Top 5 Business Intelligence Consultants



Top 5 Business Intelligence Consultants
Top 5 Business Intelligence Consultants
TL;DR
Business intelligence consultants help the organizations interpret and use their raw data and unstructured information to turn them into meaningful and actionable insights
Business intelligence consultants help organizations transform data, align data driven insights with business goals and analyze & identify trends of the competitors
Best individual BI consultants: Howard Dresner, Cindi Howson, Claudia Imhoff, Mike Gualtieri and Bill Inmon
Best BI consultancy firms: Entrans, McKinsey & Company, Accenture, PwC (PricewaterhouseCoopers) and Deloitte
76% of companies enhanced their investment on business intelligence and analytics in 2023 which is a significant number to imply the importance of hiring business intelligence consultants
What Services do business intelligence consultants provide?
Both BI consultancy companies and individual BI consultants provide these fundamental services that include:
Data Management
BI consultancy firms help organizations to manage, store and secure raw data. They analyze the data patterns and information and give solutions in accordance with business operations and requirements.
ETL(Extract, transform and load)
They also create and implement an ETL process through which they extract data from multiple sources, transform it for consistency and finally load it into a data warehouse.
Provide a framework
BI consultants provide effective frameworks to ensure data accuracy, security, and compliance with industry regulations.
Creating dashboards and visuals:
After analyzing all the data, BI consultants create a visual representation and dashboard of the complex data that simplify the decision making process.
Implementing Softwares, methods and tools
BI consultants use sophisticated tools for predictive analysis and foresee future trends. This will allow the companies to give solutions actionable insights.
Ongoing support
Consultants offer ongoing support and maintenance for the BI systems to allow companies to focus on their core business goals.
Training and performance monitoring
BI consultants conduct training programs to the employees and monitor performance to keep updating according to business needs and evolving technology. Added to that, BI consultants also keep track of key performance indicators to evaluate the profession of the organizations.
Both BI consultancy companies and individual BI consultants provide these fundamental services that include:
Data Management
BI consultancy firms help organizations to manage, store and secure raw data. They analyze the data patterns and information and give solutions in accordance with business operations and requirements.
ETL(Extract, transform and load)
They also create and implement an ETL process through which they extract data from multiple sources, transform it for consistency and finally load it into a data warehouse.
Provide a framework
BI consultants provide effective frameworks to ensure data accuracy, security, and compliance with industry regulations.
Creating dashboards and visuals:
After analyzing all the data, BI consultants create a visual representation and dashboard of the complex data that simplify the decision making process.
Implementing Softwares, methods and tools
BI consultants use sophisticated tools for predictive analysis and foresee future trends. This will allow the companies to give solutions actionable insights.
Ongoing support
Consultants offer ongoing support and maintenance for the BI systems to allow companies to focus on their core business goals.
Training and performance monitoring
BI consultants conduct training programs to the employees and monitor performance to keep updating according to business needs and evolving technology. Added to that, BI consultants also keep track of key performance indicators to evaluate the profession of the organizations.
Best 5 individual BI consultant
Now let’s look at five individual BI consultants that you can consider as the best ones:
Name of The Consultant | Expertise | Years of Experience | Specialization | Website/Linked Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Howard Dresner | BI market research, vendor evaluation, and predictive analytics strategies. | Over 30 years | Research and thought leadership | |
Cindi Howson | BI tool selection, ROI optimization and data storytelling. | Over 20 years | BI tool selection and strategy | |
Claudia Imhoff | BI/data-warehousing foundations & strategy, master data management, and BI maturity assessments | Over 30 years | Analytics and BI infrastructure | |
Mike Gualtieri | Enterprise BI architecture, AI/ML in analytics, and data governance. | 30 years | Enterprise BI architecture | |
Bill Inmon | Data warehouse design, big data BI, and foundational BI methodologies | 35 years | Data Warehouse and big data BI |
Howard Dresner

Location: United States
Credibility: Gartner Fellow (2004), Gartner Cultural Icon Award (2002)
Years of experience: Over 30 years
Preferred Mode of Consultation: Via contact form of Dresner advisory services, webinars and podcasts
Expertise: BI market research, vendor evaluation & predictive analytics strategies.
Technology Specialization: Predictive analytics strategies
Why Choose Howard Dresner As a BI Consultant?
Howard Dresner, Founder and Chief Research officer of Dresner Advisory Services, is remarkably efficient at BI market research and BI consultancy, vendor evaluation, and predictive analytics strategies. He profoundly focuses on research and thought leadership which might benefit your organization. Above that, he provides high-level strategic guidance allowing you to understand market trends and evaluate competing BI platforms.
Cindi Howson

Location: New York, US
Credibility: Data Leader of the Year (Issued by Women in Data, Dec 2021)
Years of experience: Over 20 years
Preferred Mode of Consultation: Via Thoughtspot contact process and conferences
Expertise: BI tool selection, ROI optimization and data storytelling.
Technology Specialisation: BI tools
Why Choose Cindi Howson As a BI Consultant?
Cindi Howson, Chief Data Strategy Officer at ThoughtSpot, is experienced in BI tool selection, ROI optimization and data storytelling. She specifically focuses on helping organizations pick BI tools and set BI strategy. She not only works on technical implementation but also emphasizes on maximizing business outcomes and ROI(return on investment) optimization. So, hiring her can be financially rewarding for the companies.
Claudia Imhoff

Location: Colorado, United States
Credibility: Fellowship Issued by The Data Warehousing Institute
Years of experience: Over 30 years
Preferred Mode of Consultation: webinars and keynote speaking
Expertise: BI/data-warehousing foundations & strategy
Technology Specialisation: Data warehousing
Why Choose Claudia Imhoff As a BI Consultant?
Claudia Imhoff, is an expert in establishing BI data warehousing foundations & strategy, master data management, and BI maturity assessments. She specially helps organizations build the stable and structured environment necessary for successful BI. Claudia Imhoff is suitable for organizations where the data architecture or core data integrity is shaky. She facilitates strategic guidance to build the robust infrastructure required before advanced analytics or tool selection.
Mike Gualtieri

Location: Boston, US
Credibility: Founder of Intelligent Business Strategies
Years of experience: 30 years
Preferred Mode of Consultation: Via Forrester contact section
Expertise: Enterprise BI architecture, AI/ML in analytics, and data governance.
Technology Specialisation: AI/ML in analytics
Why Choose Mike Gualtieri As a BI Consultant?
Mike Gualtieri has 30 years of experience as BI consultant specialized in enterprise BI architecture, AI/ML in analytics, and data governance. He is the Vice President & Principal Analyst at Forrester Research. Organizations should hire him if they require a consultant with deep historical knowledge who can simultaneously guide the strategic implementation of cutting-edge technology (AI/ML) and ensure the foundational structure (Enterprise BI architecture) and compliance (data governance) are sound.
Bill Inmon

Location: Colorado, United States
Credibility: Patent - Site-selectable air traffic control system
Years of experience: 35 years
Preferred Mode of Consultation: Through Seminars, webinars and email
Expertise: data warehouse design, big data BI, and foundational BI methodologies.
Technology Specialisation: Big Data and Architecture
Why Choose Bill Inmon As a BI Consultant?
Bill Inmon, widely known as the "Father of the Data Warehouse", is an expert in data warehouse design, big data BI, and foundational BI methodologies. His expertise centres on data warehouses. So, companies struggling with management of large data volumes should hire as he is well known for it. Bill Inmon is perfect for the companies if their primary goal is to ensure the architectural integrity and foundational strategy of their entire data system is correct and scalable.
Now let’s look at five individual BI consultants that you can consider as the best ones:
Name of The Consultant | Expertise | Years of Experience | Specialization | Website/Linked Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Howard Dresner | BI market research, vendor evaluation, and predictive analytics strategies. | Over 30 years | Research and thought leadership | |
Cindi Howson | BI tool selection, ROI optimization and data storytelling. | Over 20 years | BI tool selection and strategy | |
Claudia Imhoff | BI/data-warehousing foundations & strategy, master data management, and BI maturity assessments | Over 30 years | Analytics and BI infrastructure | |
Mike Gualtieri | Enterprise BI architecture, AI/ML in analytics, and data governance. | 30 years | Enterprise BI architecture | |
Bill Inmon | Data warehouse design, big data BI, and foundational BI methodologies | 35 years | Data Warehouse and big data BI |
Howard Dresner

Location: United States
Credibility: Gartner Fellow (2004), Gartner Cultural Icon Award (2002)
Years of experience: Over 30 years
Preferred Mode of Consultation: Via contact form of Dresner advisory services, webinars and podcasts
Expertise: BI market research, vendor evaluation & predictive analytics strategies.
Technology Specialization: Predictive analytics strategies
Why Choose Howard Dresner As a BI Consultant?
Howard Dresner, Founder and Chief Research officer of Dresner Advisory Services, is remarkably efficient at BI market research and BI consultancy, vendor evaluation, and predictive analytics strategies. He profoundly focuses on research and thought leadership which might benefit your organization. Above that, he provides high-level strategic guidance allowing you to understand market trends and evaluate competing BI platforms.
Cindi Howson

Location: New York, US
Credibility: Data Leader of the Year (Issued by Women in Data, Dec 2021)
Years of experience: Over 20 years
Preferred Mode of Consultation: Via Thoughtspot contact process and conferences
Expertise: BI tool selection, ROI optimization and data storytelling.
Technology Specialisation: BI tools
Why Choose Cindi Howson As a BI Consultant?
Cindi Howson, Chief Data Strategy Officer at ThoughtSpot, is experienced in BI tool selection, ROI optimization and data storytelling. She specifically focuses on helping organizations pick BI tools and set BI strategy. She not only works on technical implementation but also emphasizes on maximizing business outcomes and ROI(return on investment) optimization. So, hiring her can be financially rewarding for the companies.
Claudia Imhoff

Location: Colorado, United States
Credibility: Fellowship Issued by The Data Warehousing Institute
Years of experience: Over 30 years
Preferred Mode of Consultation: webinars and keynote speaking
Expertise: BI/data-warehousing foundations & strategy
Technology Specialisation: Data warehousing
Why Choose Claudia Imhoff As a BI Consultant?
Claudia Imhoff, is an expert in establishing BI data warehousing foundations & strategy, master data management, and BI maturity assessments. She specially helps organizations build the stable and structured environment necessary for successful BI. Claudia Imhoff is suitable for organizations where the data architecture or core data integrity is shaky. She facilitates strategic guidance to build the robust infrastructure required before advanced analytics or tool selection.
Mike Gualtieri

Location: Boston, US
Credibility: Founder of Intelligent Business Strategies
Years of experience: 30 years
Preferred Mode of Consultation: Via Forrester contact section
Expertise: Enterprise BI architecture, AI/ML in analytics, and data governance.
Technology Specialisation: AI/ML in analytics
Why Choose Mike Gualtieri As a BI Consultant?
Mike Gualtieri has 30 years of experience as BI consultant specialized in enterprise BI architecture, AI/ML in analytics, and data governance. He is the Vice President & Principal Analyst at Forrester Research. Organizations should hire him if they require a consultant with deep historical knowledge who can simultaneously guide the strategic implementation of cutting-edge technology (AI/ML) and ensure the foundational structure (Enterprise BI architecture) and compliance (data governance) are sound.
Bill Inmon

Location: Colorado, United States
Credibility: Patent - Site-selectable air traffic control system
Years of experience: 35 years
Preferred Mode of Consultation: Through Seminars, webinars and email
Expertise: data warehouse design, big data BI, and foundational BI methodologies.
Technology Specialisation: Big Data and Architecture
Why Choose Bill Inmon As a BI Consultant?
Bill Inmon, widely known as the "Father of the Data Warehouse", is an expert in data warehouse design, big data BI, and foundational BI methodologies. His expertise centres on data warehouses. So, companies struggling with management of large data volumes should hire as he is well known for it. Bill Inmon is perfect for the companies if their primary goal is to ensure the architectural integrity and foundational strategy of their entire data system is correct and scalable.
Consultancy firms or individual consultants: Whom to choose?
Both BI consultancy firms and individual consultants can assist organizations and companies with data management depending on the nature of their business.
BI consultancy firms provide holistic approach and roadmaps for strategy development and data infrastructure with multidisciplinary teams. While Individual consultants facilitate specific skills and deeper knowledge.
While consultancy firms give you long term support, individual consultancy depends on only one person making it difficult to give long term support.
For complex infrastructure and implementation, BI consultancy firms work better. For guidance or particular decisions, especially high level decisions, an individual BI consultant is more suitable.
Also, if you need to train your teams for acquiring special skillsets, you can hire an individual consultant. But, if you want large scale transformation, you need to look for a consultancy firm.
However, individual consultancy is always cost-effective while consultancy firms always cost you more. So, if you have a tight budget or own a small business, individual consultancy is more suitable for you.
Both BI consultancy firms and individual consultants can assist organizations and companies with data management depending on the nature of their business.
BI consultancy firms provide holistic approach and roadmaps for strategy development and data infrastructure with multidisciplinary teams. While Individual consultants facilitate specific skills and deeper knowledge.
While consultancy firms give you long term support, individual consultancy depends on only one person making it difficult to give long term support.
For complex infrastructure and implementation, BI consultancy firms work better. For guidance or particular decisions, especially high level decisions, an individual BI consultant is more suitable.
Also, if you need to train your teams for acquiring special skillsets, you can hire an individual consultant. But, if you want large scale transformation, you need to look for a consultancy firm.
However, individual consultancy is always cost-effective while consultancy firms always cost you more. So, if you have a tight budget or own a small business, individual consultancy is more suitable for you.
Wrapping Up
In today’s competitive market, for any industry, a well organized BI system is a must to stay ahead. Business intelligence and data management is a complicated task to handle for companies who have certain business goals to meet. Hiring a consultant, whether it is a firm or an individual person, is a smart decision for businesses that want to focus on their core operations and maximize revenue.
In today’s competitive market, for any industry, a well organized BI system is a must to stay ahead. Business intelligence and data management is a complicated task to handle for companies who have certain business goals to meet. Hiring a consultant, whether it is a firm or an individual person, is a smart decision for businesses that want to focus on their core operations and maximize revenue.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a business intelligence consultant do?
Fundamentally, BI consultants analyze company data to develop efficiency, help in faster decision making and improve overall performance.
What is the essential focus of work engaged by a business intelligence consultant?
A business intelligence consultant helps companies turn raw data into actionable insights.
How much does a BI consultant cost?
The cost of BI consultants depends on various factors. They cost either on hourly basis or through project-based fees. On average, they may cost $150 – $199 / hr and €3,000-€10,000 for BI projects.
Who are the big 4 business consulting agencies?
The big 4 business consultants typically refer to Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu (Deloitte), PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), Ernst & Young (EY), and KPMG International (KPMG)
What are the 7 C's of consulting?
7 C’s of consulting are generally known as: client, clarify, create, change, confirm, continue and close.
What does a business intelligence consultant do?
Fundamentally, BI consultants analyze company data to develop efficiency, help in faster decision making and improve overall performance.
What is the essential focus of work engaged by a business intelligence consultant?
A business intelligence consultant helps companies turn raw data into actionable insights.
How much does a BI consultant cost?
The cost of BI consultants depends on various factors. They cost either on hourly basis or through project-based fees. On average, they may cost $150 – $199 / hr and €3,000-€10,000 for BI projects.
Who are the big 4 business consulting agencies?
The big 4 business consultants typically refer to Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu (Deloitte), PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), Ernst & Young (EY), and KPMG International (KPMG)
What are the 7 C's of consulting?
7 C’s of consulting are generally known as: client, clarify, create, change, confirm, continue and close.

Susmita Farhin Pinak
Susmita Farhin Pinak
Susmita Farhin Pinak
Content Writer
Content Writer
Always being passionate about research and writing, I have studied English literature from Brac University. Now, I am doing my desired job as I am researching and analyzing. And writing contents, blog posts and constantly polishing my skills and abilities.
Always being passionate about research and writing, I have studied English literature from Brac University. Now, I am doing my desired job as I am researching and analyzing. And writing contents, blog posts and constantly polishing my skills and abilities.
Always being passionate about research and writing, I have studied English literature from Brac University. Now, I am doing my desired job as I am researching and analyzing. And writing contents, blog posts and constantly polishing my skills and abilities.
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