MicroStrategy developers are becoming more and more in-demand, which means this is the time to learn MicroStrategy. Whether you want to learn business intelligence as a whole or simply focus on MicroStrategy itself, this is a good place to start.
You’ll hear about it in social media marketing courses and business intelligence degree programs, but what is MicroStrategy? How do you learn it? We have the answers to all of your questions in this guide.
What Is MicroStrategy?
Technically speaking, MicroStrategy is an enterprise business intelligence application designed to support a variety of features including interactive dashboards, carefully formatted business intelligence reports, and much more.
To put it a bit more simply, MicroStrategy is a type of business intelligence software designed to give a user experience full of the necessary information and easy-to-use features. Businesses use MicroStrategy for data discovery and data visualizations that help find insights and actions needed to improve the company.
What Is MicroStrategy Used For?
MicroStrategy may be designed solely for businesses to use, but there are quite a few things it is used for. The many applications of MicroStrategy and its ability to use data-wrangling help business owners improve their businesses.
- Making Informed Decisions. MicroStrategy pulls data from data warehouses and compares it to data from a specific business, allowing business owners to make much more informed decisions. Being able to compare data with other similar businesses helps business owners make the most calculated decisions possible.
- Analyzing Data. Mastering MicroStrategy is a data scientist skill all data scientists should have. MicroStrategy’s embedded BI allows data scientists to analyze and connect to data in real-time, giving businesses the most comprehensive breakdown of their own data.
- Making Predictions. The embedded BI in MicroStrategy helps to identify patterns within sets of data from a business. This allows businesses to analyze patterns and ultimately, use MicroStrategy to make informed predictions regarding their business.
- Managing Workflow. All of the features of MicroStrategy come together to help manage workflow overall within a business. Between all of the interactive dashboards, scorecards, reports, and other useful features, MicroStrategy simply helps businesses run smoother.
MicroStrategy Skills
Though mastering MicroStrategy itself is a business skill everyone could use, there are a few skills within the app that you’ll need to master first. From being able to create reports to knowing how to embed intelligence, you’ll want to have the basics down before you can become a MicroStrategy master.
Design and Create Reports
One of the most beloved features of MicroStrategy is the ability to create highly formatted reports. As a future MicroStrategy wizard, you should definitely know just how to design your reports and have them created exactly as they need to be.
There are a few different ways to create and access reports in MicroStrategy, as well as different types of reports. You can do anything from a blank report to an all-inclusive report. This skill can easily be learned from watching tutorials or taking a basic skills class.
Develop Predictive Models
Another feature everyone loves in MicroStrategy is the ability to develop predictive models. While some businesses hire data analysts to make predictions, others prefer to simply set it up with the Training Metric Wizard tool in MicroStrategy.
Using this tool, you can develop all different types of predictive models. Some of the most common predictive models include linear and exponential regression, time series, and decision tree, though there is a model for just about anything.
Embed Intelligence
Since MicroStrategy is a business intelligence application, it would make sense for any future MicroStrategy developers to learn how to embed intelligence. By mastering this skill, you are showing employers that you have a complete understanding of MicroStrategy.
Learning to embed intelligence can be challenging, but the payoff is worth it. With MicroStrategy, you can learn to embed analytics into their apps or embed reports and dashboard right into other applications from third-party members.
Learning MicroStrategy
Though learning MicroStrategy may be challenging, it is totally worth it for anyone going into a developing or business career. There are many different paths you can take to learn MicroStrategy, and each can be customized to fit your learning style.
Whether you learn best through enrolling in online classes, reading books, or simply picking things up from online resources, we have you covered. Below you will find a comprehensive guide to our favorite MicroStrategy learning aids.
How Long Does It Take to Learn MicroStrategy?
Since there is no set path to learning MicroStrategy, it is not surprising to see there is no set time frame either. On average, people say it took them around one month to learn MicroStrategy, but this really depends on how you decide to learn.
For those who buckle down and study for six to eight hours a day, MicroStrategy can easily be learned in a month, or perhaps a couple of weeks. For others though, who aren’t able to commit so much time to study, or simply don’t want to, it may take a few months to a year to fully master the app.
How to Learn MicroStrategy: Step-by-Step
Whichever path you choose to follow to learn MicroStrategy, these five steps provide an excellent starting point. Even if they don’t suit exactly what you plan to do, you can easily change this step-by-step guide to fit your learning journey by switching the steps around or eliminating some completely.
- Download the Trial Version. Since MicroStrategy can be such an expensive investment, we highly recommend downloading the trial version while you begin to learn. This saves you money and allows you to learn the basics before deciding if you actually want to pay for the full version.
- Learn the Basics via Free Tutorials. There are many free tutorials available on MicroStrategy’s YouTube page, and watching these can help you learn the basics. If you would rather enroll in beginner’s courses, that totally works too, but this way is free.
- Purchase the Full Version. After you have learned all of the basics and gleaned all the usefulness you can from the free trial version of MicroStrategy, it may be time for an upgrade. Unless you have decided MicroStrategy isn’t for you, this is the time to purchase the full version.
- Enroll in MicroStrategy Courses. Anything past the basics of MicroStrategy can best be learned by enrolling in courses. Many of the beginner-level classes will help you expand on your basic knowledge, and after that, there are plenty of advanced courses to take.
- Practice. You have likely heard the phrase “practice makes perfect” and we are here to tell you how true it is. Especially when learning complex apps such as MicroStrategy, you need to spend a lot of time practicing in order to perfect your work.
The Best MicroStrategy Courses and Training
Enrolling in a few courses is one of the best ways to learn MicroStrategy, and luckily for you, we have a few favorites. Of course, we couldn’t include every single good MicroStrategy course in this guide, but we have included a few of our top picks.
Best Online MicroStrategy Courses
Online courses are awesome for anyone who wants to learn from home, on their own time, and at their own pace. These are three of our favorite online MicroStrategy courses.
Business Intelligence with MicroStrategy 10 Analytics
- Provider: Udemy
- Time: 2 hours
- Prerequisites: Basic knowledge of business intelligence and visualization
- Price: $44.99
One of the most popular MicroStrategy courses on Udemy is this Business Intelligence with MicroStrategy 10 Analytics course. This course is $44.99 and consists of approximately two hours of on-demand video, making it easy to learn when and where you want to.
By the end of this course, you will have learned all of the basics, a few more difficult concepts, and will earn a certificate of completion.
Microstrategy Training
- Provider: TekSlate
- Time: December 21, 2020 – January 20, 2021 (4 weeks)
- Prerequisites: None
This four-week course offered by TekSlate will take you from a beginner to an expert in MicroStrategy in no time at all. This course focusing on helping you master all of the key components of MicroStrategy, and finishes by allowing you to work on two real-life projects that can easily be added to any portfolio.
MicroStrategy for Business Intelligence
- Provider: Udemy
- Time: 8 hours
- Prerequisites: Basic understanding of SQL, DWH, & BI
- Price: $139.99
Another wonderful Udemy course about MicroStrategy is MicroStrategy for Business Intelligence. In order to be eligible for this course, you will need to go into it with a basic understanding of SQL, DWH, and BI, but it is otherwise meant for beginners. For $139.99, you can have access to all eight hours of on-demand training video.
Free MicroStrategy Courses
Seriously, what is better than a free online course to learn the subject you are interested in? We would venture to say nothing, and that is why we have rounded up a few of our all-time favorite free MicroStrategy courses.
MicroStrategy Online Training
- Provider: BigClasses
- Time: 30 hours
- Prerequisites: None
- Price: Free demo class
BigClasses offers an awesome MicroStrategy Online Training that can be completed on your own time and from anywhere in the world. While the entire instructor-led training is not available for free, there is a free demo class you can take to see if it is worth your money.
If not, you’ll likely have a few things to take away from the demo alone, but if you like it, you know what your money will be buying you.
Training Video for MicroStrategy Desktop BI Capabilities
- Provider: Coursera
- Time: 5 weeks
- Prerequisites: None
- Price: Free
Coursera is well-known for offering plenty of free courses about pretty much anything you can think of, and MicroStrategy is no exception. This Training Video for MicroStrategy Desktop BI Capabilities is a completely free, five-week course that will teach you everything you need to know about data warehouses and using MicroStrategy to create dashboards.
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Business Intelligence Concepts, Tools, and Applications
- Provider: Coursera
- Time: 22 hours
- Prerequisites: None
- Price: Free
Another classic Coursera course for MicroStrategy is this Business Intelligence Concepts, Tools, and Applications course. This course is totally free of charge, offered through the University of Colorado, and takes approximately 22 hours to complete. At the end of this course, you will know all about different business intelligence concepts, both related and unrelated to MicroStrategy.
Best MicroStrategy Books
Reading a few books about MicroStrategy is an awesome way to learn about it without hurting your eyes by staring at a screen all day. These are two of our favorite MicroStrategy books to help you along.
MicroStrategy Quick Start Guide, Fernando Carlos Rivero Esqueda
Fernando Carlos Rivero Esqueda’s MicroStrategy Quick Start Guide is the perfect book for beginners to read if they want to learn how to perform basic tasks in MicroStrategy. Giving both an informational background of the app and a detailed guide for performing tasks such as creating dashboards, this guide is one everyone should read.
Essentials of MicroStrategy Admin, Encuimetrec Publications
This Essentials of MicroStrategy Admin college-style book by Encuimetrec Publications provides readers with a textbook-like experience and a lot of information about MicroStrategy. In this 240 page book, you will find everything you need to know about starting a career using MicroStrategy.
MicroStrategy Certifications
Employers love to see certifications listed on your resume, as it proves your expertise in different areas. Earning MicroStrategy certifications is a must for anyone hoping to start a career as a MicroStrategy developer, and these are some of the best you can earn.
MicroStrategy Certifications
While there are many courses available that offer a certificate of completion at the end, only the official MicroStrategy certifications will truly impress employers. There are many different certifications available, and plenty of online training courses available to help you pass any and all of the exams.
We recommend researching exactly what position you want to apply for and seeing what certifications it requires before deciding which ones to earn. Since there are so many, it is extremely important to be sure you are earning the MicroStrategy certification that is best for your career. However, all of the certifications do show off expertise in MicroStrategy.
Best Online MicroStrategy Resources
Even the most experienced MicroStrategy users will run into the occasional question. These online resources are there for everyone from total beginners to certified experts.
MicroStrategy Community
The MicroStrategy Community website offers an interesting combination of informational articles, blog posts, community discussions, ideas, and tutorials for every MicroStrategy user. This allows users to find answers to questions, help others solve their problems, and come up with new MicroStrategy project ideas.
MicroStrategy Education
MicroStrategy also offers MicroStrategy Education, which is one of the best ways to learn MicroStrategy. With official tutorials, courses, and certification preparation available, you can find everything you need to become a MicroStrategy expert right here. You can choose between an analyst pass and an architect pass depending on your career goals and browse materials related to your chosen pass.
MicroStrategy YouTube Channel
Finally, we have the MicroStrategy YouTube channel. This channel offers free videos demonstrating the various tools and techniques you can learn to use in MicroStrategy. While you may still need to take additional courses to fully master the app, this is a great place to start and check out whenever you have specific questions.
Should You Study MicroStrategy?
Whether you want to be a MicroStrategy developer or a business analyst, studying MicroStrategy is a fantastic way to start your career. Learning anything surrounding business intelligence can be challenging at first, but the payoff is well worth it.
There are plenty of ways to learn MicroStrategy, and with the plethora of online courses available, now is the right time to learn. So, try enrolling in a class or two, read a few MicroStrategy books, and check out the online resources to help you learn. You can become a MicroStrategy master in no time.
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