◆ Data & Analytics

What a bi developer
really does.

20 tasks, each one witnessed by the sources that watched the job — and behind every one, a prompt you can use tonight.

20evidenced tasks
1,687,890in the US (2025)
$135,980median pay / year
7systems it runs on
See the 20 tasks ↓Open in the atlasThe full career map →
This is what one task looks like here
Build, test, and deploy software solutions
Build, test and deploy the reporting API: implement the service using …4 sources agree

The shape of the day

tap a movement to see its tasks

Which one is you, right now?

Pick the moment · no score, no sign-up
Which moment is you right now?
Whichever you pick, the task behind it opens below.

The work, task by task

20 tasks
Hands on the work11
Evaluate feasibility of software projects+
Evaluate the feasibility of the predictive churn project by estimating data availability, required transformations, compute needs, prototype a baseline model, produce cost and timeline estimates, and present recommendations to the product manager on Monday.
jdonetwiki3 agree
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
Program all kinds of software systems+
Implement the new billing module: scaffold the service, write the API endpoints, add unit tests for core logic, integrate with the existing auth layer, and open a merge request with design notes so QA can start smoke testing on Monday.
escojd2 agree
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
Support users in using software applications+
Help the sales CRM users resolve the dashboard errors they're seeing by reproducing the issue on the latest build, documenting the steps and screenshots, mapping each error to the failing service and expected behavior, and post the findings to the support channel by 5pm today.
wiki
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
Utilise computer-aided software engineering tools+
Set up a new model project using the engineering toolchain, scaffold the repository with architecture diagrams, generate component-level interfaces and service contracts, and produce a one-page design brief and README for the team review on Thursday.
esco
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
Collaborate with team members on development projects+
Run a paired session with Anton and Mei to walk through the new dashboard feature, share the architecture diagram, assign unit test ownership, capture open questions in the project board, and agree next steps with deadlines for the sprint demo.
jd
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
Ensure software security and data protection+
Audit the analytics pipeline for security gaps: check credential rotation, table-level permissions, encryption at rest and in transit, document findings with remediation steps, and book a 30-minute review with the security lead on Thursday.
jd
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
Release software updates and versions+
Coordinate the versioned release of the analytics service: tag the release, publish the migration scripts, notify downstream data consumers, and deploy the migration during the Friday maintenance window with rollback instructions in the runbook.
wiki
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
Plan and install new software systems+
Plan the new analytics platform: list required services, estimate compute and storage needs for 12 months, propose migration phases, include rollback criteria and a fortnightly rollout schedule for review with Raj in ops and Maria in security.
jdonet2 agree
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
Grow the practice3
Watch and assess2
Keep the record2
Work with people1
Keep it safe1

What the work runs on

named inside the evidenced tasks
5 tasksAlteryxenables building and orchestrating data workflows and preparing datasets for reporting services used by the API
5 tasksAmazon Elastic Compute Cloud EC2provides the compute instances for prototyping models and estimating processing requirements
5 tasksAmazon Web Services AWS CloudFormationtemplates and infrastructure definitions illustrate deployment and release steps in the process document
3 tasksAmazon Redshiftstores and runs the analytics SQL queries to validate performance and spot anti-patterns during review
2 tasksAJAXfetches and reproduces frontend interactions and async requests to diagnose user-facing errors
2 tasksAmazon DynamoDBrepresents the data store whose access patterns and encryption settings you will review for protection measures
1 taskAdobe Acrobatassembles and secures the spec change log and attachments into a single review-ready document
Browse every evidenced software task →

The same task, four heights

this page is height one
ExecuteDo today's task, with fewer mistakesyou are here → ImproveMake it easy for the next person to acceptin the atlas → DecideWork out the right move when it is unclearin the atlas → BecomeLearn the pattern so it stops coming backin the atlas →

Can AI actually do this job?

the honest answer

It can

where it genuinely helps
  • Explain the theory behind the work
  • Draft, tidy and structure your writing
  • Rehearse a hard conversation before you have it
  • Build a study plan that fits your gaps

It cannot

where it stops, completely
  • Be in the room where a bi developer actually works
  • Carry the responsibility when the call is wrong — that weight stays yours
  • Notice what no one wrote down: the hesitation, the thing left unsaid
  • Live with the outcome

What the work pays

two countries, two different measures

United States

this exact occupation · BLS 2025
  • $135,980 a year — the middle: half earn more, half earn less
  • The lowest tenth earn near $82,460; the top tenth near $214,670
  • 1,687,890 people employed in this occupation

India

the occupation GROUP, not this job · PLFS via ILOSTAT 2025
  • ₹38,298 a month — the median for Professionals, the group this work sits in
  • India publishes pay by broad occupation group, so this covers many jobs besides this one. It is a shape, not a salary.
read this carefullyThese two numbers are not comparable and must not be converted into each other. One is a yearly figure for this job alone; the other is a monthly figure for a whole family of jobs. What travels between them is the pattern, not the amount: experience lifts pay almost everywhere.

Where the evidence lives

open any of it yourself
O*NETThe US Department of Labor's own record of this job8 of these tasks ESCOThe European skills and occupations register4 of these tasks Job descriptionsReal postings, in the wild13 of these tasks WikipediaHow the world describes this work9 of these tasks US Bureau of Labor StatisticsPay and employment, by occupation2025 figures UK NOS ESKITP5023Software Development Level 3 Rolenational standard UK NOS ESKITP5026Software Development Level 6 Rolenational standard

Close to this work

12 nearby
Data & AnalyticsFinancial Analyst26 evidenced tasks Data & AnalyticsExperimentation Analyst26 evidenced tasks Data & AnalyticsData Governance Analyst26 evidenced tasks Data & AnalyticsR Analyst26 evidenced tasks Data & AnalyticsCrm Analyst26 evidenced tasks Data & AnalyticsWeb Analyst26 evidenced tasks Data & AnalyticsGrowth Analyst26 evidenced tasks Data & AnalyticsProduct Analyst25 evidenced tasks

Questions people actually ask

You’ll split time between building data pipelines, writing queries, and creating dashboards. Mornings often start with checking overnight ETL jobs and monitoring performance in tools like Amazon Redshift or Alteryx.

Afternoons go to developing or updating reports, reviewing code with teammates, and meeting users to clarify requirements. Expect some deployment tasks (AWS EC2 or CloudFormation) and fixing bugs found after release.

You’ll commonly use Alteryx for data prep and Amazon Redshift for analytical storage and fast queries. Use DynamoDB when you need a NoSQL table for low-latency lookups.

EC2 and CloudFormation show up when you deploy services or scheduling workers. Learn SQL for Redshift, workflow building in Alteryx, and basic AWS deployment (EC2/CloudFormation).

Use AI for code snippets, SQL templates, or suggesting transformations, but never paste raw sensitive data into public AI chat tools. Treat models like a junior teammate that needs review.

Keep data on approved systems (Redshift, DynamoDB) and follow your org’s security rules. If using AI inside the company, ensure it runs in a private, audited environment and that outputs are reviewed before release.

Start with SQL and basic data modeling—practice on Amazon Redshift-compatible engines or local Postgres. Learn Alteryx if your target company uses it, or practice ETL with Python and pandas.

Also learn basics of AWS: spin up an EC2 instance and read CloudFormation templates. Build small projects: a pipeline that pulls CSVs, transforms them, and loads them into Redshift, then make a simple dashboard.

A BI Developer sits between data engineering and business analysis. Unlike a Data Engineer, you focus more on reports, dashboards, and transforming data for analytics rather than building large-scale data infrastructure.

Compared with a Business Analyst, you write code, maintain ETL, and deploy systems (e.g., Redshift, EC2, Alteryx). You’ll also design UI/UX for dashboards and support users directly.

SQL and data modeling are the core—most tasks (storing, retrieving, manipulating data) depend on strong SQL for Redshift or similar databases. That skill matters most for performance and correct analysis.

AWS deployment knowledge (EC2, CloudFormation) and tools like Alteryx help you run and scale solutions. UI/UX skills matter for user adoption but come after solid data and query abilities.