Andrew Karp ⋅ Sonoma, CA Sierra Data Science ⋅ 20 years experience

Hi...others have already provided excellent suggestions in response to your query. I'd like to join the fray with the following observations, opinions and suggestions:

1) There are important distinctions in the business world between "business intelligence" and "competitive intelligence," as noted in what others have posted.

2) "Business intelligence," in my experience, is a form of data analysis, management, reporting and display that is supposed to convert rows of data in to information that provide "intelligence" to business managers/operators enabling them to make better decisions.

3) There are quite a few BI "vendors" in the marketplace these days, including Oracle, Microsoft, MicroStrategies, IBM, SAS and others. These firms sell (at high cost), "BI tools" to both public and private sector concerns. These "tools" / applications are supposed to create "intelligence" from data by performing operations on them such as sums, counts, descriptive statistics (means, etc.), creating graphs and tables, charts, etc. Variants of the Structured Query Language (SQL) are often at the heart of these tools, as are the vendor's own proprietary software, such as the SAS Programming Language or the Cognos "cube."

4) A close cousin to BI is "Business Analytics," which is a shorthand term to describe more advanced analytic techniques such as optimization, neural network modeling, various forms of predictive modeling (e.g., logistic regression), multivariate dimension reduction techniques for "clustering," and forms of event history/survival analysis to measure the "lifetime value of the customer." About 30 to 35 universities around the US now offer master's programs in "Analytics," most of which are very quantitatively rigorous. See http://www.informationweek.com/big-data/slideshows/big-data-analytics/big-data-analytics-masters-degrees-20/240145673 .

5) Some MBA programs offer a "track" or "certificate" in "Analytics" and/or "Business Intelligence" to their students. In addition, several universities offer either on line or in person "certificates" in these fields. In my opinion, the value / marketability of these programs varies widely. Some of these programs offer exposure to a range of vendor "BI" and/or "Analytics" tools while others offer courses on just one vendor's products. For example, the UC Berkeley Extension Division offers a certificate to students who complete their "Professional Sequence in Business Intelligence and SAS Analytics Software." See http://extension.berkeley.edu/public/category/courseCategoryCertificateProfile.do?method=load&certificateId=17152&selectedProgramAreaId=15499&selectedProgramStreamId=16388

6) In addition, some vendors offer "certification" exams/designations indicating proficiency with their products. Of these, the one with which I am most familiar is the SAS Global Certification Program. run by SAS Institute. See http://support.sas.com/certify/index.html. Some university based academic programs offer courses that lead to a "SAS Certificate," which is different from the "Certification" program. Other vendors, such as IBM, also have relationships with universities, but I am not very familiar with their programs.

7) Another "buzzword" these days is "big data," which again lacks a standard definition. In short, it tends to mean massively large data files that often cannot be analyzed / managed using traditional methods. I am not sure if there is a degree or certificate to be had in "big data" per se, but it is a topic often addressed in the context of courses offered in "Analytics" or "BI." topics.

There is a large and growing demand for people who are skilled in "business intelligence" and/or "analytics." If this this where you want to orient your career, you will find, most likely, a high demand for your services. But, you should try and figure out what the best fit for you is in this area. You may be more interested in, say, reporting, data extraction/querying, creating "data cubes" etc. than you are in designing elaborate predictive statistical models. Once you do that, you can look for the additional training/certification you may need to enhance your employability in that aspect of "BI" and/or "BA."

I hope this information was of use to you and I look forward to further queries from you and other Veterans on this topic.

Andrew Karp
Sierra Data Science
www.SIerraDataScience.com
Sonoma, CA

Bill Nobles ⋅ Basking Ridge, NJ Exxon ⋅ 30 years experience

Elbert, thank you for your service. I waited several days to respond to your posting since I knew nothing about "business intelligence," and according to WikiPedia envisioned a totally different field. If an ACP advisor does not soon respond, here are a few suggestions for trying to connect with somebody who can answer your questions.
(1) "http://acp-usa.org/ABOUT_ACP/Participating_Institutions"; lists the companies sponsoring this website, several of which specialize in IT. I suggest "cold calling" or emailiing some of these HR organizations, referring to their ACP sponsorship, and asking for a contact who can answer your questions.
(2) Clicking on "The Advisor + Directory Box Receive personal career insight from a business leader in your field—Learn More" on this page provides another means to contact advisors with IT companies who may be able to answer your questions, or connect you with somebody who can.
(3) http://www.cio.com/article/40296/Business_Intelligence_Definition_and_Solutions provides information on companies that use business intelligence. Cold call contacting their HR organizations and emphasizing your veteran status may produce contacts who can answer your questions.

Good Luck, Bill Nobles

Leo Kluger ⋅ Spring Valley, NY IBM ⋅ 26 years experience

Elbert, I'd be glad to chat about opportunities in Business Intelligence and Analytics. I've been doing that kind of work for most of my 20+ professional career, and also have an MBA, but not a specialized degree.

Net advice/answer to some of your questions:
- If you have the opportunity in your final semester, take as many statistics courses as you can fit in.
- You don't need a specialized degree currently to get a job in this hugely-growing field. That will change in time, but not for another few years.
- Hook up with a Marketing or Stat professor at your school and ask them to advise you with a hands-on project to build out your resume in the data/analytics area. For example, they could link you into a possible unpaid internship where you can get your feet wet with low risk.
- Your school probably has an SPSS or SAS license for current students. Both software programs have excellent tutorial and educational programs, both free versions via YouTube or other online sources, or formal training, which your school probably also subscribes to. Take as many of those self-paced programs as you can.
- What's your MBA major? If it has little to do with analytics or data or stat, then consider taking just a few extra courses to be able to declare a dual or joint major in Analytics or Stat or whatever your school calls the field of data mining. You can probably get a 2nd major with just two or three courses. And I'll bet the Statistics department chair would give you cross credit so you would only need to take the very minimum number of incremental courses.
- Feel free to contact me directly, I'd be glad to discuss further, I'll send a PM with contact details.

Guy Rogers ⋅ Roswell, GA UPS ⋅ 15 years experience

Elbert,
Check out the below site, it belongs to an industry association. Secondly, if your already are finishing up an MBA I would not spend the money for a second graduate degree. Consider getting a certificaiton.
-Guy

http://www.scip.org

William Whittington ⋅ Rome, GA U.S. Navy, Chief Petty Officer ⋅ 21 years served

I work in Business Intel and would be more than happy to answer any questions.

Ravi Singh ⋅ Great Learning ⋅ 4 years experience

Shifting career from one domain to another is a bold move by any working professional. However, to shift career from one domain to another you can join any of the reputed institute and get a certified degree from them in the domain you want to shift career to.
There are so many Business intelligence career opportunities for freshers who are certified in PGP-BABI. Upon completion of the program, you will be able to make or enhance your career in the burgeoning field of Business Intelligence. Among the careers that this course will be instrumental to is:
Business Intelligence Analyst
Data Analyst
Business Intelligence Project Manager
Business Intelligence Developer
SQL Server Business Intelligence
Business Intelligence Administrator
Business Intelligence Consultant
Data Modeller
BI Report Developer

To know more about the program structure, Please visit the following page :- https://www.greatlearning.in/pg-program-business-analytics

Tom Cal, CFA ⋅ San Francisco, CA Army Veteran, Investment Manager ⋅ 25 years experience

"Top 10 Ways You Know You’re a Data Scientist"

http://ficolabsblog.fico.com/2013/10/top-10-ways-you-know-youre-a-data-scientist.html

As the sexiest job of the 21st century, we thought the data scientist deserved a slogan that could fit on a bumper sticker. So last month we ran a slogan competition among FICO data scientists and other employees.

Here is our top 10 list of ways you know you're a data scientist as voted on by members of FICO Labs:

10. You think … “So much data, so littl…”

9. You know what heteroscedasticity is.

8. Your best pick-up lines all include the word “moneyball.”

7. You look at your grocery bill and try to predict what you will buy next.

6. You think data scientists are cool… and you have a theorem to prove it.

5. The numbers talk back.

4. Counting sheep keeps you up at night.

3. You know where all the insights are buried.

2. You have a Kolmogorov-Smirnov hangover.

And…

1. You crunch numbers for breakfast.

The winning entry, “Data Scientists Crunch Numbers for Breakfast,” will be made into a bumper sticker and distributed sometime next month.

Do you have some slogan ideas of your own? Feel free to send them our way by responding to this post. NASA rocket scientists have had great slogans for years; it’s about time that data scientists get some recognition too!

Tom Cal, CFA ⋅ San Francisco, CA Army Veteran, Investment Manager ⋅ 25 years experience

SQL is a great tool and not all that difficult to learn. Explore certifications via VCTP Syracuse and others. Also explore courses and training in "big data".

You are interested in a field that is both old and new, and that is quickly changing, with new entrants almost every week. If you build a little expertise, you can easily be the "master".

While out to dinner last night with a 2 friends (one is a Statistician at a large biotech firm, has a Masters in Statistics) I heard that U. Washington has some interesting courses related to "big data".

http://www.pce.uw.edu/certificates/data-science.html

also see:
http://www.mooc-list.com/tags/big-data

Elbert Nieves-Valentin ⋅ Lawrenceville, GA U.S. Army, Sergeant ⋅ 8 years served

Thank you, everybody for your input and insight. My apologies for my delayed response.

A few thoughts/questions:

- I am a little concerned that my lack of experience counts against me. Would a combination of an MBA and BI certificate be viewed as sufficient to enter this field? Without trying to sound snooty, I guess I am fortunate enough that a second graduate degree isn't really a financial burden. That being said, the biggest investment will be my time. I have heard that graduate certificates really benefit professionals already in the field and I think I realistically need a ground up skills development program (seeing as my background is in law enforcement and investigations). I've found an online graduate BI program through Saint Joseph's University that claims it also assists students work toward an SAS certificate. After looking through the course objectives throughout the program it seems to develop students from the theory at the beginning up to predictive analytics and management issues in the field. Along the way, the program also seems to expose students to Excel VBA, Oracle, modeling, and some other things. So I'm hoping this can be beneficial.

I would be open to learning how to manipulate some of these programs and learning SQL on my own, but is that feasible, considering the cost of such programs and lacking the data to do so? After working full time while working on my undergrad and grad degrees for most of the past 5 years, I wouldn't mind to do some learning outside of the classroom, trust me. On the corresponding LinkedIn thread, it was recommended that I look into free downloads of Microsoft SQL Server and some of their other programs on the Microsoft Dreamspark site, which I wanted to share on here for anybody reading through: https://www.dreamspark.com/Student/Default.aspx .

Also, thank you for pointing out that there is a distinction between BI, CI, and business analytics. After looking through them a little more closely, I am able to say with some more confidence that I am still zeroing in on business intelligence. It helps to understand what you're getting yourself into. At least that seems to be the overarching lesson I've learned after leaving the military!

While I work to learn these skills, I realize that what's particularly valuable are demonstrated results if I ever hope to be employed in the field. Is it realistic to think that there may be any types of volunteering opportunities out there where I can offer my time and willingness to work in order to gain some credibility using SQL and some of these programs? I can see companies/organizations wanting to keep access to their data limited to full-time employees, but I figure I should at least ask.

Again, thank you all so much! You are much appreciated.

Tom Cal, CFA ⋅ San Francisco, CA Army Veteran, Investment Manager ⋅ 25 years experience

Also see:
"SCIP Event; "Getting Your Decision Makers to Listen--and Act--on your CI Analysis"; Newark, NJ, Oct. 16, 2013; Networking & Professional Development"

This is both an in-person and a web-based event.

http://www.linkedin.com/groupItem?view=&gid=4466143&type=member&item=5794067978165182464&qid=c51d2b91-dcaa-488e-b320-853001f79253&trk=groups_most_recent-0-b-ttl&goback=%2Egde_4466143_member_5792475987300081666%2Egmr_4466143

Tom Cal, CFA ⋅ San Francisco, CA Army Veteran, Investment Manager ⋅ 25 years experience

Elbert - FYI https://acp-advisornet.org/question/908/job-opening-dataminr-is-seeking-a-data-analyst-in-new-york-city-/p1

Tom Cal, CFA ⋅ San Francisco, CA Army Veteran, Investment Manager ⋅ 25 years experience

Guy - can you tell us more about SCIP?

Tom Cal, CFA ⋅ San Francisco, CA Army Veteran, Investment Manager ⋅ 25 years experience

Note: There is a corresponding cross-post on LinkedIn. (It is almost always god to seek advice and information from multiple sources.)

http://www.linkedin.com/groupItem?view=&gid=4466143&type=member&item=5792475987300081666&qid=72ceebeb-2f36-44f5-a9f5-1f6e44d15d9f&trk=groups_items_see_more-0-b-ttl

Tom Cal, CFA ⋅ San Francisco, CA Army Veteran, Investment Manager ⋅ 25 years experience

All, Might it be useful to take a few Statistics classes and to learn R, a " free software environment for statistical computing and graphics"
http://www.r-project.org/

Paul Trejo ⋅ Austin, TX University of Texas at Austin ⋅ 40 years experience

Elbert,

In an increasingly computerized world, Business Intelligence translates into data and database versions of business intelligence. The most popular tools in global industry (from my experience at international companies) are the SQL Cube (Analysis Services) and its correlate, the Excel "Pivot Table".

These tools allow financial and accounting staff and users to see enormous quantities of company sales records in a historical format, sorted in hundreds of different ways at the click of a button. Each summary sort should take about one second per click. That's how data is analyzed today, and that's how many companies spell "Business Intellience."

Of these two tools, the Excel "pivot table" is the most accessible, while the SQL Cube is for specialists. However, in a large company, we cannot have the Excel "pivot table" without an advanced database technician in the IT department providing us with an SQL Cube as our data source.

So, we must learn how to request a specific SQL Cube of sales data (or any statistical data, although sales data is by far the most popular). Learn this, and you'll have employers competing to hire you, IMHO.

Best wishes,
--Paul

Elbert Nieves-Valentin ⋅ Lawrenceville, GA U.S. Army, Sergeant ⋅ 8 years served

Hi Alan,

Thanks for your post. I appreciate the resource for starting a business. I hope to do so one day, but that's kind of a 200 meter target for me right now.

-Elbert

Alan J. Zell ⋅ Portland, OR Attitudes for Selling ⋅ 29 years experience

Elbert, Please excuse the pun, but since none of the others used it, I will, "To me business intelligence is an oxymoron." With that out of the way, now to your question re help with starting a business.

I suggest you call on the free services of SCORE for help starting your business. If you are not familiar with SCORE, the original acronym was Service Corp of Retired Executives. SCORE is made up of 12,000 or more experienced business people spread among 400 chapter/offices in the US. Go to www.score.org and then to the tab, "find a local chapter." Enter your city or zip code and you'll get contact information for the closest chapter(s).

Sorry for the pun.

Alan

Elbert Nieves-Valentin ⋅ Lawrenceville, GA U.S. Army, Sergeant ⋅ 8 years served

Thank you all for responding to my post! I greatly appreciate your time and suggestions.

William,

I am interested in making a transition into BI from a background in corporate security and law enforcement while I was in the Army. I realize this is a big difference so I'm wondering a few things (I have a hundred questions, but I'll limit it to 3):

1) What types of positions develop skills necessary to go into the business side of BI?
2) What types of skills can one work on developing that could be useful (like SQL or other things)?
3) I'm considering a MS program in business intelligence. Do those help somebody trying to get into the field or really just used to help people already in the field toward management?

Again, thanks so much for your post and willingness to answer my questions!

-Elbert

Tom Cal, CFA ⋅ San Francisco, CA Army Veteran, Investment Manager ⋅ 25 years experience

Elbert - I suggest you also request assistance in the "Veteran Mentor Network" group on Linked In. (I often refer Veterans in that group to acp-advisornet and think both sites can be useful)

There are currently 15 members of the "Veteran Mentor Network" group with the words "business intelligence" in their title, and over 250 with those words in their profile.)

http://www.linkedin.com/groups/Veteran-Mentor-Network-4466143/about