What are the best Business Data Analyst qualifications and training to get ahead?

What is the best training for becoming a Business Data Analyst? What types of ongoing training or certifications are necessary to be an effective Business Data Analyst?

What do non-traditional career paths look like?

I can say that SAP business intelligence training courses and certifications are probably very good ones to have. Other web and business intelligence providers are a good bet too.

Although most job postings request people from "quantitative" disciplines (mathematics, economics, statistics, engineering, etc), my personal opinion is that this is only half of the data analysis story. Data analysis is also about understanding the business and the politics behind any data generated, and I don't think you need an advanced degree in maths or stats to do the kind of reporting most businesses need. It is also important to be able to explain the results of any analysis to the people who asked for it.

I myself come from a background in cognitive psychology research and am currently working as a data analyst for an international funding body, but I think my CV often gets screened because I don't have the right degree.

Very interested to see any other answers people have!