Business Intelligence Developer Function – Business intelligence gives modern companies the power to grow by leveraging the power of data, and the Power BI developer is an integral part of that process. BI experts analyze data, identify trends and patterns, generate actionable insights, and communicate those findings to business stakeholders and decision makers—all while liaising with other teams to help achieve business goals.
Companies deploy various business intelligence tools to perform these tasks, and Power BI is among the most popular and sought-after solutions. And since working with this tool requires skill and training, Power BI developers are in demand.
Business Intelligence Developer Function
Below, we cover everything you need to know about the Power BI Developer role – the job description and outlook, career development opportunities, the skills and training required, useful tips on how to become a Power BI Developer and resources to start your training.
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Power BI developers work in business intelligence (BI) – usually part of a company’s analytics team. Their primary tasks are to pre-process and analyze data and design visualizations to turn them into actionable insights of value to business stakeholders. But mostly, they specialize in creating Power BI dashboards. However, different data visualization tools can be used for business intelligence.
Power BI, developed by Microsoft, allows users to work with large databases to create dashboards and generate insights to improve business performance. Excel may fail when the amount of data increases.
In addition, Power BI is packed with useful built-in features that enable data transformation and data modeling. It stands out from other BI tools with its comprehensive connectivity options. You can import databases in various formats, pull data from APIs, and even connect to live data sources in the cloud.
More importantly, those who know how to use Power BI can create engaging, interactive and informative dashboards and stream data to update in real time.
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At this point, you may be wondering how it differs from Tableau. Both tools are similar in terms of capabilities, and becoming a Tableau developer will be just as rewarding and rewarding as becoming a Power BI developer.
The main difference is that more experienced users prefer Tableau because it is more complex. And while Tableau can handle larger amounts of data, Power BI’s capabilities are just as powerful,
Still, while Power BI doesn’t require coding, there is a steep learning curve—so you’ll need to be thoroughly trained if you decide to go this route. But it will be worth it.
The road to becoming a Power BI developer can be long and hard, but you will be rewarded for your efforts. According to Glassdoor, the salary for an entry-level Power BI developer in the US averages $92,998 per year (including base salary and bonuses).
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As you gain experience, your salary will also increase. The salary for a senior Power BI developer in the US with 15+ years of experience is $112,457 per year (including additional salary). Furthermore, your career path doesn’t have to end there.
As a Power BI Developer, you will be in frequent contact with senior leadership, which can be beneficial to your growth within the company.
So once you’ve beaten the Power BI Developer Peak, you can climb to Analytics Manager. This means you will begin overseeing the work of Power BI developers, data analysts, and other analytics team members and communicating with senior leadership and other stakeholders.
Initially, there won’t be a huge difference in terms of finances. The starting analytics manager salary is around $109,000 per year. But there are plenty of opportunities for advancement, and once you gain significant experience, your salary could reach $169,109 a year.
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Let’s say a Power BI developer learns statistics and advanced programming and can apply that knowledge to relevant case studies. In that case, they open up a new career development path for themselves: the data science path. Now, that’s a bigger leap, and it’s going to take a lot of work and dedication.
Still, you won’t be starting from scratch. The roles and responsibilities of Power BI developers are varied, so you’ll already have the most required skills and knowledge. To make the transition to data science, you’ll just need to learn to code and apply advanced statistical methods.
365 has helped thousands of people move from other fields to data science. with the data scientist career path
You can acquire the necessary skills for the job in your own time. The effort will be worth it. With a starting salary of $108,235 per year, you can advance up to $157,784 per year.
Business Intelligence Developer
The Power BI Developer works closely with senior leadership to build reporting dashboards that serve the strategic needs of the business.
To be able to navigate such situations effectively, Power BI developers need extensive business knowledge and excellent communication skills. Before they even look at the data, they collaborate with stakeholders to define the goals and needs of the business. They can then determine what to include in the data analysis and visualization.
Only then can they start building Power BI reports. To build the reporting requested by senior leadership, a Power BI developer will need to communicate with multiple stakeholders within the company, such as sales, market, database administrator, etc. They will also work closely with other business analysts and converse with subject matter experts. (SMEs) that can help them build a better dashboard.
Ultimately, they need to provide insights based on accurate, on-demand and up-to-date data, making them a valuable tool for senior leadership. Now, let’s see what skills you need to achieve this.
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The Power BI developer position isn’t exactly entry level. On the one hand, this is due to the huge set of skills required. On the other hand, this is because senior leadership trusts and prefers to communicate with analysts with some experience.
You can start with other data-related jobs, preferably ones that include Power BI. Hands-on experience in data preparation, data gateway and data warehousing projects will also give you an edge. Once you get your foot in the door with a data-related position, landing a Power BI developer role will be much easier.
Of course, in the meantime you need to obtain the required Power BI developer training. A bachelor’s degree in computer science would be an advantage, but with or without it, you need a Power BI certification to prove your skills.
Our introductory Power BI course is a great place to start. It’s suitable for beginners, as it starts from the basics and gradually builds your data visualization skills. Moreover, it contains several exercises, which allow you to practice what you have learned.
Business Intelligence Resume Sample 2023
Next, we provide a detailed overview of the technical and soft skills you need to acquire to become a successful Power BI developer.
Power BI requires no coding. Instead, it uses formula languages, such as Data Analysis Expressions (DAX) and M. While they won’t give you access to the full spectrum of coding language possibilities, their scope of functionality is sufficient for data transformation, modeling, and visualization with Power BI. You don’t need any prior coding experience to learn them; Even if you are starting from scratch, you can pick them up quickly.
In addition, you will need a good command of Excel and SQL. After all, you need the means to store and manage the data that goes into your dashboard. In fact, SQL queries, SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS), and SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS) are often listed as a requirement in job descriptions.
These are the main tools a Power BI developer needs for the data analysis and visualization part of the job. But a compelling report and an informative dashboard fit the goals and business needs. To achieve this, you need a combination of soft skills and business knowledge.
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Excellent communication skills and in-depth business knowledge will facilitate your conversation with senior managers, and allow you to understand their needs. And analytical and thinking skills will help you gain insights from other stakeholders in the company.
When creating the reports, you must be well organized and willing to collaborate with your colleagues from the analysis team. This will help you gather the information needed to develop comprehensive dashboards and maintain existing reports.
However, none of this would matter if you couldn’t communicate the results effectively. So, definitely last but not least in terms of importance comes presentation skills. Translating your findings into business language will help stakeholders understand the meaning of the insights gained, which is key to building a data-driven business.
And remember, you need to get a Power BI developer certification. Without relevant work experience, this is the only way to prove that you have the required skills and knowledge. And that’s what employers want to see, right?
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Speaking of employers, let’s take a quick look at who you might work for as a Power BI developer.
In most companies, data analysts fill the role of Power BI developers. Because they don’t specialize in this area, they usually have somewhat limited Power BI skills. Why don’t companies hire dedicated experts?
We’ve seen the numbers – not every company could afford a dedicated Power BI developer, nor does it necessarily need one. So, you will likely come across larger companies (500+ employees) during your job search.
Regarding the field of work, companies in all industries will be able to profit
Business Intelligence Resume Examples For 2023
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