What are the best business intelligence training courses?

I am looking to enter the business intelligence (BI) field, and I have a couple questions.

My background: I have an electrical engineering degree and an MBA. I have data analysis experience using Excel, Access, Crystal Reports and basic SQL. However, my previous positions didn't require data analysis on a daily basis. Currently, I'm looking for a position to gain real-world analysis experience, but, in the meantime, I'm self-teaching and studying more advanced skills with SQL and SQL Server 2008 (i.e., SQL Server Integration Services, SQL Server Analysis Service, SQL Server Reporting Services).

I was hoping you could help me with the following:

Do you think this is the right approach to starting my BI career? Would you recommend a video-based business intelligence training course to get jump-started with SQL Server 2008 (for example, from www.sqlusa.com or other training sites)? For hands-on practice, I installed SQL Server 2008 Developer Edition on my PC.

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Do you think this is the right approach to starting my BI career?
Microsoft's BI suite is becoming more and more popular, so going down that path is logical and should be marketable.

Would you recommend a video-based business intelligence training course to get jump-started with SQL Server 2008 (for example, from www.sqlusa.com or other training sites)? For hands-on practice, I installed SQL Server 2008 Developer Edition on my PC.
For training, do a self-examination on how you enjoy to learn. Practical hands-on training is always what companies will be looking for.

This was first published in March 2010

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