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Reporting Analyst Duties and Responsibilities

Though reporting analysts work in a wide variety of fields, ranging from healthcare to financial services, their core duties are the same across industries:

Gather and Input Data Reporting analysts gather and maintain a wide array of data-related business processes and reporting. This involves both entering information into existing databases and creating new processes and programs to accurately input and store critical data. They also work with data structures and metadata to ensure consistency, security, and accessibility.

Analyze Information Reporting analysts take an active role in data analysis and interpretation. Depending on the industry, this can include analyzing customer behavior provided by sales teams, financial data and forecasts, or employee data provided by human resources departments. Reporting analysts frequently need to exercise sound judgment while analyzing and interpreting data to ensure a high level of accuracy, timeliness, and usefulness for business leaders.

Prepare Reports Reporting analysts prepare business documents and presentations for upper management and executives. They use data-gathering and modeling strategies to provide an overview of new processes and enhanced procedures for business-wide reporting. They also prepare the actual business reports, which include data on sales, customers, and financial performance.

Design Data Management and Reporting Tools Many reporting analysts also play a direct role in designing and developing reporting tools that are then deployed across the organization. They may develop databases and systems for inputting, managing, and securing an organization's data. They use their familiarity with SQL and servers to design and deploy these systems, frequently collaborating with IT professionals to troubleshoot systems and train employees on their use.

Collaborate with Business Teams and Leadership Reporting analysts frequently work across business lines, conferring with managers and executives to gather requirements and specifications while developing enhanced data and reporting tools. They work directly with team leaders to gain a better sense of the current shortcomings in reporting technology and devise solutions to enhance reporting and data management.

Conduct System and Database Audits To ensure a high level of security, accuracy, and efficiency, reporting analysts conduct routine audits of data storage systems and databases, conducting many tests and analyzing the results before devising new solutions or finding ways to enhance data management solutions.

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Reporting Analyst Skills and Qualifications

The reporting analyst's role is data-driven, requiring a high level of attention to detail. Companies typically hire candidates who have bachelor's degrees in finance or computer science, along with the following skills:
  • Data management - reporting analysts should have extensive familiarity with data management principles and practices, including metadata management and data access technologies
  • Analysis - to rigorously and effectively examine large quantities of data and derive insights from these data sets
  • System architecture - reporting analysts are frequently tasked with designing database and data management systems for company-wide deployment
  • Written and verbal communication - to communicate across business lines and report on findings and processes to executives and employees
  • Problem-solving - to find solutions to an organization's data management and reporting problems and to be able to adapt and modify solutions based on changing requirements
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Reporting Analyst Education and Training

Reporting analysts come from a variety of educational backgrounds, but most have a bachelor's degree in a field closely related to data management or business, such as computer science or finance. Many companies also seek candidates who have completed a graduate degree in a related field. An applicant with an undergraduate degree in computer science and a master's in business administration would be well-prepared for this role. Because every organization has different reporting and data management needs, there are significant opportunities for on-the-job-training in this role.
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Reporting Analyst Salary and Outlook

Both Glassdoor and PayScale have gathered data related to reporting analyst salaries. Glassdoor estimates that reporting analysts earn an average of $52,898 per year based on 1,369 reports. PayScale estimates an annual salary of $56,751 with 1,455 workers reporting. Both estimate that the lowest 10 percent of workers in this field earn $41,000 annually. Glassdoor estimates that the highest earners make $71,000 per year, while PayScale reports some salaries closer to $80,000 annually. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not provide employment outlook information for this specific role, but budget analysts roles are expected to grow seven percent from 2016 to 2026 and financial analyst employment is expected to grow by 11 percent within the same time period. These roles do have some overlap with reporting analysts, so this may provide a good estimate of the rates of employment growth in this field.
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Helpful Resources

We searched the web and found several resources if you're interested in learning more about a career as a reporting analyst:

The Differences Between a Business Analyst and a Data Analyst - Read about the duties that a reporting analyst may have in various organizations.

Data Management: Databases and Organizations - Learn the principles of organization data analysis, along with best practices for reporting analysts.

What Does a Data Analyst Do? Exploring the Day-to-Day of This Tech Career - Find out more about careers in data analysis and management.

SQL Queries for Mere Mortals: A Hands-On Guide to Data Manipulation in SQL - This book explores fundamentals of SQL data management and system architecture.

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