OTH the inefficiency of an analyst who cannot answer even basic questions about the current state of the product without developers' help. Distracting them, or even worse - blocking until a dev is available.

I think it boils down to the power of balance in the org. Likewise I've met developers who cannot book a meeting. Some people have privilege to choose what to learn and what to laugh at. Actually, I'm surprised your sales guys wrote any documentation at all:)