![[Featured image] A business analyst interviews an employee. Both of them have their laptops in front of them.](https://images.ctfassets.net/wp1lcwdav1p1/5vfQELyaDvsspcLpsigHEy/cae3941e9b107b3e669bd29a260d8c6a/dat_analyst_vs_business_analyst.webp?w=330&h=216&q=60&fit=fill&f=faces&fm=jpg&fl=progressive)
Business Analyst vs. Data Analyst: What’s the Difference?
Learn how data analysts and business analysts work with data to drive better business decisions (and find out which might be a better career fit for you).
May 30, 2026
Article
Build in-demand skills with a full year of Coursera Plus, now $239. Save now.
Start Your Business Analyst Career
Explore articles about business analysis, data analysis, and business processes. Learn about business analyst career paths, Excel, SQL, and Power BI, and how to build skills for an entry-level role.
![[Featured Image] A person sitting on the floor at their coffee table studying data analysis on their laptop](https://images.ctfassets.net/wp1lcwdav1p1/6VuItc4lzXx9jpsgnEcOc1/381bef721c94b8bdb2847531405ae984/is_data_analytics_hard.png?w=330&h=216&q=60&fit=fill&f=faces&fm=jpg&fl=progressive)
![[Featured Image]: A business analyst reviews data with a client while sitting at a desk.](https://images.ctfassets.net/wp1lcwdav1p1/70LMlGQwJqt82fQWXfm1uU/e3d1e923acaff80de81bfd9395c300a2/GettyImages-1417607671.webp?w=330&h=216&q=60&fit=fill&f=faces&fm=jpg&fl=progressive)
Grow key business analysis skills
Skills you'll gain: Business Analysis, Requirements Elicitation, Business Analysis Tools, Data Storytelling, Stakeholder Management, Stakeholder Analysis, Process Mapping, Requirements Analysis, Process Analysis, Prompt Engineering, Business Requirements, Data Presentation, Stakeholder Engagement, Gap Analysis, Risk Analysis, Excel Formulas, Responsible AI, Business Process Modeling, Business Analytics, Data Analysis
Skills you'll gain: Data Storytelling, Rmarkdown, Data Visualization, Data Presentation, Data Ethics, Data Cleansing, Data Validation, Ggplot2, R (Software), Tableau Software, Sampling (Statistics), Spreadsheet Software, Data Analysis, Stakeholder Communications, Data Processing, Object Oriented Programming (OOP), File Management, Web Presence, Data Structures, Interviewing Skills
Microsoft
Skills you'll gain: Power BI, Dashboard Creation, Data Visualization, Microsoft Excel, Advanced Analytics, Data Integrity, Data Analysis, Data Storage, Business Intelligence, Model Optimization, Descriptive Statistics, Creative Design, SQL, Data Wrangling, Data Entry, Data Security, Data Import/Export, Data Analysis Software, Data Maintenance, Design
A business analyst uses data to discover new business insights for a company. They typically focus on improving efficiency and effectiveness, and may work across all areas of business, including IT processes, organizational structure, or supply chain management.
At the entry-level, a business analyst may participate in team efforts to identify and prioritize an organization’s functional and technical needs, use SQL and spreadsheet software to conduct data analysis, and create data visualizations and financial models in order to address crucial business questions.
Similar and adjacent roles include IT business analysts, data analysts, business data analysts, supply chain analysts, and business intelligence analysts.
Learn more about entry-level careers in business analysis:
Take the quiz: Career Test: What Career is Right for Me Quiz?
Learn the essential terms: Power BI Terms and Definitions
Watch on YouTube: Career Spotlight: Business Analyst
Ready to start learning? Explore our business analytics courses catalog or accelerate your career growth with a Coursera Plus subscription. When you enroll in either the monthly or annual option, you’ll get access to over 10,000 courses.
