Business Intelligence Analyst
Also advertised as: BI Analyst, business intelligence analyst, Business Intelligence Analyst, business intelligence consultant, business intelligence managers, business intelligence specialist
Builds dashboards and reports that help a business make decisions.
What the job involves
Business intelligence analysts turn raw data into dashboards and reports that managers use to make decisions. You write queries, build data models and design visualisations that make trends easy to spot. It is a common entry route into the wider data profession.
Typical responsibilities
- Build and maintain dashboards and reports
- Write SQL queries against business data
- Model data for reporting purposes
- Work with stakeholders to define metrics
- Automate recurring reporting tasks
Common employers
- Retailers
- Banks
- Insurance companies
- Public sector bodies
- Consultancies
Pay, hours and working environment
Typical pay
£26,000 – £33,000 a year
With experience
£40,000 – £55,000 a year
Typical hours
37.5 hours
Working environment
Office or hybrid
Remote working
hybrid
Demand for this work
steady
Pay ranges are indicative guidance drawn from advertised UK vacancies and published careers information. They are not an offer, and actual pay varies by employer, location and experience.
Skills and qualifications
Core skills
- SQL
- Data visualisation tools
- Data modelling
- Excel
- Stakeholder communication
- Basic statistics
Transferable skills you may already have
- Excel or reporting experience
- Attention to detail
- Explaining numbers to non-technical people
Requirements employers ask for
- SQL
- Data visualisation tools
- Data modelling
- Excel
- Stakeholder communication
- Basic statistics
- No formal qualification required
- develop company strategies
- manage business knowledge
- strategic planning
- liaise with managers
- business analysis
- advise on efficiency improvements
- company policies
- identify undetected organisational needs
- corporate social responsibility
- provide improvement strategies
- create a work atmosphere of continuous improvement
- analyse the context of an organisation
Useful but not essential
- Excel or reporting experience
- Attention to detail
- Explaining numbers to non-technical people
- Microsoft Power BI certification
- Level 4 Data Analyst apprenticeship
- Tableau Desktop Specialist
- recommend product improvements
- identify suppliers
- data models
- analyse supply chain strategies
- manage budgets
- analyse production processes for improvement
- perform business research
- keep updated on innovations in various business fields
Helpful qualifications
- Microsoft Power BI certification
- Level 4 Data Analyst apprenticeship
- Tableau Desktop Specialist
Ways into this career
A degree is only one route. Where an apprenticeship, work-experience or qualification route exists, it is listed here alongside the academic option.
Apprenticeships and work-based routes
- Data Analyst (Level 4)
Degree and college routes
- Related subject: Maths
- Related subject: Business
- Related subject: Computing
Where this career can lead
next
Senior BI Analyst
next
Data Engineer
next
Analytics Manager
The good parts and the hard parts
What people enjoy
- Accessible entry point into data careers
- Work touches every part of the business
- Good demand for dashboarding skills
What people find hard
- Can involve chasing stakeholders for unclear requirements
- Repetitive reporting requests
Common questions
- Do you need a degree to become a business intelligence analyst?
- No. As well as degree routes, this career can be entered through an apprenticeship or by building experience and qualifications on the job. not_required
- How much does a business intelligence analyst earn in the UK?
- Typical advertised pay runs from £26,000 to £33,000 a year, rising towards £55,000 with experience. Figures are indicative guidance rather than an offer.
- What skills transfer into this career?
- Skills that transfer well include Excel or reporting experience, Attention to detail, Explaining numbers to non-technical people.
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Where this information comes from
- National Careers Service
- Institute for Apprenticeships
Last reviewed 15 September 2026.
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