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Whitestone International College of Innovation delivers quality-assured, standards-aligned programmes that integrate academic rigour, industry relevance, and digital fluency to develop principled leaders who deliver measurable impact.

Courses

Whitestone International Diploma in Business Intelligence and Reporting

Course Overview

The Whitestone International Diploma in Business Intelligence and Reporting is a 12-month vocational programme designed to provide a structured, practice-oriented foundation in turning organisational data into meaningful insights, dashboards, and management reports that support informed decision-making.

The programme introduces the full business-intelligence (BI) and reporting value chain: data sources and fundamentals, data preparation at awareness level, dimensional thinking and metrics, dashboard and report design, data visualisation principles, performance indicators, and insight communication and stakeholder engagement. It is intended for individuals who support, or aspire to support, BI teams, reporting functions, finance and operations analysis, performance management units, and data-enabled business roles.

Learners will explore how organisations collect, organise, visualise, and interpret data, and how BI practitioners collaborate with business stakeholders, finance, IT, and management to deliver clear, actionable reporting. The emphasis is on practical BI and reporting skills, conceptual understanding of data structures, and ethical use of information, not on advanced data engineering, quantitative research, complex statistical modelling, or regulated financial or audit opinions.

By the end of the programme, participants will be able to contribute effectively to requirements gathering, basic data preparation under guidance, dashboard and report development using standard BI tools, KPI and performance reporting, and insight communication, working alongside senior analysts, BI developers, finance professionals, and business leaders.

This diploma is vocational and non-regulated. It does not qualify learners as chartered accountants, statutory auditors, financial advisers, actuaries, data-protection officers, or certified data scientists, and does not authorise them to issue audited financial statements, formal valuations, regulatory filings, or legal or investment advice. All such specialised and regulated activities must only be undertaken by appropriately qualified and authorised professionals in full compliance with applicable laws, accounting standards, and organisational policies.

Why This Course is Important?

Businesses, governments, and non-profits require reliable, timely, and meaningful information to allocate resources, manage risk, and improve performance.
Senior leaders must be able to understand complex data quickly through well-designed dashboards, KPIs, and narrative reports that highlight what truly matters.
Across sectors, there is a growing need for professionals who can bridge business understanding and data literacy, supporting evidence-based decisions without necessarily being deep technical specialists.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this programme, participants will be able to:

Explain core concepts in business intelligence, data, KPIs, and management reporting at a vocational–intermediate level.
Support requirements gathering and scoping for BI and reporting solutions, working with business stakeholders.
Assist in data preparation activities at foundational level, including basic cleaning, transformation, and validation under guidance.
Design and build entry-level dashboards and reports using recognised BI and visualisation principles.
Define and use key performance indicators (KPIs) and simple metrics aligned with business objectives.
Interpret and communicate basic analytical findings clearly to non-technical stakeholders, using charts, tables, and concise narratives.
Demonstrate awareness of data quality, confidentiality, ethics, and governance, escalating complex issues appropriately.

Target Audience

Individuals in or aspiring to roles such as BI Assistant, Reporting Analyst (entry level), Performance Reporting Officer, Operations/Commercial Analyst (junior), Finance/Business Support Analyst, or Management Information (MI) Coordinator.
Staff in finance, operations, HR, sales and marketing, supply chain, customer service, and public-sector performance units who are involved in reporting and analysis.
Graduates and career changers seeking a structured pathway into business intelligence, reporting, and data-enabled business roles.
Professionals in adjacent areas (e.g. accounting, administration, IT support, project management) who wish to develop structured BI and reporting capabilities.

Entry Requirements

A recognised higher secondary qualification, diploma, or equivalent, preferably with prior exposure to business, finance, IT, mathematics, statistics, or related fields
Comfort with working with numbers, spreadsheets, and digital tools
Proficiency in English (IELTS 5.5 or equivalent recommended) to engage with technical and business documentation, reports, and stakeholder communication

Programme Structure & Modules

Module 1 – Foundations of Business Intelligence, Data & Organisational Decision-Making

Core concepts:
Data, information, knowledge, analytics, BI, KPIs, dashboards, scorecards at vocational–intermediate level.
The role of BI in organisations:
Supporting strategic, tactical, and operational decisions.
Types of data:
Transactional, master, reference, and unstructured data at awareness level.
Overview of data sources:
Operational systems, spreadsheets, external data, and surveys.
BI architecture awareness (non-technical):
Source systems, staging, data warehouses/marts awareness, semantic layers, and front-end tools.
Roles and responsibilities:
BI developers, analysts, data engineers, data stewards, and business owners.

Module 2 – Data Fundamentals, Data Quality & Introductory Preparation (Awareness / Support Level)

Basic data concepts:
Tables, rows, columns, relationships, primary keys, and simple joins at conceptual level.
Importance of data quality:
Accuracy, completeness, consistency, timeliness, and validity.
Common data issues:
Duplicates, missing values, inconsistent formats, and outliers at awareness level.
Introductory data preparation tasks:
Basic cleaning, filtering, sorting, simple transformations (e.g. derived fields) in spreadsheets or entry-level tools under guidance.
High-level overview of ETL / ELT processes:
Extract, transform, load (conceptual); role of data engineering specialists.
Documentation:
Keeping simple data dictionaries and transformation notes to support transparency and re-use.

Module 3 – KPIs, Metrics, Performance Management & Analytical Thinking

Performance-management concepts:
Linking strategy, objectives, and measures at conceptual level.
Defining KPIs:
Characteristics of good KPIs (aligned, clear, measurable, controllable, timely).
Types of measures:
Leading vs lagging indicators, efficiency vs effectiveness, volume vs value metrics.
Simple calculations at vocational level:
Ratios, percentages, growth rates, moving averages (awareness), and basic aggregations.
Analytical thinking for BI:
Asking good questions, identifying trends and patterns, and understanding context and limitations.
Avoiding misuse of metrics:
Recognising perverse incentives, over-simplification, and correlation vs causation issues at awareness level.

Module 4 – Data Visualisation, Dashboard & Report Design

Principles of effective data visualisation:
Clarity, simplicity, appropriate chart choice, and avoiding distortion.
Common visual elements:
Tables, bar/column charts, line charts, pie/alternative charts (with critical usage awareness), scatter plots, and KPI tiles.
Dashboard design fundamentals:
Layout, grouping of information, highlighting exceptions, and guiding the viewer’s attention.
Designing for different audiences:
Executive overviews vs operational detail; self-service vs static reports.
Using BI/reporting tools at foundational level (tool-agnostic description):
Connecting to data, building basic visuals, filters/slicers, and drill-down navigation under guidance.
Good practice in labelling, legends, units, and explanatory notes.

Module 5 – Reporting, Insight Communication, Data Governance & Ethics (Awareness Level)

Types of reports:
Standard management reports, exception reports, ad-hoc analysis summaries, and performance packs.
Structuring BI outputs:
Executive summaries, key findings, supporting analysis, and appendices.
Storytelling with data at vocational level:
Turning numbers into clear narratives, implications, and recommended actions within one’s remit.
Data governance awareness:
Concepts of ownership, stewardship, access control, and lifecycle; role of policies and controls.
Confidentiality, privacy, and ethics (non-legal):
Appropriate handling of sensitive data, anonymisation at awareness level, and respecting regulatory frameworks; signposting to data-protection and legal teams for detailed guidance.
Working with stakeholders:
Managing expectations, clarifying questions, and responding constructively to challenges about data and results.

Module 6 – BI in Practice, Collaboration & Professional Skills

BI use cases across functions:
Finance, sales, operations, HR, supply chain, customer experience, and public-sector performance examples at awareness level.
Working with cross-functional teams:
Collaborating with business owners, finance, IT, and data teams to deliver useful outputs.
Requirements gathering and prioritisation at foundational level:
Understanding stakeholder needs, clarifying scope, and managing iterations.
Basic project and task management:
Planning small BI/reporting tasks, timelines, and communication.
Continuous improvement:
Incorporating feedback, refining dashboards and reports, and supporting self-service BI where appropriate.
Career development in BI:
Progression pathways toward BI developer, data analyst, data visualisation specialist, performance manager, or advanced analytics roles, and options for further study and professional certification.

Awarding Body

Whitestone International College of Innovation

United Kingdom

Qualification Type

International Diploma – Vocational Qualification

(Industry-aligned qualification issued by Whitestone International College of Innovation, UK)

Assessment & Certification

Assessment Methods Include:

Written assignments on BI foundations and data concepts; data quality and preparation; KPIs and performance management; data visualisation and dashboard design; reporting, governance and ethics; and BI practice and collaboration.
Practical tasks such as data-cleaning exercises, KPI definitions, dashboard mock-ups, visualisation designs, and management-report drafts.
Scenario-based exercises requiring learners to interpret business questions, select relevant metrics, and construct clear visual and narrative outputs.
Short reflection pieces on BI’s role in decision-making, ethical use of data, and personal development as a BI practitioner.
Final Capstone Project: Integrated Business Intelligence & Reporting Solution, with a functional dashboard/report set and a structured insight report/presentation.

To obtain the diploma, learners must successfully complete all module assessments and the capstone project in line with Whitestone’s academic standards.

Certification:

On successful completion, participants will be awarded:

Whitestone International Diploma in Business Intelligence and Reporting Issued by Whitestone International College of Innovation, United Kingdom

Benefits of Attending

Provides a robust, practice-based foundation in business intelligence and reporting for early and aspiring practitioners.
Equips learners to support BI and reporting activities, including requirements clarification, basic data preparation, dashboard/report design, and insight communication.
Enhances employability in roles such as BI Assistant, Reporting Analyst (entry level), MI Coordinator, Junior Operations/Commercial Analyst, or Performance Reporting Officer, subject to employer requirements.
Helps organisations strengthen data-driven decision-making, reporting quality, and performance visibility across functions.
Creates a strong platform for further study in Data Analytics, Business Analytics, Data Science (entry level), Finance and Performance Management, or related disciplines, and for progression towards specialist certifications and advanced roles, subject to each body’s criteria.

Industry Alignment

The programme reflects widely recognised principles of contemporary business intelligence and management reporting, including:

Emphasis on data quality, clarity of metrics, and well-designed dashboards and reports.
Focus on ethical, responsible use of data and collaboration between business and technical teams.
Recognition that effective BI practitioners must combine business understanding, analytical thinking, communication skills, and foundational technical literacy.

£2000

£ 0

Industry-focused programmes with global standards.
Practical skills for real-world success.
Academic excellence with career-ready outcomes.

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Progression & Academic Pathways

Graduates of the Whitestone International Diploma in Business Intelligence and Reporting may:

Progress to higher-level diplomas or degrees in Business Analytics, Data Analytics, Information Systems, Management Information Systems (MIS), or related business and technology disciplines (where entry criteria are met).
Enhance their suitability for roles in business intelligence, MIS and reporting, performance analytics, operations and financial reporting, and data-driven decision-support functions across sectors such as finance, banking, retail, logistics, healthcare, and services.
Use this diploma as a structured foundation for additional technical and professional development in analytics and reporting tools and frameworks (e.g. advanced spreadsheets, database and SQL skills, data-visualisation and dashboarding platforms, or further vocational courses), in line with national standards and employer requirements.

Together We Learn, Together We Grow

At Whitestone, we believe in collaborative learning where students and faculty grow together through knowledge and experience. Our supportive community fosters teamwork, innovation, and shared success.

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London, united kingdom

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