Research Outline

BI/Analytics Learning

Goals

To identify the books on the fundamental knowledge of BI/Analytics and identify the Bootcamps or University courses on Microsoft Power BI. This assists with learning BI/Analytics from scratch.

Early Findings

  • There is a variety of books on BI and analytics in the market, which suit the need of different types of readers. For example, "Business Intelligence For Dummies" by Swain Scheps is suitable for people who do not know BI and analytics. Another book written by Victor Finch is "Data Analytics For Beginners: Your Ultimate Guide To Learn And Master Data Analysis", which focuses on the fundamental knowledge of BI.
  • "Business Intelligence Guidebook: From Data Integration To Analytics" by Rick Sherman covers the comprehensive content of a BI project. ranging from business to technical aspects. Among the 12 books recommended by Datapine, there are books specifically focusing on dashboards and data warehouses.
  • "Business Intelligence in Plain Language: A practical guide to Data Mining and Business Analytics" by Jeremy Kolb is a book similar to Business Intelligence For Dummies. It covers all the fundamentals of BI, such as data warehousing, with a focus on data mining and business analytics.
  • Microsoft Power BI and Tableau are popular BI tools. There are two books written on them, namely "Microsoft Power BI Complete Reference: Bring your data to life with the powerful features of Microsoft Power BI" by Brian Knight; "Learning Tableau 10: Business Intelligence and data visualization that brings your business into focus, 2nd edition" by Joshua N. Milligan.
  • In 2017, IBM recommended 10 books for beginners to learn about analytics.
  • A book published in 2015 on "Fundamentals of Business Intelligence" by Wilfried Grossmann and Stefanie Rinderle-Ma focuses on the underlying business process of transforming data into information.
  • Regarding the Bootcamps or training courses on Microsoft PowerBI, there is a variety of choices delivered online and/or in the classroom. For example, courses offered by CPRIME, The Knowledge Academy, Simplilearn Solutions, and TechChange.
  • Some university courses on Power BI are offered in live in-person and/or online sessions. For example, the University of Sydney and Ryerson University.
  • Concerning the courses on how to use the Power BI tool, Microsoft offers some free learning material online, while a course is available on Udemy suitable for learners from beginner to advanced levels.

Summary of Initial Findings

  • The initial hour of research has identified a variety of books, Bootcamps, and training courses in the space of BI and analytics. Although they cover the fundamental concepts and practices in BI and analytics, content associated with data warehousing and mining appears to be more suitable for advanced learners than beginner or intermediate learners.