How Long Does it Take to Learn Business Analytics?

Like many aspiring Business Analysts, you might want to learn business analytics but worry that it will take too much time. The amount of time it takes to become a Business Analyst depends on how much you study each day. Most individuals who study regularly can learn the skills needed to become a Business Analyst in approximately two to six months. Of course, this estimate depends on several factors. Keep reading to learn about how you can learn business analytics and some resources to help speed the process along.

What is Business Analytics?

Business Analytics is a group of technologies and disciplines, such as quantitative methods, statistical models, and data analysis, which are used to solve business problems. It relies on iteratively and methodologically exploring an organization’s data using statistical analysis techniques to make better, data-driven decisions. This involves a practical application of statistical analysis geared toward uncovering actionable recommendations.

Many companies view their data as a business asset and continue to explore ways to use it for a competitive advantage. To be successful with business analytics, an organization must have good quality data, as well as Business Analysts who not only understands the business but also the technologies needed to transform its data into insights. Business Analysts seek to draw concrete conclusions about a company by finding answers to questions such as why certain events happened, what is expected to occur in the future, and what actions can be done in the present.

Most business analytics tasks are descriptive, predictive, or prescriptive. Descriptive analytics involves analyzing historical data to discover how an organization could respond to specific variables. Predictive analytics examines historical data to predict the likelihood of specific future outcomes. Prescriptive analytics is a combination of descriptive and predictive analyses; it involves formulating a process with which users can anticipate what is expected to happen, when it will occur, and why it will transpire. Business Analysts rely on tools and skills such as data mining, association and sequence identification, text mining, data aggregation, forecasting, optimization, and data visualization to gather and present these data-driven insights.

Read more about what business analytics is and why you should learn it.

What Can You Do with Business Analytics?

Business analytics is one of the most versatile skill sets you can bring to the professional arena. All businesses, from small startups to multinational companies, seek those with a background in business analytics who can work with data to solve complicated problems, devise useful business strategies, and clearly communicate with stakeholders. Most Business Analysts have a background working with technology and programming languages like C++ and Java, as well as various databases and testing methods. These individuals typically possess technical and business skills, making them high-demand among recruiters and employers. 

Business Analysts are typically good problem solvers. They can analyze problems and apply critical thinking to propose innovative solutions that consider variables such as market trends. These individuals also tend to have an analytical mindset, which allows them to apply statistical models to analyze large datasets. Their analytic skills help Business Analysts perform tasks like understanding consumer buying decisions and behaviors and using this information to formulate a marketing strategy.

Business Analysts are usually expert communicators. They can clearly communicate their data findings and present these insights to different teams on both the business and technical sides. This often requires adapting their communication style to best reach different audiences. These individuals also possess time-management skills to balance multiple project deadlines and perform under pressure.

Average Time it Takes to Learn Business Analytics

Like any skill, the time it will take you to learn business analytics depends on several factors. Most people can learn business analytics basics in between two and six months. If you commit to studying on a regular basis, for approximately ten hours/week, you likely will be able to learn business analytics in about 12 weeks. Many training programs are about this length as well. These courses provide hands-on instruction that can make learning skills such as advanced Excel and Tableau much easier.

If you’re completely new to working with big data and are new to the business sector, the estimated time it will take to be a Business Analyst will likely be longer. You’ll need to learn fundamental business concepts, such as how to perform market analysis, data modeling, budgeting, and forecasting. Once you’ve mastered these basics, you’ll need to devote time to studying Excel, learning programming languages like SQL, Python, or R, and working with data visualization tools like Tableau. These are core tools used by Business Analysts. 

In addition to technical and analytics training, another important skill-set Business Analysts must have are soft skills. Time management and organization are two such skills that help Business Analysts manage different tasks and complete projects that may span months. Communication skills are essential as well, so that data insights can be clearly articulated to various stakeholders and decision-makers within an organization. Successful Business Analysts must also be skilled in decision-making since their job often involves weighing the merit of various alternatives. Finally, the art of persuasion is one additional soft skill that helps Business Analysts present their data findings in a manner that can affect change within an organization.

Other Factors

How quickly you learn business analytics will depend on the skills you bring to the learning process, as well as the time you have available to commit to your studies. The more you know about working with big data, using programming languages, and creating Excel spreadsheets, the easier it will be to acquire business analytics proficiency. The following is a brief breakdown of each of these skills, as well as how learning them can help you on your path toward becoming a Business Analyst:

Background with Programming Languages

Business Analysts rely on several programming languages to perform data analytics. In particular, knowledge of R, SQL, and Python is helpful, as these are the most widely used coding languages in this field:

• Python has applications for performing general coding tasks.
• R helps Business Analysts with statistical analysis and analyzing large datasets.
• SQL, or structured query language, helps Business Analysts maintain the data in relational database management systems. 

If you want to brush up on your programming skills before learning business analytics, Noble Desktop has you covered. Its Data Analytics with R Bootcamp is an immersive, five-day course in which participants receive hands-on training with R. Noble’s Python for Data Science Bootcamp is also available. This 30-hour course prepares participants to use statistics to design machine learning models. In addition, Noble’s SQL Bootcamp is an excellent learning opportunity for those who want to learn how to use this coding language to write SQL queries.

Excel Knowledge

More than half of businesses worldwide use Microsoft Excel for data-management tasks. This spreadsheet application is the industry-standard and plays a vital role in the business analytics sector. The following are some of the main uses of Excel for business analytics:

• VLOOKUP has applications for finding values within tables and columns. This function helps Business Analysts avoid having to sort through large datasets manually to locate data, a tedious task that can take hours.
• IF formulas help Business Analysts quickly organize and filter data. These functions are used to filter data based on various criteria, such as grouping competitors based on their yearly revenue, location, or how many social media followers they have.
• Data patterns are everywhere; they’re contained in insurance claims, website traffic, and supply spending. Business Analysts analyze these data so that decision-makers can use their insights to make important business decisions.
• Excel provides a way to extract understandable, pertinent information amid the clutter. This application can format data in an understandable way with the most important data at the forefront. In addition, using charts, graphs, or other visual techniques can also help highlight important numbers and data and can help the audience clearly see these findings.
• PivotTables are one of Excel’s most powerful and useful features for Business Analysts. They provide a way to analyze and summarize data, as well as to perform calculations on these numbers. Once trends are found, they can be visually presented as a data-driven story.

You can learn more about Excel by enrolling in one of Noble Desktop’s in-person or live online Excel Bootcamp. 

Professional Goals

One of the main questions you should ask yourself before beginning a course of business analytics study is what you intend to use these skills for. If you’re new to working with data and are interested in a general overview of this field, beginner-level instruction may suffice, such as YouTube videos and online tutorials. However, if you’re job requires that you perform complex financial modeling tasks or work with Excel’s PivotTables and other more complicated features, you likely will have to have more comprehensive training, which may take longer.

Level of Difficulty, Prerequisites, & Cost 

If you’re new to business analytics, you may wonder how difficult it will be to become a skilled Business Analyst. Technically speaking, business analytics isn’t considered an especially difficult field. Nearly anyone with a math background can train to become a Business Analyst. However, this field draws on more than just technical skills. Most successful Business Analysts also have a background in logic, business strategy, teamwork, and communication. In addition, many Business Analysts elect to complete postgraduate study, such as a master’s degree or a certificate in business analytics. This requires a solid understanding of fields like engineering, statistics, and science. The speed at which you learn business analytics skills will likely depend on your background working with data and data tools. The more familiar you are with statistical concepts and logic, the easier you may find it to learn business analytics.

Learning business analytics is an exciting process that draws from various tools, software, and applications. Business Analysts rely on these tools for tasks like creating decision models, tracking requirements, and managing projects. The following is a breakdown of some of the most commonly used tools for business analytics, as well as the cost associated with using them:

• Microsoft Office provides Business Analysts with several helpful applications and tools they will regularly need, such as Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint. Excel, in particular, is an essential tool for management tracking and is commonly used by mid-sized operations. Subscriptions to Office are available for businesses starting at $6/user/month for Business Basic. Microsoft 365 Apps for Business costs $8.25/user/month. Business Standard is offered for $12.50/user/month. Business Premium can be purchased for $22/user/month. In addition, a free Microsoft 365 trial is also available for those who want to get a feel for working with this suite before committing to purchase. 

• Tableau is the most widely used business intelligence platform currently available. This visual analytics platform was created to help people manage and explore data and to extract and share the insights they uncover. This powerful end-to-end analytics platform is available for different price points. Tableau Creator is offered for $70/user/month, Tableau Explorer costs $42/user/month, Tableau Viewer is $15/user/month, and Tableau Public is free to download. In addition, a free Tableau trial is also available for those who want to explore this product before purchasing it.

• SQL, or structured query language, is a domain-specific programming language used to maintain data from relational database management systems. It is available for free for Testers and Developers who intend to use it only for non-production purposes. Microsoft also offers a free trial of SQL Server 2022 public preview. 

Read about how difficult it is to learn business analytics.

Watch a Free Business Analytics Online Course

Perhaps you want to study business analytics but don’t feel ready to dive into a full course. If this sounds like you, and you’re looking for an overview of business analytics, the good news is you can get started learning for free online with Noble Desktop’s Intro to SQL. This hour-long course is designed for those who are new to working with structured query language and want to learn how to use this programming language to search for data stored in databases. This video provides an overview of what SQL is, why we use databases, and why SQL remains a popular language across industries. A live demo is also included that illustrates how to work with a database and code SQL queries.

Other educational providers also offer free online beginner-friendly business analytics courses: The University of Michigan offers Introduction to Data Analytics for Managers, which is available via edX. Participants in this introductory-level, six-week course work with hands-on exercises, case studies, and lectures for an overview of how data analytics can be applied to business. Instruction is also provided on how to use the graphical development environment instead of complex coding, as well as how to perform data science tasks and interpret the data findings. For those who want to learn more about working with customer data, Wharton University’s Customer Analytics is available via Coursera. Participants in this free five-week class have access to a range of readings and quizzes, as well as 34 videos that provide instruction on working with predictive, descriptive, and prescriptive analytics in the real world with enterprises like Amazon and Google.

LinkedIn Learning’s Become a Business Analytics Expert is just one of more than 16,000 courses in the LinkedIn library that’s available for free for those who have a premium LinkedIn account. Over the course of this 10.5-hour introductory-level course, participants complete 10 modules that provide an overview of the concepts, techniques, and tools necessary to become a Business Analyst. All students receive instruction on topics like meta-analysis, logistic regression and data reduction with Excel and R, and forecasting.

Read more about free business analytics videos and online tutorials.

Learn Business Analytics with Hands-on Training at Noble Desktop

If you want to study business analytics, Noble Desktop offers several excellent classes to prepare you to work as a Business Analyst. Noble’s Business Analyst Certificate is available in both the in-person and live online format. Participants in this hands-on course learn how to work with tools such as Tableau, SQL, PowerPoint, and Excel to analyze and visualize data. All participants receive live, project-based instruction from industry experts and can retake the course for up to one year to revisit the material.

For those who want to learn more about working with big data, Noble also has an in-person and live online Data Analytics Certificate. All participants receive one-on-one mentoring with tuition. This course is available in the full-time format that spans six weeks, as well as the part-time format of 24 weeks of evening classes. This project-based course covers core data analytics concepts and skills like collecting, wrangling, analyzing, and visualizing data. In addition, participants prepare for a career in business analytics or data analytics by reviewing case studies that incorporate both predictive and prescriptive analytics.

Those interested in comparing learning options can also browse Noble’s in-person and live online data analytics and data science classes to find the perfect class.

Key Insights

• The length of time it takes to learn business analytics depends on several factors. Generally, most people can learn the necessary skills in approximately two to six months.
• If you’re studying business analytics for professional reasons rather than to gain a basic overview of the field, it may take longer to fully learn advanced analytics skills, such as Excel formulas and SQL querying.
• Your prior knowledge of programming languages like SQL, R, and Python can help you learn business analytics faster. So too can Excel spreadsheet skills. 
• You can receive comprehensive business analytics training through an in-person or live online course with Noble Desktop.