Foundations of Business Intelligence Course Syllabus

Overview: This course provides a practical introduction to the foundations of business intelligence (BI), designed to equip learners with the skills to plan, document, and communicate BI projects effectively. Through real-world scenarios and hands-on activities, you'll explore the BI lifecycle, key tools, and stakeholder engagement strategies. The course spans approximately 14 hours across four modules, culminating in a project that synthesizes insights into stakeholder-ready deliverables. Ideal for those pursuing roles in BI analysis, engineering, or data-driven decision-making.

Module 1: Data-Driven Results Through BI

Estimated time: 6 hours

• Define the role and responsibilities of BI professionals
• Distinguish business intelligence from general data analytics
• Understand the stages of the BI process lifecycle
• Explore common BI toolsets and platforms
• Build foundational BI documentation and project roadmaps

Module 2: BI Tools & Techniques

Estimated time: 2 hours

• Identify key BI tools for rapid monitoring and reporting
• Engage stakeholders through collaboration frameworks
• Map the end-to-end BI project pipeline
• Set up a professional portfolio for career development
• Create a mentorship plan for growth in BI roles

Module 3: Context Is Crucial for Insights

Estimated time: 3 hours

• Analyze data limitations including velocity and accuracy
• Evaluate timeliness versus contextual relevance of data
• Design meaningful metrics aligned with business goals
• Apply context-driven thinking using case studies (e.g., Cyclistic, Google Fiber)
• Refine BI project documents based on real-world constraints

Module 4: End-of-Course BI Project

Estimated time: 3 hours

• Plan a BI project using stakeholder requirements
• Analyze a real-world business scenario
• Synthesize findings into a stakeholder-ready format
• Submit a comprehensive BI requirements document
• Present actionable insights supported by contextual analysis

Prerequisites

• Familiarity with basic data concepts
• Understanding of business operations and decision-making
• Interest in data-driven roles or analytics careers

What You'll Be Able to Do After

• Define the role of BI professionals and differentiate BI from data analytics
• Navigate the BI project lifecycle with structured documentation
• Select and justify metrics based on business context
• Communicate effectively with stakeholders using BI frameworks
• Produce a stakeholder-ready BI project plan grounded in real-world scenarios