Last March I obtained the Business Intelligence and Data Analytics (BIDA) certification from the Corporate Finance Institute (CFI). It was a tough certification to get -It took me hours to complete and many more to practice for the final exam. The knowledge I gained was pretty diverse, ranging from data management software to data visualization. Inspired by my accomplishment I made this BIDA Review.
In this BIDA Review, I will tell you about the certification, the benefits, the main challenges I faced, and my final verdict.
Continuous Learning
Before diving into BIDA Review, I’d like to make the following statement: finance professionals are expected to engage in continuous learning. Staying current in one’s field is crucial for maintaining competitivity and achieving long-term career progress. Also, the dynamic nature of technology requires awareness of the latest informatics tools.
BIDA Course Overview
Moving back to the course, BIDA is provided by the Corporate Finance Institute, a Canadian educational company specialized in finance and data analytics. This is one of their five certifications.
This certification focuses on business intelligence. In the course you learn about the data management cycle –data storage, data extraction, data cleaning and visualization (to name a few). In total there are fifteen mandatory courses and eight more electives that can further increase your knowledge of the software of choice.
Multiple software is covered in this certification. It includes courses in Power BI, Tableau, Python, Azure Data Studio and Excel. Each topic is covered thoroughly, something ideal for new and advanced users.
Benefits of BIDA
The knowledge I gained allowed me to level up my game at work. I feel I have deeper understanding of how to work with different data types and sets, resulting in excellent value, and more efficient work delivery.
One thing I figured out quickly was how important it is to use the right tool for the right task. I used to work my way around different challenges using Excel, forcing the software to its maximum capabilities, not knowing there were tools that were more efficient.
For example, I used to use Excel to store data like a local database. The is an issue because Excel has a low limit of rows before it starts to bug. This reduces the number of records you can work with to store data. Also, fixing orphan records is a mess when linking more than one table.
The Challenge
Continuing with the BIDA review, the certification takes around one hundred hours to complete. This includes taking all the mandatory courses, electives, and studying for the final. My approach was to prioritize the topics that I needed for work. This way I was motivated to start the journey and at the end my motivation was to receive the certification. The courses can be taken at your own pace, which was pretty helpful to me given that I have a full-time job responsibility.
To me the hardest part was studying for the final exam. There is so much information covered in the BIDA that it takes a long time to review all of the material. In particular I didn’t like having to study for a software that I have no need to use (like tableau).
The Verdict
After reviewing the BIDA, here goes my final verdict. I highly recommend this course to any finance management professional that would like to take their data analytics skills to the next level. If you are currently working with Power BI or use Excel on a daily basis, this certification is ideal for you. Finally, if you want to make a change of job, this certification is a great credential in your resume for your applications.
I’ve also reviewed the FMVA if your are interested in checking that post.