Top Power BI Jobs in 2022

If you are considering a career in analytics or business intelligence, then Power BI is one of the best skills to add to your resume. Not only is there a variety of job opportunities with Power BI, but it is also a valuable skill to have for long-term career growth.

If you do not know what Power BI is or if you are on the fence about whether a career in Power BI is really worth it, then keep reading! In this article, we are going to break down where Power BI sits in the market and what kinds of career opportunities are available with Power BI. We will discuss what kind of salary you can expect, what skills and experience you should have, and what each job involves.

What is Power BI?

Power BI is a business intelligence (BI) tool that allows you to connect to various data sources, visualize the data in reports and dashboards, and then share them with anyone you want. In general, the purpose of BI is to track Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and uncover insights in business data so as to better inform decision-making across the organization.

To learn more about Power BI and get a grip on the fundamentals, check out this introductory tutorial or consider signing  up for this DataCamp Power BI skill track.

Is a Career in Power BI Worth It?

The next question you are probably asking yourself is whether or not a career in Power BI is actually worth it. Let's have a look at where Power BI is positioned in the market compared to some of the other popular business intelligence tools out there.

Every year, Gartner releases a summary of the analytics and business intelligence market using their "Magic Quadrant" methodology. You can see the 2022 Magic Quadrant for analytics and BI platforms in the image below.

This Magic Quadrant ranks various platforms based on their completeness of vision and their ability to execute. Clearly, Microsoft (Power BI) is far ahead of the rest. Gartner describes 'Leaders' as those who "execute comparatively well today and are well-positioned for tomorrow".

According to an analysis conducted by TrustRadius in 2021, Power BI was identified as the leading BI software of 2021, commanding 36% of the market share. Power BI was also the most-compared software in 2021.

The above "Magic Quadrant" and market share analysis are useful when exploring where the greatest opportunities are for long-term career growth. Based on both of these, Power BI is a solid career choice in the business intelligence and analytics sphere. If you are interested in transitioning into data science at some point in your career, then a job in Power BI and business intelligence is a great stepping stone to get experience and build up your skill set.

What Kinds of Career Opportunities are Available with Power BI?

The most common jobs you can find in Power BI are:

• Power BI Developer / Analyst: Focussed on Power BI
• Power BI Consultant: Power BI is the primary skill but often requires more experience and knowledge of a variety of other software platforms
• Business Intelligence Developer / Analyst: Can be broad in terms of BI platforms and can require other advanced analytics skills

In the rest of this article we will break down each of these roles, focusing on the following main aspects:

• Salary range
• Prerequisite skills and/or level of education
• The most common roles and responsibilities

Power BI Developer / Analyst

The Power BI developer and Power BI analyst both have very similar job requirements and salary expectations, and their job titles are used interchangeably. This job is centered around Power BI and typically includes the surrounding Microsoft ecosystem (such as SQL Server, Azure, and SSRS).

According to Glassdoor, the average yearly salary for this job is $104,292. This can vary quite a bit based on the company and level of the job (i.e. entry-level vs. senior). Typically, around 3-5 years of experience in addition to any surrounding skills and tools are required in Power BI. 

The most common accompanying skill required with this job is SQL, so it would be a good idea to build up this skill while learning Power BI.

Some job listings mention that a bachelor’s degree in IT, computer science, or something similar is a requirement. However, in general, a bachelor’s degree is not a standard requirement for most jobs listed in Power BI.

Roles and responsibilities (this list is not exhaustive and contains just some of the most common responsibilities found in this job):

• Create, publish, and maintain Power BI reports and dashboards in line with business requirements.
• Write DAX formulas.
• Connect to various data sources and integrate with various other platforms (e.g. Salesforce, SAP, Oracle, Azure, and SQL Server).
• Install and manage a Power BI Gateway.
• Write and optimize complex SQL queries and stored procedures.
• Work with other business units to understand requirements and business problems, and then communicate insights and outputs effectively.

Power BI Consultant

The Power BI Consultant is a much more hands-on job across multiple industries and requires a wider range of skills. These jobs typically involve regular engagement directly with the client, and require you to be able to communicate well, be organized, and be able to manage projects from start to finish. 

The job of a Power BI Consultant is centered around Power BI, but can include a wide variety of other software platforms (such as third-part software like Salesforce and SAP); it sometimes requires complex integrations between Power BI and these platforms. There can also be a wider requirement around knowledge of scripting languages (such as Python) to facilitate these integrations or complex analyses.

According to Glassdoor, the average yearly salary for this job is $110,385. It is worth noting here that Power BI Consultants can be either full-time positions or contract-based positions for a limited time. Typically, these jobs require a bit more experience and it is not uncommon for companies to require 5+ years of experience with Power BI.

Roles and responsibilities (this list is not exhaustive and contains just some of the most common responsibilities found in this job):

• Build an end-to-end solution with Power BI – planning and designing a system from the ground up.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team when needed.
• Understand client requirements and deliver an effective solution with Power BI (also be able to identify additional opportunities that can promote growth and provide value to the client).
• Scope out new projects, write up project plans and document the project from start to finish.
• Create and publish Power BI reports and dashboards in line with client requirements (ongoing maintenance after completing a project is not always a part of this).
• Connect to a wide variety of data sources and integrate with various other platforms both cloud-based and on-premise (e.g. Salesforce, SAP, Oracle, Azure, SQL Server, and AWS).

Business Intelligence Developer / Analyst

The business intelligence developer and business intelligence analyst are both very similar, and their job titles can be used interchangeably in many job listings. These jobs are a bit broader than the Power BI developer because they do not always involve Power BI and can require knowledge of other platforms like Tableau and Qlik. However, Power BI is one of the most commonly used platforms and is very well known in the industry, so having Power BI as a skill carries a lot of weight in these jobs. Your skills can also be easily transferred to other platforms.

A bachelor’s degree often tends to be mandatory in these jobs since they often require you to perform advanced analyses and generate insights that do not only rely on a specific business intelligence tool. Because of this, there may also be a requirement to have sufficient skills in scripting languages (such as Python) as well as proficiency in SQL.

According to Glassdoor, the average yearly salary for this job is $130,895.

Roles and responsibilities (this list is not exhaustive and contains just some of the most common responsibilities found in this job):

• Work with other business units and teams to understand requirements, business problems and business processes to drive solutions.
• Responsible for data mining, data transformation, data insights, advanced analytics, reporting, and their delivery.
• Be involved in high-level discussions on current and future data requirements at the company and provide recommendations for how data can best support key business functions.
• Design, implement and maintain ETL jobs and processes as needed.
• Design, build and maintain SQL databases as needed.

Conclusion 

Power BI is clearly a leader in the analytics and business intelligence market. This means that having Power BI as a skill in your resume will open up a variety of career opportunities and long-term growth. 

If you are interested in pursuing a career in Power BI, you should consider the Data Analyst with Power BI Career Track. The track, which was co-created with Microsoft, will arm you the knowledge and skills you'll need to pass the PL-300 exam and obtain the associate certification: 'Microsoft Certified: Power BI Data Analyst Associate'. 

We hope this article provided you with some insights into the kinds of career opportunities you can expect in Power BI and that it inspires you to launch an exciting career in analytics and business intelligence!