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Business Intelligence Analysts

SOC 15-2051.01Job Zone 4 · Considerable Preparationv.26.05

Context coveredThis framework covers business intelligence analysts working in professional, scientific, and technical services environments who design, build, and manage data systems, dashboards, and reports that drive strategic and operational decisions across organizational levels.

Sources:O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.SkillsCrosswalkSkillsCrosswalk — O*NET enrichment + adjacency index. Opens in new tab.
Emerging
Entry / Apprentice
  1. Standard business reports — generate using established templates and BI reporting software under direct supervision to support executive and manager review cycles.
  2. Business intelligence databases and dashboards — maintain by performing routine updates and data refreshes following documented procedures in a corporate analytics environment.
  3. Industry and geographic trend data — collect from public information sources, purchased reports, and internal field data under guidance from senior analysts.
  4. Existing dashboard and report tools — provide basic technical support by troubleshooting common errors and escalating complex issues to senior team members.
  5. BI report and dashboard specifications — document using standardized templates, recording data sources, field definitions, and output requirements as directed.
  6. Business intelligence data flows — monitor scheduled delivery to end users, flagging delays or discrepancies to supervisors in a structured reporting environment.
  7. SQL queries and database user interfaces — execute pre-approved queries to extract structured data sets for analysis under analyst supervision.
  8. Quantitative business data — apply foundational mathematics and data validation techniques to verify accuracy of figures prior to report submission.
  9. Active listening and information gathering — conduct stakeholder intake conversations to capture reporting requirements under the guidance of a lead analyst.
  10. BI and data analysis software tools — operate at a foundational level to produce charts, pivot tables, and summary outputs aligned with team standards.
Developing
Mid-level / Established
  1. Custom and standard business reports — generate independently using BI and data analysis software, tailoring outputs to meet specific executive, client, or operational stakeholder needs.
  2. Business intelligence dashboards and systems — maintain and update on a recurring basis, applying version control and change documentation in a mid-sized enterprise analytics environment.
  3. Timely flow of intelligence information — manage by coordinating scheduled report delivery, resolving pipeline issues, and communicating status updates to business users without close oversight.
  4. Technical support for reports and dashboards — provide by diagnosing data quality issues, correcting query logic, and documenting resolutions in a shared knowledge base.
  5. Industry and geographic trend analysis — conduct by synthesizing data from multiple sources and translating findings into actionable business strategy implications for management review.
  6. BI output specifications — document with sufficient technical detail for handoff to development teams, including data models, KPI definitions, and refresh logic.
  7. Spreadsheets and query-based analytical tools — build and refine to automate recurring calculations and reduce manual processing time across departmental reporting cycles.
  8. Data collection workflows — design and execute using available industry reports, public data portals, and purchased data sources to populate analytical models consistently.
  9. Complex problem-solving under ambiguity — apply inductive and deductive reasoning to diagnose unexpected data patterns and propose corrective actions in familiar analytical contexts.
  10. Coordination with cross-functional teams — facilitate by translating business requirements into technical specifications and aligning analyst output with stakeholder expectations during project delivery.
Proficient
Senior / Expert IC
  1. Enterprise BI tools and integrated database systems — create and deploy end-to-end, including schema design, ETL logic, and dashboard architecture, to serve organization-wide decision-making needs.
  2. Non-routine business intelligence problems — resolve autonomously by applying systems analysis and complex problem-solving techniques across the full analytical lifecycle in a professional services environment.
  3. Strategic industry and geographic trends — identify and analyze with depth, synthesizing diverse data streams into executive-level insights with direct business strategy and competitive implications.
  4. Full-scope BI reporting ecosystems — maintain and continuously improve, evaluating system performance and implementing enhancements that increase reliability and analytical value for stakeholder groups.
  5. Advanced BI and data analysis software — configure and extend, including object-oriented development components and web platform integrations, to meet complex organizational reporting requirements.
  6. Data governance and documentation standards — establish and enforce across BI outputs, ensuring specifications, data dictionaries, and audit trails meet organizational and regulatory requirements.
  7. Ambiguous and incomplete data environments — navigate with tolerance and rigor, applying category flexibility and information ordering to produce defensible analyses from imperfect inputs.
  8. Judgment on high-stakes analytical decisions — exercise independently, evaluating methodology tradeoffs and recommending courses of action to senior leadership based on evidence and business context.
  9. Technical writing and oral communication — deliver with precision, producing clear written specifications and presenting complex analytical findings persuasively to executive and non-technical audiences.
  10. BI user community needs — assess proactively through structured monitoring and stakeholder interviews, prioritizing enhancements that maximize the business value of analytics investments across the organization.
Advanced
Lead / Principal / Executive
  1. Organizational BI strategy and roadmap — define and lead, aligning analytics capabilities, tooling investments, and talent development with enterprise business objectives at the executive level.
  2. BI frameworks, methodologies, and governance standards — establish organization-wide, setting the principles and practices that guide all business intelligence design, delivery, and data quality assurance.
  3. Analytical talent and BI teams — develop and mentor, applying instructing and learning strategy expertise to build a high-performing analytics function across multiple career levels.
  4. Enterprise intelligence architecture — architect at scale, overseeing the integration of database management systems, portal servers, and BI platforms into a cohesive and scalable data environment.
  5. Strategic business decisions — inform at the executive level by delivering synthesized competitive, economic, and operational intelligence that shapes organizational direction and resource allocation.
  6. Cross-functional and cross-industry partnerships — lead by coordinating BI initiatives with technology, finance, operations, and external stakeholders to generate integrated insights across organizational boundaries.
  7. Emerging BI technologies and active learning practices — champion organization-wide adoption of, evaluating new tools and methodologies and guiding teams through capability transitions with minimal disruption.
  8. Complex, enterprise-wide analytical problems — resolve by applying advanced systems evaluation and mathematical reasoning, setting methodological precedent that elevates the organization's analytical maturity.
  9. BI performance and business impact — evaluate at the portfolio level, using systems evaluation techniques to measure ROI on analytics investments and reallocate resources toward highest-value initiatives.
  10. Organizational culture of data-driven decision-making — cultivate by modeling intellectual curiosity, integrity in data interpretation, and achievement orientation across all levels of the enterprise.

AI-at-Work Competency Framework

Sources:Anthropic Economic IndexAnthropic Economic Index — release_2026_03_24. Opens in new tab.Jadhav & Danve, 2026Skill Automation Feasibility Index — Jadhav & Danve, 2026 (arXiv:2604.06906). Opens in new tab.WEF Skills TaxonomyWEF Skills Taxonomy 2021 — Building a Common Language for Skills at Work. Opens in new tab.

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Sources:Pathsmith™ Durable SkillsPathsmith™ Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
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Source anchors that ground each statement

Related titles
Analytical Data Miner · Business Analyst · Business Consultant · Business Data Analyst · Business Database Analyst · Business Information Analyst · Business Intelligence Analyst (BI Analyst) · Business Intelligence Consultant (BI Consultant) · Business Intelligence Coordinator (BI Coordinator) · Business Intelligence Engineer · Business Intelligence Specialist (BI Specialist) · Business Process Analyst
RAPIDS apprenticeships
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O*NET skills
Reading ComprehensionActive LearningActive ListeningCritical ThinkingSpeakingWritingJudgment and Decision MakingMathematicsComplex Problem SolvingSystems AnalysisSystems EvaluationTime ManagementMonitoringInstructingLearning StrategiesCoordination
Knowledge domains
Computers and ElectronicsMathematicsEnglish LanguageAdministration and ManagementCustomer and Personal ServiceEconomics and Accounting
Abilities
Oral ComprehensionWritten ComprehensionInductive ReasoningWritten ExpressionOral ExpressionDeductive ReasoningCategory FlexibilityInformation OrderingSpeech ClarityMathematical Reasoning
Work styles
Attention to DetailIntegrityDependabilityAchievement OrientationTolerance for AmbiguityIntellectual Curiosity
Technology
Data base reporting softwareDocument management softwareDevelopment environment softwareWeb page creation and editing softwareObject or component oriented development softwareData base user interface and query softwareWeb platform development softwareBusiness intelligence and data analysis softwareData base management system softwarePortal server software
Tasks · seed anchors for statements
  1. Generate standard or custom reports summarizing business, financial, or economic data for review by executives, managers, clients, and other stakeholders.
  2. Maintain or update business intelligence tools, databases, dashboards, systems, or methods.
  3. Manage timely flow of business intelligence information to users.
  4. Provide technical support for existing reports, dashboards, or other tools.
  5. Identify and analyze industry or geographic trends with business strategy implications.
  6. Document specifications for business intelligence or information technology reports, dashboards, or other outputs.
  7. Create business intelligence tools or systems, including design of related databases, spreadsheets, or outputs.
  8. Collect business intelligence data from available industry reports, public information, field reports, or purchased sources.
CIP education codes
11.010211.010311.070111.080211.080426.110326.110426.119927.010127.030127.030327.030427.030527.030627.039927.050127.050227.050327.060127.999930.080130.300130.390130.480130.700130.709930.710130.710230.710330.710430.719940.051245.060352.130152.1302

Sources: O*NET v30.2 (CC BY 4.0), SkillsCrosswalk.com, LER.me®, Anthropic Economic Index, SAFI (Jadhav & Danve, 2026), WEF Skills Taxonomy 2021, Pathsmith™ Durable Skills Framework. © 2026 EBSCOed.