Today, it’s impossible to make sound business decisions without having concrete data to support them. Thanks to the enormous amount of data businesses generate via digital means, there is an abundance of information available to help strategists and leaders determine the best course of action. But knowing how to use that data effectively isn’t always the easiest task.
That’s where business intelligence (BI) comes in. The BI team consists of roles like data analysts and solutions architects, along with BI developers, who work together to translate complex information into usable, deployable solutions for companies.
The BI developer, in particular, plays a critical role in translating data and helping businesses gather, visualize, and understand the information they have in order to make more informed decisions and continually refine their processes.
What does a BI developer do?
The BI developer wears several hats but, at its core, the role is about making data and insights more digestible. These professionals develop and use technologies to present data through reports, graphs, maps, infographics, dashboards, and other visualizations, helping their colleagues understand the material in an accessible way. They are often responsible both for building the platforms to present these findings and generating materials with them.
BI developers also examine businesses’ current processes and systems and devise ways of improving them. They collaborate with the rest of the BI team and other colleagues to solve diverse problems.
What should you look for in a BI developer?
The role and responsibilities of a BI developer can vary significantly based on the needs of the particular organization. Still, you should always look for someone with extensive software development and data analysis experience, along with the knowledge of building and using databases. They should have used BI tools in the past, as well as created BI products.
Specific tools and programming languages with which the BI developer must be equipped will most likely depend on the types of projects you expect them to undertake. Gear your requirements to your organization’s stacks.
Interview Questions
How does the developer fit into the BI team?
All members of the BI team play a critical role in transforming data into actionable insights and information. The developer may perform different types of functions depending on the needs of the organization, but they often play a foundational role in creating new technologies for the team to use, such as reporting tools and visualizations, and scaling and optimizing existing ones. As the technical mind on the team, a BI developer may also advise management on what tools are necessary for improving their data collection and analysis methods.
What BI tools do you use?
There are a number of excellent BI tools on the market. Some of the standouts include:
Datapine
SAP Business Objects
Domo
MicroStrategy
Tableau
Oracle Hyperion
Microsoft Power BI
SAS Business Intelligence
Explain OLAP
An acronym for online analytical processing, OLAP streamlines the process of data collection. It is the foundation of many critical BI details and processes. The technology allows you to gather insights and consider the data from different perspectives. Using it, you can make better, quicker decisions. Often, a physical cube is used to represent the technology.
Describe the components of BI architecture
There are a number of components that make up BI architecture and the overall system. Some of the main ones are:
Data warehouse
ETL
OLAP
Data sources
Enterprise information management
Data modeling
What is a dashboard in the BI context?
A dashboard is a collection of your visualizations that displays key information at a glance. You can rearrange and adjust the layout to prioritize certain elements that take precedence over others. The data is typically updated instantaneously, so when you log in, you’ll see up-to-date information all in one view.
Job Description
We are looking for an experienced BI developer to create data analytics tools and platforms and translate requirements into technical specifications. You should have a background in both business analysis and software development. The selected candidate will help us enhance our overall business intelligence (BI) strategy and systems.
Responsibilities
- Build new and update existing BI tools, platforms, and solutions
- Effectively translate requirements and needs into technology
- Create data-storage and analytics tools
- Develop tools for creating data visualizations
- Conduct audits of existing data and BI software
- Collaborate with other BI and development team members
- Communicate with stakeholders
- Update documentation
- Develop queries
- Create BI reports and reporting tools
- Catalog and update an inventory
- Unit-test and debug all systems
- Establish and refine processes as needed
Skills and Qualifications
- At least 4 years experience working as a business intelligence developer
- Analytical, communication, teamwork, presentation,
- Strong attention to detail
- Experience using BI, analytics, and reporting tools
- Knowledge of SQL
- Knowledge of data warehouse design
- Data mining and extraction experience
- Knowledge of ETL tools
- Experience in denormalization
- Experience programming with Java, JavaScript, C#, Python, and C++
- Bachelor’s degree in computer science or a related field
