S.P.P.U has added brand new and trending specialisation called as “Business Analytics” in
M.B.A syllabus. It is the process of transforming the data into business insights by collecting,
combining, sorting, processing, and using statistical models and methodologies. It has a set of
disciplines and technologies for solving business problems using data analysis, statistical
models and other quantitative methods.
For the Data-driven companies their data is a business asset. They constantly look for the
ways to turn it into a competitive advantage. Data quality, skilled analysts defines the success
with business analytics. Companies’ require analysts who understands the technologies and
the business, and a commitment to using data to gain insights that inform business decisions.
Business analysts must have a mixture of hard and soft skills. A business analyst does not
need a deep understanding of IT but does need to understand how systems work together.
Some business analysts choose to move from an IT-centric role into a BA role.
There are four primary methods of business analysis:
Descriptive:
The interpretation of historical data to identify trends and patterns
Diagnostic:
The interpretation of historical data to determine why something has happened
Predictive:
The use of statistics to forecast future outcomes
Prescriptive:
The application of testing and other techniques to determine which outcome
will yield the best result in a given scenario.
These four types of business analytics methods can be used individually or in tandem to
analyse past efforts and improve future business performance.
Roles and responsibilities in business analytics
Business analytics professionals' main responsibility is to collect and analyse data to
influence strategic decisions that a business makes. Some initiatives they might provide
analysis for include the following:
Identifying strategic opportunities from data patterns;
Identifying potential problems facing the business and solutions;
Creating a budget and business forecast;
Monitoring progress with business initiatives;
Understanding regulatory and reporting requirements.
When recruiting for these jobs, employers typically look for the following capabilities:
Ability to perform cost-benefit analysis;
Familiarity with process modelling;
Analytical problem-solving;
A basic understanding of IT systems, including databases;