What’s the Difference Between Data Analytics and Business Analytics?
Some people use business analytics and data analytics to refer to the same field, but there are significant differences between the two areas.
Data analytics refers to the process of analyzing large amounts of data to make predictions and gain actionable insights. This is a very math-heavy role that involves complicated statistical calculations. Data analysts focus on reaching conclusions from data, so they need a strong background in mathematics to excel in this role.
Business analytics involves using data and statistical analysis to understand a business’s performance and recommend future actions and initiatives. Business analytics is similar to data analytics in that it focuses on using data to drive decision-making, but it focuses more specifically on business drivers and how to improve a company’s efficiency and processes. Having a solid understanding of math and business concepts is critical for this role.
In contrast with business analysts, data analytics professionals are more focused on data, programming and statistical analysis. They’re concerned with efficiently analyzing data and making recommendations based on their analyses, while business analysts are more focused on the practical changes resulting from the data analysis findings.
Another critical difference is the level of communication needed for success in each role. Professional business analysts might work with multiple departments to implement required business changes, while data analysts often work independently to generate insights and reports.
If you’re interested in learning more about data analytics, Berkeley Data Analytics Boot Camp provides the training needed to qualify for data analyst or business analyst roles. This boot camp will teach you specialized skills that can help you get started in data analysis, covering topics including Excel, Python, machine learning, SQL, forecasting and the fundamentals of statistics for data analysis.