Business analytics vs data analtics

WHICH DATA CAREER MATCHES YOUR AMBITION?

When you hear the terms "Business Analytics" and "Data Analytics," they might sound similar, but they serve different purposes, especially when you’re looking at courses we offer here at Flinders University.

If you're in high school and interested in working with data, it's helpful to understand what makes these two fields distinct, so you can pick the right path for your future. Let’s break it down.

What is business analytics?

Business Analytics is all about using data to make better business decisions. Think of it as a blend of business strategy and data science. Business analysts take huge amounts of data and use different methods to figure out patterns and trends that help companies improve their performance. For example, they might help a retail store decide which products to stock based on customer behaviour or assist a hospital in improving patient care by analysing healthcare data.

What do business analysts do?

Collect and interpret data: You’ll gather data from various sources, such as customer feedback or financial records.
Make informed decisions: You’ll use data to recommend ways for businesses to grow, operate more efficiently, and solve problems.
Work across industries: Business Analytics isn’t limited to one type of industry. From healthcare to finance to tech, your skills can be applied in various fields.
Bridge the gap between IT and business: Data analysts work closely with IT professionals to ensure that the data systems align with the organisation's goals.

At Flinders University, you’ll learn how to handle real-world business challenges using powerful tools like Power BI, SQL, and Python. Plus, you’ll get hands-on experience through simulations and up to 12 weeks of industry placements, preparing you for roles in business analyst, business intelligence specialist, market analyst and more.

Sound like you? Then let’s get started.

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What is data analytics?

Data Analytics, especially as part of the Bachelor of Information Technology (Data Analytics) at Flinders, is more focused on the technical side of working with data. It’s about managing and interpreting large sets of complex data to solve problems or generate insights. A data analyst could be responsible for creating systems to collect and store data, or designing algorithms to make sense of all that information.

What do Data Analysts do?

Develop systems for data analysis: You’ll create the technical tools and systems that allow businesses to handle huge amounts of data.
Offer solutions based on data: You’ll help companies make data-driven decisions by interpreting raw data and turning it into actionable insights.
Maintain data quality standards: You’ll ensure data integrity and accuracy by setting up checks and validation systems.

At Flinders, you’ll be trained to become a tech-savvy professional, ready to build systems that can handle enormous amounts of information. You could end up working as a data engineer, a database administrator, or even a data consultant.

Dive into the world of data and discover your path.

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