There are a number of business analytics skills that professionals may find useful, including research skills,^{(See disclaimer 1)} statistical and quantitative analysis and documentation skills, according to Indeed. These skills can be helpful for those working as business analysts or in a position relevant to data science,^{(See disclaimer 2)} and you can begin building those skills in college, according to Data Camp. 

Business analytics is an important tool in making modern business decisions and developing long-term strategies. If you’re curious about pursuing business analytics careers, it may be time to consider earning a bachelor’s or master’s business analytics degree to explore how to improve data analytics skills. 

All types of organizations rely on data and analytics to identify ways of improving operational efficiency and their internal processes. Analytics can also help organizations boost their sales and achieve their goals.^{(See disclaimer 1)}

Why are data and analytics important for business strategizing? Increasingly, analysts are taking on high-level, strategic roles within their organizations. They may be responsible for defining strategy, working toward technology or process improvements and creating the enterprise architecture that provides the backbone of organizational activities. In all of these functions, data and analytics enable professionals to develop data-driven insights for better decision-making.^{(See disclaimer 2)}

Soft skills are transferable skills that are useful across a wide range of sectors, industries and occupations. Business analytics professionals can benefit from having a diverse range of soft skills, including the following:

Attention to Detail

Business analysts are responsible for gathering and sorting through large volumes of data, including information generated from AI tools. They must also draw actionable insights from that data and be able to scrutinize information provided by AI tools. It’s important to be able to pay close attention to detail.^{(See disclaimer 1)}

Research Skills

Business analysts are tasked with solving the organization’s problems. Research skills are helpful when developing an in-depth understanding of the matter at hand and for considering possible solutions. For example, business analysts may need to conduct market research in order to consider the feasibility of a product or service.^{(See disclaimer 1)}

Communicate Insights From Data

Business analysis jobs are rarely done in isolation. To analyze the data they compile and organize, a business analyst must understand the context of those data. This can facilitate clearer communication of data-driven insights across different functions of the organization.

Data analysts communicate their findings and recommendations, so they must be able to work with employees and management at all levels. It’s important to have clear communication skills, which include being able to discuss technical topics with stakeholders of varying backgrounds.^{(See disclaimer 1)}

Problem-Solving and Critical Thinking

Developing workable business solutions is critical for success in this field. An analytics professional evaluates raw data and makes recommendations about how a business can move forward. To formulate solutions, they must troubleshoot and consider all possibilities. Problem-solving skills are essential for this process.^{(See disclaimer 1)}

Business analytics skills include weighing options and making tough decisions before presenting findings to higher-level decision-makers. This process also involves critical thinking, as analysts need to figure out which data to collect and what the implications of those data are.^{(See disclaimer 1 )}

In addition to soft skills, business analytics professionals need industry-specific knowledge and technical skills that allow them to do their jobs well, such as helping businesses make data-driven decisions. Some examples of technical business analytics skills are as follows:

Programming Skills

Business analysts can benefit from being tech-savvy. They need to know how computer systems work, how to use information technology applications and how to use a few different programming languages.^{(See disclaimer 1 )} 

In particular, it can be helpful to know how to use the Python programming language. This helps business analysts perform advanced analyses on sets of data, as well as automate certain tasks.^{(See disclaimer 2 )}According to Indeed, other programming languages, including Java, Visual Basic, C++ and PHP, can also be helpful in this career.^{(See disclaimer 3)}

In addition, aspiring business analysts should work toward proficiency in SQL, or Structured Query Language. The purpose of this programming language is to store, process and manage data. Proficiency with SQL can enable business analytics professionals to extract, manipulate and analyze data that is stored in databases.^{(See disclaimer 2)}

Although AI tools can generate Python code and SQL queries, as examples, business analytics professionals still need to be able to decipher and evaluate AI output, especially when AI tools are creating unexpected results.

Compiling, organizing and analyzing data is a major part of the job, but not the only part. Business analytics professionals also need to be able to communicate their findings in a way that stakeholders can act upon. One way to accomplish this is via data visualization tools, such as Tableau and Power BI. These data visualization tools can help decision-makers understand the insights from the data and make decisions accordingly.^{(See disclaimer 2)}

Statistical and Quantitative Analysis

Business analytics professionals sometimes work with machine learning models. In order to interpret these models and develop meaningful insights, they need to understand statistical concepts. Statistical analysis enables analytics specialists to identify the trends and patterns in the data and to determine which areas could benefit from improvement.^{(See disclaimer 2)}

Documentation Skills

Documentation skills are another important technical skill for business analytics professionals, who may need to document a project through its lifecycle. From establishing the scope and requirements to communicating the results, these professionals need to be accurate and concise when documenting their findings and insights.

Some types of documentation these professionals may use include the following:^{(See disclaimer 3)}

• User documentation
• Source code documentation
• Process documentation
• System documentation

There are many careers within various business fields that place an emphasis on business intelligence and data analytics skills. Students interested in applying business analytics skills in the workplace may wish to consider any of the following:

Business Analyst

Business analysts serve as internal evaluators and change-makers. They analyze the business’ processes and operations, such as its IT processes. They then identify areas of improvement to boost efficiency and lower costs.

Data Analyst

A data analyst can collect data by running surveys, purchasing datasets or tracking website visitor metrics. They clean the raw data and run it through models to process it. They then interpret the data and apply it to solve everyday problems the business faces. 

Business Intelligence Analyst

A business intelligence analyst, or BI analyst, collects and processes data pertaining to a business, such as revenue, sales and customer engagement metrics. They analyze the data to identify trends and share their findings to promote data-driven business decision-making.

Operations Research Analyst

An operations research analyst identifies business problems, such as problems involving the allocation of resources, supply chain or pricing structure. They then collect data relevant to the problem, develop quantitative models and compile their findings and recommended solutions in reports. 

Financial Analyst

Financial analysts study financial statements and consider broader market conditions and economic trends. They develop financial models and make forecasts about future trends to provide data-driven insights. 

No matter which specific industry and niche a business occupies, making data-driven decisions is crucial for long-term success and competitiveness in the marketplace. A business analytics professional uses all their soft skills and technical skills to generate key insights for the business. Four types of data analytics can be helpful across a business's entire operations.

According to Adobe for Business, these four main types of data analytics are:^{(See disclaimer 4)} 

• Descriptive analytics
• Diagnostic analytics
• Predictive analytics
• Prescriptive analytics

Descriptive analytics is a way to identify trends and patterns. Or, put more simply, it’s a way to answer the question: What’s going on? Business analysts use descriptive analytics to figure out what already happened or what is currently happening in some area of the operation, such as a surge in seasonal sales.^{(See disclaimer 4)}

After the analyst figures out what happened, the next logical question to consider is why that particular trend occurred. Business analysts may use advanced software programs to uncover more information about the relevant variables or uncover relationships between multiple trends to figure out why something has happened. This type of analytics is known as diagnostic analytics.^{(See disclaimer 4)}

Of course, businesses can’t move forward simply by reacting to past trends. To be truly useful, data analytics need to uncover probable future trends. By modeling and forecasting, analysts can make predictions about what is likely to happen in the future. This is known as predictive analytics.^{(See disclaimer 4)}

The fourth type of analytics is prescriptive analytics. It involves evaluating data and determining what the smartest move is for the business. In other words, what type of action can help the business take maximum advantage of historic and predicted trends? Business analysts often use machine learning algorithms to figure out the best step for the company to take next.^{(See disclaimer 4)}

If you are a critical thinker interested in business intelligence and data analytics skills, consider enrolling in the Bachelor of Science in Business Analytics degree at Grand Canyon University’s Colangelo College of Business. You’ll examine foundational competencies in data analytics, including data visualization and data mining.

If you already have a bachelor’s degree, consider enrolling in the Master of Science in Business Analytics degree. Earning a master’s in business analytics can enable you to take the next step forward in your career by exploring modern issues, emerging trends and technologies that can help businesses make data-driven decisions for the future. Equip yourself to pursue strategic decision-making roles with the framework for turning insights into action.