What are the skill sets required to be a business analyst? Being a management student, do I need to learn any specific programming language to excel in a business analyst role? Prachi Sinha

It is possible to perform basic business analytics using just Excel and PowerBI, or a visualisation tool such as Tableau. However, for more advanced analytics, such as data mining or predictive analytics, it is best if you learn to use Python and its ecosystem. In any case, it is a good idea to learn to code, in Python or some other language, since it is a valuable exercise in rigorous thinking.

(The expert is Director, Master of Artificial Intelligence in Business (MAIB), SP Jain School of Global Management.)