Free Business Intelligence Tools Courses & Certifications Online

 

 

About Business Intelligence Tools

 

Business intelligence or BI brings effective control to an organisation. It improves efficiency in the internal activities. 

 

Business intelligence tools organise information in real-time which is key to making accurate business decisions. These software applications process large volumes of data through queries. 

 

Key features and processes of business intelligence tools include

1. Dashboards
2. KPI scorecards
3. Data visualization
4. Descriptive analysis

Importance of Business Intelligence Tools

 

The need for business intelligence professionals who can use BI tools is growing fast everywhere. One of the main reasons is the pandemic that gave rise to remote working. 

 

Along with major advances in cloud computing, businesses in every industry are facing digital transformation.  According to Reuters, the global business intelligence market growth is going to hit $29.48 billion in 2022.

 

The entire business intelligence process is technology-driven. Business intelligence tools form a major part of the BI architecture. They generate real-time data, so strategic decisions can be made much quicker. That’s how businesses gain a competitive advantage. 

 

Without BI professionals, organisations cannot harness the power of such technologies.

 

The reason is, data keeps growing when the sizes of organisations grow. Preparing and analysing information becomes more challenging and complex. 

 

Professionals must have thorough training with business intelligence tools. Because extracting quality data is more important than just analysing large amounts of information. 

 

So, let’s explore the skills, eligibility and more to get you started with business intelligence tools courses. 

 

What Skills Do I Need For Business Intelligence Tools?

 

Business intelligence is a comprehensive discipline. You will need business acumen and knowledge of computer science. Here are some of the main technical and soft skills to consider.  

1. Knowledge of database management systems such as Microsoft SQL server
2. How Big Data works
3. Data analysis
4. Data Modeling
5. Data Science
6. Data Visualization
7. Foundation in business intelligence
8. Knowledge of artificial intelligence and machine learning
9. Communication
10. Statistics
11. Analytical thinking
12. Advanced MS Excel knowledge
13. Programming 

Popular Business Intelligence Tools

1. Tableau
2. Mode
3. Microsoft Power BI
4. datapine
5. SAS Business Intelligence
6. SAP BusinessObjects
7. Oracle Business Intelligence
8. Google Data Studio
9. Zoho Analytics

Who Can Take Up Business Intelligence Tools Courses?

 

If data discovery, analysis and reporting interest you, take up business intelligence tools courses. Or if you have a working background as a data scientist or data analyst, online courses on BI tools are beneficial. 

 

Business intelligence tools are necessary for many industries. Product analysts can also go for courses on the same. 

 

Eligibility Criteria for Business Intelligence Tools Courses

 

A bachelor’s degree in computer science or business administration is a minimal requirement. Your instructors will consider you have pre-existing knowledge of software tools, programming, business strategy, data science, etc. 

 

Free Resources to Learn Business Intelligence Tools Courses

 

While the online courses on business intelligence tools will build your foundation, do take the advantage of freely available resources. 

 

Blogs 

The best and most frequent blog posts on business intelligence and BI tools are

1. Datanami
2. Forrester Business Intelligence
3. Paul Turley’s SQL Server BI Blog
4. Datapine Blog
5. Digital Business & Business Analytics - Timo Elliott’s Blog 
6. Big Data Made Simple

Podcasts 

Don’t have enough time to read? Check these informative podcasts on the subject. 

1. Data Skeptic
2. Business Intelligence Podcast
3. Linear Digressions
4. BIFocal - Clarifying Business Intelligence

YouTube Channels

 

Some of the popular business intelligence tools have their official YouTube channels. Check out Microsoft Power BI’s official channel - MSPowerBI. Then you have EvolvingBI from Oracle on YouTube. 

 

Top Online Business Intelligence Tools Courses

For taking up business intelligence tools courses, you can choose from the top instructors and universities collaborating with major MOOC platforms. Here is a list of online courses on business intelligence tools. 

1. Grant Thornton - Business Intelligence using Power BI and Tableau on Grant Thornton
2. Business intelligence and data warehousing on Coursera
3. Advanced DAX for Microsoft Power BI Desktop on Udemy
4. Analyzing and Visualizing Data with Power BI by Microsoft on edX
5. Business Intelligence Concepts, Tools, and Applications on Coursera

Career Outlook

According to Datanyze, there are 262,271 business intelligence companies in the world.  The BI software industry is one of the fastest-growing software categories. To step into a BI career, learn business intelligence tools. And there are many exciting careers ahead as a 

1. Business Intelligence Analyst 
2. Business Intelligence Developer
3. Business Intelligence Architect 

As per AmbitionBox, the average annual salary of a BI Analyst ranges between ₹ 3.5 Lakhs to ₹ 16.0 Lakhs. While a BI architect has a salary range between ₹ 11.4 Lakhs to ₹ 40.0 Lakhs (AmbitionBox). 

 

Parting Thoughts

 

To excel in business intelligence, you will require a vast knowledge of data science, data analysis, data warehousing, machine learning and programming tools. We hope you find the above resources and the professional certifications for business intelligence tools courses useful in your learning journey.