Keeping up with the latest business intelligence (BI) trends can feel like an impossible feat, and yet it is an essential part of data-driven decisionmaking. To assist in your ongoing business intelligence education, here are our top 8 BI blogs for inside tips, emerging trends, and other information. Whether you're an experienced professional or just starting out in the business intelligence industry, these blogs can help you become a savvy and skilled BI master:

  1. Timo Elliot's Digital Business & Business Analytics
  2. Big Data Made Simple
  3. Phocas Business Intelligence Blog
  4. PARIS Technologies Business Intelligence and Data Analytics Blog
  5. Forrester Business Intelligence
  6. Paul Turley’s SQL Server BI Blog
  7. The Datapine Blog
  8. The TIBCO Blog

Timo Elliott’s Digital Business & Business Analytics

Target Audience: BI Professionals

Average Post Frequency: Once per month

When you want expert advice about data analytics and innovative technologies, go to Timo Elliott. He graduated first of his class at Bristol University with a BS in economics with statistics. He's worked as an HR analytics expert for Shell and Senior Director of Strategic Marketing at SAP. Currently, he's become so advanced that he holds the title "Global Innovation Evangelist" at SAP, where he travels the world and presents on topics like emerging technologies, predictive analytics, and turning big data into business insights.

Elliott is a busy man, so he doesn’t follow a strict publishing schedule. Sometimes he posts four times a month. Sometimes he takes month-long breaks between posting. Regardless of how long each post takes, you always get content worth reading. Elliott’s blog also includes videos of his presentations, so you can learn from his experience without traveling.

Some of the best posts on Digital Business & Business Analytics include:

Big Data Made Simple

Target Audience: BI Beginner to Professional

Average Post Frequency: Once per week

True to its name, Big Data Made Simple explores important data science topics without getting overly technical. You can benefit from the blog even if you’re just curious to learn more about business intelligence and data analytics. Straightforward writing doesn’t mean BI professionals should stay away from Big Data Made Simple, though. It has content for everyone.

Big Data Made Simple publishes new posts several times per week, so you should visit the site daily to stay updated on the latest topics.

Some great posts to start with include:

If you’re a data professional with strong writing skills, Big Data Made Simple has publishing opportunities for you.

Phocas Business Intelligence Blog

Target audience:  BI Beginners, Experts Looking for Non-Technical Advice

Average Post Frequency: Once a week (or more)

The Phocas Business Intelligent Blog tends to stay away from overly technical topics. You won’t find many articles that include lines of code or dense jargon. Instead, you get the opportunity to learn the basics of data analytics and how you can apply the lessons to making informed business decisions. It’s the type of blog suitable for marketing, HR, finance, and sales professionals.

If you want to get a taste of Phocas Business Intelligence Blog’s best posts, start with:

Phocas Business Intelligence Blog usually publishes several posts per week. Bookmark this one and visit often.

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PARIS Technologies Business Intelligence and Data Analytics Blog

Target Audience: BI Beginner to Professional

Average Post Frequency: Varies

Managed by the team at PARIS Technologies, posts on the PARIS Technologies Business Intelligence and Data Analytics Blog draws from the experience of several professionals who have been involved in business intelligence technology for years.

The blog doesn’t have a coherent posting schedule. You’ll get the most value from the blog by navigating to the categories that interest you. You’ll find posts that appeal to everyone from beginners to BI pros.

Some stand-out business intelligence posts include:

Forrester Business Intelligence

Target Audience: BI Beginner to Professional

Average Post Frequency: Varies

Forrester has been helping companies understand and reach their markets for nearly 40 years. Since Forrester works with a lot of industries, not all of its content revolves around business intelligence. However, you can expect Forrester to publish articles about business intelligence, and you can skip straight to BI posts.

The blog posts never get too technical, so anyone can benefit from them. Whether you want to learn about low-code app development or emerging companies in BI, Forrester has something for you.

Some of the most popular posts on the Forrester Business Intelligence blog include:

Paul Turley’s SQL Server BI Blog

Target Audience: Data and BI Professionals

Average Post Frequency: 1-2 times per month

Few people know more about data analytics and business intelligence than Paul Turley. He’s a Principal Consultant at Pragmatic Works in Portland, Oregon. Since the early 2000s, Turley has also published numerous books and training courses about business intelligence technology.

If you’re 100% new to business intelligence, Paul Turley’s SQL Server BI Blog is not the place to start. If you’re a professional looking to learn more about topics like SQL server integrations, Access 2000 programming, or SQL server MVP deep dives, Turley covers topics that will interest you.

Turley tends to publish one or two posts per month. The blog has an archive that stretches back to June 2009, though, so it gives you more content than you might expect.

Some good posts to read include:

The Datapine Blog

Target audience: Data/BI Beginners to Professionals

Average Post Frequency: 1-2 times per month

The content on the Datapine Blog covers a wide variety of topics and levels of expertise. Some of the articles give general advice to readers who may not have much experience with data analytics. Other posts take deep dives that only a professional will understand. It is this diversity that makes Datapine an essential read. If a post bewilders you, then you’re not ready for the topic. Take a step back and read some of the beginner content. Eventually, you’ll have the knowledge you need to understand the technical posts.

Some of the Datapine Blog’s best posts for all readers include:

The TIBCO Blog

Target audience: BI Beginner to Professional

Average Post Frequency: Daily

The TIBCO Blog is another example of a business intelligence publication that can appeal to practically anyone. Data professionals will appreciate posts like Top Tricks to Detect Outliers and Anomalies. Managers without much data experience can learn from posts like Top Data Visualization Mistakes and How to Avoid Them.

Other useful posts for general readers include:

The TIBCO Blog publishes just about every day. Do yourself a favor and visit the site at least once a week to stay updated on the latest in BI.

In Conclusion

Of course, we have to recommend the Xplenty Blog, which covers topics like ETL, low-code platforms, and data strategies in addition to business intelligence. No matter where you are in your career, you will find Xplenty posts that teach you crucial lessons and make you a more effective member of your team.

Do you read any excellent BI blogs that we didn't cover in this post? Reach out to let us know, and we can include them in a future blog.