#369 How to Become a Top Business Intelligence Analyst | Helen Wall, Founder at Helen Data Design & Microsoft Influencer

Business intelligence has never been only about building charts and writing queries. Most of the work that makes a report trustworthy happens below the surface — in the data models, documentation, and stakeholder conversations that users never see. For analysts, technical skill is just the starting point; understanding what the business actually needs, and why a number exists, matters just as much. So what really separates a competent analyst from a great one? How do you build something that answers the right question, not just any question? And which skills are worth investing in first?
Helen Wall is the founder of Helen Data Design and a Microsoft-recognized business intelligence expert and LinkedIn Learning instructor. A former actuary, she has worked across financial reporting, weather data, and consulting projects, and has maintained a running list of monthly Power BI updates for close to five years. She studied math and economics at the University of Washington, and focuses on where data analytics meets design.
In the episode, Richie and Helen explore what separates a great business intelligence analyst from an average one, the iceberg model of analytics work, building and using semantic layers, taking over messy legacy projects, documenting for both humans and AI agents, how Power BI has changed over five years, keeping AI outputs consistent and cost-effective, accountability in the age of agents, and much more.
Links Mentioned in the Show:
•linkedin.com/in/helenrmwall/Connect with Helen (linkedin.com/in/helenrmwall)
•microsoft.com/en-us/research/group/ai-for-good… AI for Good Lab (microsoft.com/en-us/research/group/ai-for-good…)
•learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/fundamental… BI monthly feature updates (learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/fundamental…)
•learn.microsoft.com/en-us/analysis-services/an… Server Analysis Services (learn.microsoft.com/en-us/analysis-services/an…)
•learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/create-repo… BI Q&A visual (learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/create-repo…)
•learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dax/DAX (Data Analysis Expressions) (learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dax)
•datacamp.com/courses/introduction-to-ai-for-wo… Course: Intro to AI for Work (datacamp.com/courses/introduction-to-ai-for-work)
•datacamp.com/podcast/the-data-teams-agentic-fu… Episode: The Data Team's Agentic Future with Ketan Karkhanis, CEO at ThoughtSpot (datacamp.com/podcast/the-data-teams-agentic-fu…)
New to DataCamp?
• Learn on the go using thedatacamp.com/mobileDataCamp mobile app (datacamp.com/mobile)
• Empower your business with world-class data and AI skills withdatacamp.com/businessDataCamp for business (datacamp.com/business)