Introduction
Data is everywhere. Right from the decisions made in boardrooms to the recommendations you see on your favourite shopping app, data is always at the core. However, data alone isn’t enough. To truly stand out in the world of analytics, you need to know how to work with it. That’s where tools come in.
So today, in this blog post, we at the Indian School of Business and Finance (ISBF), trusted for offering the most industry-centric business analytics course in Delhi, are sharing a practical list of five essential tools you must learn if you really wish to excel in the professional of business analytics.
Whether you’re just starting out in ISBF’s B.Sc. (Hons) Data Science & Business Analytics programme or already working on projects, mastering these five tools can help you bridge the gap between theory and the real world. These tools will not only make your academic projects stronger but also prepare you for professional roles going ahead.
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Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Excel continues to be a foundational tool for anyone working with data. Its ability to clean, sort, filter, and analyse datasets quickly makes it an indispensable first step in most analytics workflows.
It is useful for data organisation, trend identification, and basic modelling. It is also integral to most entry-level analytics and finance roles. Additionally, it helps build intuition for working with structured data.
When it comes to using Excel for strengthening your business analytics capabilities, you should focus on functions like VLOOKUP, IF, and SUMIF and also become proficient with PivotTables and data visualisation features specifically.
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Power BI
Power BI is a business intelligence platform from Microsoft that allows users to transform raw datasets into interactive, real-time dashboards. It is particularly helpful when it comes to analysing large volumes of business data or presenting findings visually.
The best part about Power BI is that it seamlessly integrates with Excel and various data sources. It also enables clear, visual communication of complex data. No wonder it is commonly used in corporate reporting and decision-making.
When learning Power BI, we suggest beginning by importing data from Excel, then experimenting with creating reports and understanding DAX (Data Analysis Expressions).
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Tableau
Tableau is a powerful tool designed for data visualisation and business intelligence. It allows users to explore data through dynamic and interactive charts and dashboards without needing advanced coding knowledge.
We at ISBF recommend learning this tool because it not only encourages visual storytelling, which is critical in client-facing roles but is also widely adopted across industries for reporting and analysis. It is an excellent tool for portfolio development and academic presentations.
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Python
Python has become the most popular programming language in the data science ecosystem due to its flexibility and extensive library support. It’s the most versatile language in data science, with libraries like pandas (data manipulation), matplotlib/seaborn (visuals), and scikit-learn (machine learning).
At ISBF, you’ll likely use Python in advanced projects of the B.Sc. (Hons) Data Science & Business Analytics programme. You’ll learn how Python enables complex data analysis and automation and will see how Python forms the backbone of most data science and machine learning workflows.
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SQL
Structured Query Language, generally known as SQL, is used to communicate with relational databases, which store most of the structured data in the business world. Knowing how to extract, filter, and aggregate data efficiently using SQL is a fundamental requirement in nearly every analytics role. It is universally required in analytics job roles.
Learning SQL will help boost your efficiency for accessing and managing large-scale datasets and support data-driven decision-making in real time.
Making These Tools Part of Your Everyday Learning at ISBF
At ISBF, the B.Sc. (Hons) in Data Science & Business Analytics programme, the most sought-after business analytics course in Delhi, isn’t just about imparting theoretical proficiency to students. Instead, it’s more about preparing our students to work with real-world data, just the way professionals do. Students are made to work with the essential tools in lab sessions, assignments, and actual case studies. This enables them to build up the kind of hands-on experience that employers look for.
We firmly believe that in business analytics, it’s not enough to know “what” the data says. You also need to know “how” to dig into it and draw value from it. That’s where these five tools come in. Whether you’re sorting data in Excel, building an interactive dashboard in Tableau, or writing your first SQL query, each of these skills adds real value to your learning. At ISBF, we groom our students on all these tools so that they won’t just be ready for the workplace but will be equipped to successfully stay ahead.