How to Get Started as a
Business Intelligence Developer

A business intelligence (BI) developer is one of the most sought-after roles today. The rising demand is associated with the increasing importance for businesses to make data-driven decisions. To get this job, therefore, you’ll need to have an understanding of software development and data analysis.

If you want to learn how to become a business intelligence developer, you’ve come to the right place. In this article, we’ll walk you through what you’ll need to break into business intelligence development. Read below to learn more about this lucrative job.

A business intelligence developer is someone who builds intelligence solutions that seek to enhance decision-making processes in businesses. These include interactive dashboards, data modeling apps, data visualization tools, and query systems.

These are then used by analysts to examine huge volumes of data and derive insights to inform top management. Aside from building tools, BI developers are also in charge of maintaining BI systems and interfaces.

Because it’s a data-driven field, business intelligence development incorporates a lot of data science methods. This is why a lot of job advertisements require candidates to have experience in either business intelligence development or data science.

Just like data scientists, business intelligence developers need to demonstrate skills in warehouse design and data modeling. For this relation, business intelligence developers are well-equipped to pursue a data science career if they choose to.

Business intelligence developers also need extensive software development skills to create programs from scratch. Different programming tools like JavaScript, SQL, Python, and MySQL may come in handy.

Becoming a business intelligence developer might take you anywhere between one to six years. The length of time will depend on the learning path that you take.

For instance, you may pursue a four-year bachelor’s degree at a university or a two-year associate degree at a community college. You may also choose to attend a business intelligence or data science boot camp. In this case, your training would last only a few weeks or months.

As stated above, there are several types of institutions where you can study business intelligence development. The most popular one attended by aspiring BI developers is college or university. This is preferred by most employers. Another one that’s gaining traction is boot camps. Below is a more in-depth discussion of these education tracks.

To become an entry-level business intelligence developer, you must have proven experience with visualization tools and cloud-based data warehouse technologies. You must also be able to work with information systems, data modeling, and programming techniques. Finally, you must demonstrate flexibility in learning and using new technologies.

Although it is not necessary, employers favor entry-level BI developers with some experience as data analysts, data scientists, or software engineers.

Aspiring business intelligence developers can expect a positive job outlook in the following years. While the Bureau of Labor Statistics does not have specific information about business intelligence developers, it reports positive job growth for similar occupations.

According to the BLS, the demand for business intelligence analysts is expected to grow by 11 percent by 2029. Database administrators, meanwhile, can expect the creation of 12,800 jobs, equivalent to a 10 percent growth, in the same time frame.

Both roles are indicative of the strong demand for business intelligence professionals. Both roles also report significantly higher job growth than the national average, which according to the BLS is around four percent. High compensation meets the high demand for business intelligence developers.

According to ZipRecruiter, the average business intelligence developer salary is $101,527 per year. This may go up or down depending on experience, geography, company, and qualifications. ZipRecruiter adds that the top 10 percent of earners bring home around $149,500 per year. The bottom 10 percent, meanwhile, pocket $50,500 per year.

A business intelligence developer has several responsibilities, all of which relate to creating intelligent solutions that inform decision-making. A BI developer creates and maintains business intelligence tools, crafts queries for BI, and prepares reports and presentations.

The most important duty of a business intelligence developer is to build and maintain BI interfaces to improve decision-making processes. Among the tools that they develop are data reporting and query tools as well as interactive dashboards. To build these, they need to have experience in Python programming and navigating data visualization libraries.

A BI developer may also take part in the design of a data warehouse and document its contents. A data warehouse is important for storing large volumes of data that can later be accessed and analyzed by analysts.

To design a data warehouse, you must be an expert in several things. First, you must know how to use data modeling techniques. You should also know how to utilize an OLAP cube. Finally, you’ll need to know how to develop the front end.

Business intelligence developers must create data visualization presentations to reveal the details they may have found when performing data analysis. That’s why they must also be familiar with data reporting tools like Tableau or Excel.

A BI developer should create interactive dashboards to easily share the results with other members of the team. This way, the delivery of insights is more dynamic and effective.

BI developers are in charge of the design and development of BI systems. For that reason, they are also responsible for creating documents and guides for such products. This will inform users about the platform’s features and uses, as well as how to troubleshoot any issues they might encounter.

Because business intelligence developers perform highly specialized tasks, you’ll need to develop technical skills. These skills are generally related to data science and programming.

After acquiring these skills, you can then obtain professional certifications. These help prove your qualifications and advance your career as a BI developer. The more skills and certifications you have, the more likely you are to get hired.

There are three main reasons to become a business intelligence developer in 2021. First, it’s a relevant career. Becoming a business intelligence developer is a smart move in a world where companies strive to make informed, data-driven decisions.

Second, it equips you with a wide range of skills. To become a business intelligence developer is to become knowledgeable in data science, data analytics, and software development. This makes it easier for you to venture into other career paths should you choose to.

Lastly, jobs in business intelligence development pay well. You can even improve your earning prospects by earning as many professional certifications as you can.

There’s no shortage of perks to becoming a business intelligence developer. The main downside is that it’s a highly technical field, which means it will demand a lot of brainpower. If that’s something you can deliver, then there’s no reason not to consider a career in business intelligence development.