Which is better, data analyst or business analyst?

Both roles are in demand and well paid. The best option for you will depend on your unique interests, skills, and career goals. If you gravitate more toward mathematics and statistics, then a data analyst position could be a good fit. If you’re more of a business-minded problem solver, consider business analytics instead.

Can a data analyst become a business analyst?

Yes, data analysts can become business analysts (and vice versa). Many of the skills overlap. A data analyst moving into business analytics might want to polish up on their knowledge of business structures and process prototyping. Business analysts who’d like to work more closely with datasets can build their SQL, statistical programming, and data management skills.

Can I become a data analyst with a business degree?

Data analysts come from a range of educational backgrounds. Degrees in mathematics, statistics, and computer science tend to teach the math and analysis skills needed on the job. But a business degree can equip you with the ability to analyze business problems and communicate solutions effectively—also important skills.

Business Analyst vs. Data Analyst: What’s the Difference?

Written by Coursera Staff • Updated on Feb 1, 2025

Learn how data analysts and business analysts work with data to drive better business decisions (and find out which might be a better career fit for you).

Data analysts and business analysts both help drive data-driven decision-making in their organizations. Data analysts work more closely with the data itself, while business analysts are more involved in addressing business needs and recommending solutions. Both are highly sought-after roles that are typically well-compensated.

In this article, we’ll look closer at what makes each role unique and why you might choose to pursue either as a career. Afterward, if either path intrigues you, consider enrolling in the Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate or the Microsoft Business Analyst Professional Certificate to start building job-relevant skills today.

professional certificate

Microsoft Business Analyst

Launch your career as a business analyst. Build job-ready skills for an in-demand career in business analysis in as little as 3 months. No prior experience required to get started.

4.6

(776 ratings)

46,504 already enrolled

Beginner level

Learn More

Average time: 3 month(s)

Learn at your own pace

Skills you'll build:

Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Visio, Business Analysis, Stakeholder Management, Data Analysis, Preparing Data, Pivot Tables, Formulas and Functions, Data Visualization, Business Process, Power BI, Chatbot, Stakeholder Communication, Business Analysis Concepts, Quantitative and Qualitative Analysis Methods, Problem Identification and Analysis, Process Modeling, Data Modeling, Formulate Business Case, Impact Analysis, Gap Analysis, Capability Assessment, Stakeholder Information Gathering, Risk Management, Quality Management, Agile, Project Planning, SCRUM

Business analytics vs. data analytics

Business analysts and data analysts have similar roles, and some companies might use the terms interchangeably. Yet, while both types of analysts use data to improve business decisions, they do so in different ways.

What do business analysts do?

Business analysts help identify problems, opportunities, and solutions for their organizations. They do this by:

Evaluating a company’s current functions and IT structures
Reviewing processes and interviewing team members to identify areas for improvement
Presenting findings and recommendations to management and other key stakeholders
Creating visuals and financial models to support business decisions
Training and coaching staff in new systems

What is a business intelligence (BI) analyst?

BI analysts are somewhat of a hybrid between business and data analysts. They use analysis, modeling, and visualization of industry trends and the competitive landscape to help businesses cut losses and increase profits.

professional certificate

Tableau Business Intelligence Analyst

Launch your career in Data Analytics. Build in-demand skills and gain credentials to go from beginner to job-ready in 8 months or less. No degree or prior experience required.

4.7

(756 ratings)

42,966 already enrolled

Beginner level

Learn More

Average time: 8 month(s)

Learn at your own pace

Skills you'll build:

Data Analysis, Presentation Skills, Reporting Skills, data visualizations, Tableau Software, Data Management, Data Manipulation, Tableau Data Analytics, Data Analysis Reporting, Tableau Public Platform, Data Insights, Data Visualization, Interactive Tables, Preprocess Data, Data Visualization Fundamentals, Data Restructuring, Business Analysis, Business Process Model, Requirements Elicitation, Business Requirements Documentation, Stakeholder Identification, Data Architecture, Data Governance, Data Sources, Data Analytics Lifecycle, Foundational Project Management, Data Literacy, Interactive Data Visualization, Spatial Analytics, Advanced Data Visualizations, Data storytelling, Interactive Dashboards, Data Presentations

What do data analysts do?

Data analysts gather, clean, analyze, visualize, and present existing data to help inform business decisions. An effective data analyst uses data to answer a question and empower decision-makers to plot the best course of action. Common tasks for a data analyst might include:

Working with business leaders and stakeholders to define a problem or business need
Identifying and sourcing data
Cleaning and preparing data for analysis
Analyzing data for patterns and trends
Visualizing data to make it easier to understand
Presenting data in such a way that it tells a compelling story

Learn more about the job of a data analyst in this lecture from Google's Data Analytics Professional Certificate:

Educational background

Business and data analysts can come from various academic backgrounds, though many companies look for candidates with at least a bachelor’s degree. Generally speaking, business analysts might have a degree in a business-related field, while data analysts often have degrees in STEM fields like statistics, math, or computer science.

Earning a graduate degree focusing on data analytics could open opportunities for advancement in either field.

No degree is required for some entry-level roles

Earn a Professional Certificate in data analytics from Google or IBM to build the skills necessary for an entry-level data analyst role in less than six months of study.

Skills: Business vs. data analyst

Data analytics and business analytics require similar interpersonal skills but slightly different technical skill sets. Whichever path you choose, for example, you can set yourself up for success by being a good:

Oral and written communicator
Problem solver
Critical thinker
Organizer
Collaborator

While both occupations work with data, they do so in different ways. Here’s a look at some common skills for each.

Data analyst	Business analyst
Data analysis	Needs analysis
Statistics	Prototyping
Knowledge of data structures	Knowledge of business structures
SQL and statistical programming	Microsoft Visio and software design tools

professional certificate

Meta Data Analyst

Launch your career in data analytics. Build job-ready skills – and must-have AI skills – for an in-demand career. Earn a credential from Meta in 5 months or less. No degree or prior experience required.

4.7

(654 ratings)

31,715 already enrolled

Beginner level

Learn More

Average time: 5 month(s)

Learn at your own pace

Skills you'll build:

SQL, Pandas, Generative AI in Data Analytics, Data Analysis, Python Programming, Marketing, Data Management, Data Visualization, Linear Regression, Statistical Analysis, Statistical Hypothesis Testing, Spreadsheet, Tableau Software

Salaries

The in-demand skills involved in data and business analysis often draw high salaries. According to Glassdoor, business analysts in the US earn an average base pay of $93,742 as of January 2025, while data analysts bring in an average base pay of $85,913 [1,2].

Build your data career on Coursera

Business and data analysts use their knowledge of data to help organizations make better, more informed decisions. Prepare for your data career with one of these job-relevant programs on Coursera:

To prepare for a career as a data analyst, consider taking Google's Data Analytics Professional Certificate. In as little as six months, you'll gain an immersive understanding of the practices and processes used by junior data analysts, build key analytical skills, and learn how to visualize and present data findings in dashboards.

To launch your career as a business analyst, enroll in Microsoft's Business Analyst Professional Certificate. Learn how to identify and analyze business problems, use Microsoft Excel for data analysis and visualization, and model business processes in as little as three months.

To advance your data or business analyst career , explore the Google Business Intelligence Professional Certificate. In this advanced-level program, you'll practice data modeling and ETL processes, create dashboards that communicate insights, and design data visualization that answers business questions.

professional certificate

Google Data Analytics

Get on the fast track to a career in Data Analytics. In this certificate program, you’ll learn in-demand skills, and get AI training from Google experts. Learn at your own pace, no degree or experience required.

4.8

(152,694 ratings)

2,625,957 already enrolled

Beginner level

Learn More

Average time: 6 month(s)

Learn at your own pace

Skills you'll build:

Data Analysis, Creating case studies, Data Visualization, Data Cleansing, Developing a portfolio, Data Collection, Spreadsheet, Metadata, SQL, Data Ethics, Data Aggregation, Data Calculations, R Markdown, R Programming, Rstudio, Tableau Software, Presentation, Data Integrity, Sample Size Determination, Decision-Making, Problem Solving, Questioning

professional certificate