You find data reporting analysts in just about every industry. Their primary responsibility is creating reports highlighting how the business is doing — and they’re in high demand. 

“The opportunities for data reporting analysts outnumber the available candidates 4 to 1 in my market,” said Kevin Ngo, Robert Half Technology division director in Princeton, New Jersey. 

Using visualization, metrics, reports and analysis, data reporting analysts take raw data — sales or marketing data, for example — and present it to the team or management to help them make data-driven decisions for the company. 

Here’s a closer look at the job.

Data reporting analyst salary

According to the 2019 Robert Half Technology Salary Guide, the midpoint starting salary for data reporting analysts is $74,000, with the higher end of starting compensation reaching $110,000 and the lower end at $59,000. 

Keep in mind that a candidate’s experience level and location can impact starting salary. Use our Salary Calculator to find out what a data reporting analyst can earn in your city.

Data reporting analyst job duties

The responsibilities of a data reporting analyst may differ depending on the size and goals of the company, but in general duties include:

• Pulling data to develop recurring or one-time reports
• Building dashboards for sales or managers to show results 
• Maintaining databases, spreadsheets and other tools used in data analysis
• Locating and fixing errors in reports
• Training others on how to use and create reports

Professional experience and skills

Data reporting analyst jobs require some coding and mathematics, and candidates should have expertise in SQL scripting, SSRS, SSIS, ETL, PowerBi, Tableau and other reporting tools. 

In addition to technical skills, data reporting analysts should be excellent communicators. “The ability to communicate with business teams, end users and executives is vital to the job,” said Ngo. “Often, a data reporting analyst is working directly with business teams to understand reporting requirements.” 

Data reporting analysts may receive requests from teams with different priorities, and so must be able to prioritize tasks. They also may be asked to customize software to present data. Knowledge of statistics and critical thinking skills are additional keys to success in this job. 

The job generally requires a four-year college degree with an emphasis in computer science or information technology.

Data reporting analyst interview questions

If you’re interviewing for a data reporting analyst job, or a hiring manager interviewing data reporting analysts, here are some questions you might encounter or ask:

• What is your process for understanding business requirements before translating them to reports or dashboards? 
• What types of data do you have experience working with? 
• What tools have you used to develop reports, dashboards and visualizations? 
• How have you worked with multiple departments?
• How have your reports helped change your organization’s strategies?

Along with other data-related jobs, data reporting analysts are likely to remain in high demand as businesses continue to use data and metrics to measure performance. It's a great time to move into this field.