| Getting started in a business intelligence career may | | | | to only ever be a few lines long and not the hundreds |
| be the easiest way for a graduate to break into the IT | | | | that application software need to function. |
| industry, but it is no free lunch and a level of | | | | 4. Reporting Software |
| competency must be reached. | | | | Just like the programming languages, it does not really |
| Getting a job is only the first step, being well prepared | | | | matter which reporting software you learn, it is more |
| to build a successful career is something else. | | | | about understanding the theory. |
| Here are the five main areas a Business Intelligence | | | | That said, it makes sense to learn the most popular |
| specialist needs to be proficient in. | | | | and that, by far and away, is Crystal Reports. |
| All of them are important, but none are deal breakers. | | | | It is my software of choice, but more importantly, it is |
| Even if you only have one or two of the items on this | | | | used by virtually everyone everywhere and has huge |
| list, the rest can be learnt. | | | | support in the form of both documentation and user |
| 1. Relational Databases | | | | base. |
| Understanding how relational databases work is one | | | | 5. Analysis Skills |
| of the most important things in Business Intelligence. | | | | This is the trickiest of the five to define as Business |
| Working blindly to the table schema provided by the | | | | Intelligence analysis is different to what is usually |
| database developer will drastically limit what you can | | | | considered to be analysis in the IT industry. |
| do. | | | | The other problem is that no materials exist to learn |
| 2. SQL | | | | this specific skill set. It is one of the problems of |
| SQL, Structured Query Language is the programming | | | | Business Intelligence for the beginner: it is such a new |
| language used exclusively for extracting information | | | | discipline that the books and courses have not been |
| from databases. | | | | written yet! |
| SQL does not change much between different | | | | Summary |
| databases, so learning one version is enough to apply | | | | None of the above are essential prerequisites to |
| to all databases. | | | | starting a Business Intelligence career, but the more |
| It is possible to have a successful Business Intelligence | | | | you know, the easier it will be. |
| career and never be able to write a line of SQL, but it | | | | Every single one of these skills can be learnt in a |
| can certainly make it easier when trying to solve more | | | | reasonable time frame, and I would advise learning |
| complex problems. | | | | them all to a comfortable level before going after any |
| 3. Basic Programming Skills | | | | Business Intelligence position. |
| Most reporting software has an underlying scripting | | | | With the exception of number four, most of these |
| language similar to how Excel has macros. These | | | | subjects are covered as part any computer/IT relate |
| languages all have their own quirks and take some | | | | degree, and if you have had the advantage of this |
| effort to learn, especially as many do not have many | | | | level of training it is usually enough to get you a solid |
| resources to refer to. | | | | start as a Business Intelligence analyst. |
| But once learned, it is usual for reporting programmes | | | | |