Comment faire la distinction entre les analystes BI et les développeurs ?

BI Analysts knows the business very well. They know what numbers the management needs to see and how to prioritise the dashboards. They are aware about the facts and dimensions. They are well versed in different types of reports and methods to generate those reports. They give details about the data they need to build those dashboards/reports.

BI analysts provide continuous data driven advisory services through performance reports and dashboards. This people are highly analytical and great communicators both verbally and through graphical communication.

- Business Intelligence Analysts are the ones who fill the gap between the Actual State and the desired State by using Data Only. - BI Analysts should be exposed well to the business domain to understand the problem statement shared by different departments across an organization. - BI Analysts should be constant learners when it comes to learning various techniques of Data Analysis and Visualization to provide customization dashboards and insights.

You've described the role of a Business Intelligence (BI) analyst accurately. They play a crucial role in turning data into actionable insights by using BI tools to analyze and present data in a way that helps organizations make informed decisions. Effective communication and collaboration with business users are key aspects of their job to ensure that the insights generated align with business goals.

The explanation in distinguishing the two is spot on. Perfect distinctions. There are some instances where one can do both depending on the role requirements & business or company size. In my understanding, Developers will mostly be based in an IT environment /Warehouse, whilst BI Analysts will sit in other aspects of Business as Support.

BI developers don’t need deeper understanding about businesses like analysts. The mainly concentrate on the ETL/ELT processes and ways to deliver the facts and dimension tables for analysts to create effective dashboards. They are basically data engineers who takes care collecting data from different sources and processing across different stages like staging area , intermediate areas like processing layers and putting Organizer facts and dimensions in the business layer while taking care of data pipelines and performance.

The role of "Business Intelligence Developer" is somewhat intertwined with data engineering, mainly because BI developers are often responsible for planning (and often executing) the creation of the necessary infrastructure for the BI project to be feasible, such as the data pipeline or the creation of data warehouses, for example. Still, primarily for developing and validating the entire necessary ETL process so that data can be consumed in a report, for instance. Here we have to mention that the BI developer is usually also responsible for creating the data visualizations that will effectively bring results and value to the business.

Your description of BI developers is spot on. They are instrumental in creating the foundation for Business Intelligence by designing and maintaining the infrastructure and solutions that allow for data access, analysis, and reporting. Their responsibilities in data modeling, ETL processes, and ensuring data quality and security are crucial for the success of BI systems. They provide the technical backbone that enables BI analysts to extract valuable insights from data.

In ETL you have 2 types of data issues troubleshooting: 1. Technical data issues - you don’t need business understanding 2. Logical data issues - for the logical data issues you need business and process understanding. (For example: customer with churn date before join date) If the developers are responsible, in the ETL process, for the usability and reliability of the data, they do need business understanding in terms of data quality and integrity. Unless someone else is responsible to define the cleaning process and to review the issues and define how to handle logical issues.

Business Intelligence Developers are more technically oriented. They handle data integration, employing ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) processes to bring data from diverse sources into data warehouses or databases. Data modeling and management are central to their responsibilities, ensuring data structures are optimized for performance. BI Developers are proficient in ETL tools and often write custom code for data transformations and automation. They are responsible for database management, data quality, and performance tuning to ensure efficient data retrieval. Collaborating closely with BI Analysts, they provide the technical infrastructure needed for data analysis and reporting, making their work complementary within a BI team.

BI analysts primarily focus on analyzing data and generating actionable insights for business decision-making. They work closely with stakeholders to understand their requirements, gather data, perform data analysis, create visualizations, and present findings, While Developers: Developers, on the other hand, primarily focus on building and maintaining the technical infrastructure and systems that enable data collection, storage, processing, and reporting. Their role involves programming, database design, ETL (extract, transform, load) processes, and building dashboards and reporting tools.

Both Developers and analysts needs to work together to deliver effective dashboards in every organisation. Intersection of business and technical skills between them is really important to identify and fix potential issues faster.

As Technology tools become more user friendly the lines between developer role and analyst role are becoming more blurred with the developer skill set being more of a necessity for the analyst role.

In the dynamic world of BI, two key roles take center stage: BI analysts and developers: BI Analysts: They focus on interpreting and analyzing data to generate actionable insights. This involves creating reports, dashboards, and visualizations that distill complex data into formats useful for business users. Developers: They are responsible for building and maintaining the technical infrastructure that supports BI initiatives. This includes managing data pipelines, ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) processes, and data modeling. Despite their distinct roles, both positions share a data-centric focus and require a strong command of technical tools and platforms.

BI Analysts typically benefit from educational backgrounds in fields such as business administration, economics, or data science. A strong foundation in statistics, data visualization tools, and business acumen is essential. Many BI Analysts also acquire proficiency in data analytics software and BI tools through online courses and certifications. On the other hand, BI Developers typically possess degrees in computer science, information technology, or related fields. They require deep knowledge of database systems, ETL tools, and programming languages like SQL, Python, or Java. Specialized training in data warehousing concepts and certifications in ETL tools may further enhance their skills.

As a key rule, people who have effective communication skills and graceful presentation skills with the basic technical skills can be an analyst. On the other hand people who love to dive deep into the technical stuff can be developer.

You've provided valuable guidance for individuals considering a career in Business Intelligence. The decision between BI analyst and BI developer indeed hinges on individual preferences, skills, and career aspirations. Assessing your strengths, interests, and long-term goals is essential to make an informed choice within the BI field or for potential transitions to other data-related roles. It's a field filled with opportunities, and tailoring your path to your unique qualities is key to success.

You need different set of skills and experience/education for each role. Analysts should be more business oriented with some technical skills, while developers should be highly technical with relevant education/experience and with general understanding in business.

BI Developers: stay with new data tools, technologies and trends like AI in the current market. Following tech data influencers and knowledge of AI tools would help them in a huge way. BI Analysts: Should learn about their business. Should always improve their presentation and reporting skills.

One thing which we needs to consider in this era of AI revolution is can a BI Analyst/ Developer be replaced with AI tools ? My perspective is they can't be fully replaced but some of their daily activities could be !! In order to become a more productive BI professional they need to know the use of AI tools like ChatGPT/Bard/ GitHub CoPilot.

Being a BI Analyst and BI Developer is easy when it comes to Tech Skills but that's not all I have seen many BI Analysts and Developer getting afraid and angry because they fail to understand the nitty-gritty of the business, - Business Acumen to understand Key Business Questions (KBQs) - Storytelling skills are a must using Graphs, Words, Content, Visualization, and Presenting in such a way that everyone in the room is on the same platform when strategy or review is being conducted. - Training people to understand the dashboards, This is a must skill because not everyone will understand why that chart or combination of visualizations was used and which KBQ is being answered.