Choosing from among the many business intelligence (BI) courses available can seem like an overwhelming task, but an individual interested in becoming a business intelligence analyst can find business intelligence training from community colleges, universities or online. Your needs as a student will determine the best business intelligence courses for you. If you learn best in a classroom setting, attending a business intelligence class at a college might be the best choice. If you’re a busy professional, online business intelligence classes might be a better option. When choosing the best business intelligence training, you also need to take into account your current level of schooling and your current job.
To work in business intelligence management or data warehousing, you will need training in using business intelligence software and database management. You also will need in-depth knowledge of business trends. Many universities offer business intelligence classes through their business colleges at either a bachelor’s or a master’s degree level, but there are also online BI classes and BI conferences for professionals.
If you’re interested in a BI career and are just starting college, you should take classes in computer science and statistics to prepare for the data analysis performed by business intelligence professionals. After you have completed these introductory classes, you can take specific business intelligence courses to learn how to analyze business data to predict trends. A bachelor’s degree in business with a focus in business intelligence should get you an entry-level position.
If you’re interested in becoming a BI software engineer, taking computer science classes at the university level is necessary. After you understand the basics of software programming, you can take business intelligence courses either at a university or online to better understand the specific needs of business intelligence software. There also are college and online courses for existing business intelligence software.
If you already have a bachelor’s degree, you can take business intelligence courses at the master’s degree level. Many universities offer a master’s degree in business intelligence. With this advanced degree, a BI professional can work in one of many careers, such as that of a business intelligence consultant or a BI software developer.
For professionals looking to change careers, business intelligence courses at a university might not be necessary. A business intelligence training program at a community college or training center might be the best choice. Attending a business intelligence conference can also provide valuable information about new BI software, data gathering techniques or general business trends.