36% responded “Contact with others about half the time.”
  • Level of Competition — 45% responded “Moderately competitive.”
  • Coordinate or Lead Others in Accomplishing Work Activities — 38% responded “Important.”
  • Written Letters and Memos — 29% responded “Every day.”
  • Frequency of Decision Making — 36% responded “Once a month or more but not every week.”
  • Work Outcomes and Results of Other Workers — 38% responded “Limited responsibility.”

Experience Requirements

Job Zone

Title
Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
Education
Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Related Experience
A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
Job Training
Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.
Job Zone Examples
Many of these occupations involve coordinating, supervising, managing, or training others. Examples include real estate brokers, sales managers, database administrators, graphic designers, conservation scientists, art directors, and cost estimators.
SVP Range
(7.0 to < 8.0)

Training & Credentials

State training
Local training
Certifications
Find certifications nationwide

Apprenticeship Opportunities

Example apprenticeship titles for this occupation:

  • Business Intelligence Engineer

Specific title(s) listed above are vetted by industry and approved by the U.S. Department of Labor for use in a Registered Apprenticeship Program.

Start your career and build your skillset. Visit Apprenticeship.gov to learn about opportunities related to this occupation.

Worker Requirements

Skills

  • Reading Comprehension — Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
  • Active Learning — Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
  • Active Listening — Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
  • Critical Thinking — Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
  • Speaking — Talking to others to convey information effectively.
  • Writing — Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
  • Judgment and Decision Making — Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
  • Mathematics — Using mathematics to solve problems.
  • Complex Problem Solving — Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
  • Monitoring — Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
  • Systems Analysis — Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
  • Systems Evaluation — Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
  • Time Management — Managing one's own time and the time of others.
  • Coordination — Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
  • Instructing — Teaching others how to do something.
  • Learning Strategies — Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.

Knowledge

  • Computers and Electronics — Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
  • Mathematics — Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
  • English Language — Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
  • Administration and Management — Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
  • Customer and Personal Service — Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
  • Economics and Accounting — Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.

Education

How much education does a new hire need to perform a job in this occupation? Respondents said:

  • 68%
     
    Bachelor’s degree required
  • 23%
     
    Master’s degree required
  • 5%
     
    Associate’s degree required

Worker Characteristics

Abilities

  • Inductive Reasoning — The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
  • Oral Comprehension — The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
  • Oral Expression — The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
  • Written Comprehension — The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
  • Written Expression — The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
  • Deductive Reasoning — The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
  • Category Flexibility — The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
  • Information Ordering — The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
  • Mathematical Reasoning — The ability to choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem.
  • Speech Clarity — The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
  • Fluency of Ideas — The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
  • Speech Recognition — The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
  • Flexibility of Closure — The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
  • Problem Sensitivity — The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
  • Near Vision — The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
  • Number Facility — The ability to add, subtract, multiply, or divide quickly and correctly.
  • Originality — The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.

Interests

Interest code: CIE
Want to discover your interests? Take the O*NET Interest Profiler at My Next Move.
  • Conventional — Work involves following procedures and regulations to organize information or data, typically in a business setting. Conventional occupations are often associated with office work, accounting, mathematics/statistics, information technology, finance, or human resources.
  • Investigative — Work involves studying and researching non-living objects, living organisms, disease or other forms of impairment, or human behavior. Investigative occupations are often associated with physical, life, medical, or social sciences, and can be found in the fields of humanities, mathematics/statistics, information technology, or health care service.
  • Enterprising — Work involves managing, negotiating, marketing, or selling, typically in a business setting, or leading or advising people in political and legal situations. Enterprising occupations are often associated with business initiatives, sales, marketing/advertising, finance, management/administration, professional advising, public speaking, politics, or law.

Work Values

  • Achievement — Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement.
  • Working Conditions — Occupations that satisfy this work value offer job security and good working conditions. Corresponding needs are Activity, Compensation, Independence, Security, Variety and Working Conditions.
  • Recognition — Occupations that satisfy this work value offer advancement, potential for leadership, and are often considered prestigious. Corresponding needs are Advancement, Authority, Recognition and Social Status.

Work Styles

  • Analytical Thinking — Job requires analyzing information and using logic to address work-related issues and problems.
  • Attention to Detail — Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
  • Integrity — Job requires being honest and ethical.
  • Dependability — Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
  • Adaptability/Flexibility — Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.
  • Initiative — Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.
  • Cooperation — Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
  • Persistence — Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles.
  • Stress Tolerance — Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high-stress situations.
  • Independence — Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.
  • Innovation — Job requires creativity and alternative thinking to develop new ideas for and answers to work-related problems.
  • Achievement/Effort — Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks.
  • Leadership — Job requires a willingness to lead, take charge, and offer opinions and direction.
  • Self-Control — Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.

Workforce Characteristics

Wages & Employment Trends

Median wage data for Data Scientists.
Employment data for Data Scientists.
Industry data for Data Scientists.
Median wages (2023)
$51.93 hourly, $108,020 annual
State wages
Local wages
Employment (2023)
202,900 employees
Projected growth (2023-2033)
Much faster than average (9% or higher)
Projected job openings (2023-2033)
20,800
State trends
Top industries (2023)

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics 2023 wage data and 2023-2033 employment projections . “Projected growth” represents the estimated change in total employment over the projections period (2023-2033). “Projected job openings” represent openings due to growth and replacement.

Job Openings on the Web

State job openings
Local job openings

More Information

Professional Associations

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National Associations
Accreditation, Certification, & Unions