BI consultant: missions, skills, training

Data is key to success, hiring a Business Intelligence (BI) consultant is becoming imperative to propel your business to new heights.

The BI consultant goes beyonddata analysis to become the driver of innovation, operational efficiency, and growth.

If you are looking for a BI consultant, do not hesitate to contact us!

What is a BI consultant?

A Business Intelligence consultant is a professional who specializes in the analysis and management of data within a company. Its role is crucial in optimizing decision-making processes by exploiting relevant information.

Role of the BI consultant in your business

The BI consultant has a large number of strategic and operational missions, all crucial for the optimization of decision-making processes within a company.

Analysis of functional and technical needs

The BI consultant must start each project with an in-depth analysis of the functional and technical needs of the company. This phase is essential and allows him to understand the specific requirements of the organization, both operationally and strategically.

Location of production data

It is responsible for accurately locating the production data necessary for analysis and decision-making. This involves mapping all data sources within the company to ensure comprehensive and relevant information collection.

Definition of technical specifications

The business intelligence consultant develops detailed technical specifications based on identified needs. This step is crucial to ensure the consistency and compatibility of the solutions implemented with the company's existing infrastructure.

Setting up the architecture

Creating a robust and scalable architecture is a key competency for a BI consultant. He must ensure that the infrastructure put in place is adapted to the current and future needs of the company, while guaranteeing the security and performance of the systems.

Development of integration processes

The BI consultant is responsible for the comprehensive development of integration processes. This includes creating data feeds and implementing aggregation mechanisms to ensure the consistency of information throughout the analysis process.

Modeling and enrichment of data warehouses and datamarts

Modeling data warehouses and datamarts is a crucial step in ensuring effective data organization. The BI consultant ensures the creation of adapted structures, allowing optimal exploitation of information for each specific function of the company.

Support for the client throughout the project

Finally, the BI consultant plays a supporting role throughout the project. He stays in contact with the client, ensuring transparent communication, and adapting to any changes or adjustments necessary to ensure the success of the project as a whole. This collaborative approach reinforces customer satisfaction and the sustainability of the solutions put in place.

The skills

Hard Skills

The BI consultant must demonstrate a mastery of decision-making tools such as SAP, Sybase, Oracle, Oracle, Datastage, Informatica, Microsoft, Performance Point, Business Objects, Business Objects, Cognos, or even Hyperion.

In addition, it is imperative that he has accounting skills, allowing him to perform accurate reporting as well as statutory consolidation operations.

His responsibility also includes the establishment and rigorous monitoring of a balanced scorecard (TBP), as well as the execution of datamining processes to extract important information from the available data.

Soft Skills

The BI consultant is distinguished by his meticulousness and his analytical mind. It must quickly detect errors, manage models and procedures, coordinate projects, and provide teams with the information they need.

His autonomy and efficiency as a diagnosticist are assets in determining the needs of the company and offering efficient technical solutions.

Its ability to innovate facilitates the continuous adaptation of database use models.

He must demonstrate careful listening to fully understand the requirements of the company and the teams involved in the project. In addition, a clear and effective communication facility, whether during the presentation of results, technical explanations or the coordination of actions within the team is necessary.

Advantages and disadvantages of working as a BI consultant

Advantages:

The contribution of the BI consultant is indispensable in the realization of business projects.
It allows the rationalization of existing methods, thus increasing operational efficiency.
By using computer technologies, he contributes to the positive evolution of the company.
In addition, thanks to the judicious use of data, it offers adapted solutions that meet the specific needs of customers.

Disadvantages:

However, it should be noted that the BI consultant profession can be quite stressful due to the complexity of projects.
In addition, a thorough understanding of numerous database management software is required, which can be a challenge.
Handling large volumes of information is a daily reality, requiring a significant workload.
Finally, fluency in English is essential, adding a linguistic dimension to the list of requirements of the profession.

Salary and career prospects

Remuneration varies according to experience. A junior BI consultant can receive around 40,000 euros per year in gross terms, while an expert can receive up to 80,000 euros per year in gross terms. The average daily rate (TJM) varies between 450 euros for a junior and 1000 euros for an expert.

Development perspectives

The career prospects for a BI consultant include roles as a trainer, sharing expertise, and consultant project manager, where he orchestrates project management. These opportunities offer a way to broaden skills and contribute significantly to the success of business initiatives, opening paths to rewarding career advancement.

Training and prerequisites

To become a BI consultant, a Bac+5 education is often required, with degrees from business, computer, or engineering schools.

In addition, certifications in the field, such as those provided by Microsoft, Oracle, or SAS, strengthen the credibility of the BI consultant in the market.

If you want to recruit a freelance BI consultant to your teams, contact us!