Data Analyst — what you'd actually do

This maps to the ONET occupation Business Intelligence Analysts (SOC 15-2051). The activities below are ONET occupation tasks, copied as-is and attributed to O*NET.

What you'd actually do

These are the most central day-to-day activities O*NET records for this occupation (highest-importance core tasks first):

• Generate standard or custom reports summarizing business, financial, or economic data for review by executives, managers, clients, and other stakeholders. (O*NET)
• Maintain or update business intelligence tools, databases, dashboards, systems, or methods. (O*NET)
• Manage timely flow of business intelligence information to users. (O*NET)
• Provide technical support for existing reports, dashboards, or other tools. (O*NET)
• Identify and analyze industry or geographic trends with business strategy implications. (O*NET)
• Document specifications for business intelligence or information technology reports, dashboards, or other outputs. (O*NET)
• Create business intelligence tools or systems, including design of related databases, spreadsheets, or outputs. (O*NET)
• Collect business intelligence data from available industry reports, public information, field reports, or purchased sources. (O*NET)

Core vs. occasional

O*NET separates the activities most central to the occupation (core) from those done occasionally (supplemental). Here is the honest split from the imported data.

Central, day-to-day activities: 8 core task(s).

• Generate standard or custom reports summarizing business, financial, or economic data for review by executives, managers, clients, and other stakeholders.
• Maintain or update business intelligence tools, databases, dashboards, systems, or methods.
• Manage timely flow of business intelligence information to users.
• Provide technical support for existing reports, dashboards, or other tools.
• Identify and analyze industry or geographic trends with business strategy implications.
• Document specifications for business intelligence or information technology reports, dashboards, or other outputs.
• Create business intelligence tools or systems, including design of related databases, spreadsheets, or outputs.
• Collect business intelligence data from available industry reports, public information, field reports, or purchased sources.

Occasional activities: 0 supplemental task(s).

The imported task summary lists no supplemental tasks for this occupation, so every recorded activity is a core, day-to-day one.

How your current work maps in

If you are moving into tech from another field, treat the list above as an honest preview of the work itself — the concrete tasks you would spend your days on, drawn straight from O*NET occupation data. Look for the activities that already resemble what you do now (for example documenting, troubleshooting, coordinating with people, or working through a methodical process); those are the closest footholds. This is a description of the day-to-day work, not a measure of pay or hiring odds.

Sources

• National Center for ONET Development — ONET 30.3 Database: https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html

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