Categories: Thoughts

Strong Data Visualization Tops BI Software Buyer Needs 2026

SoftwareAdvice, a data visualization software review company that recently got acquired by Gartner, has published a report on Business Intelligence software buyer trends that caught our attention. The report is based on a survey of 385 companies via phone interactions, and presents a realistic overview of BI buying trends today.

Here are the 3 key findings from the report:

1. More than 60 percent of prospective BI software buyers are not IT professionals

Instead most buyers have job titles that correspond with business functions like financial officer, operations manager or marketing executive, to name a few. This is in line with our observations, where we’ve noticed that non-technical influencers are increasingly getting involved in the buying process. What previously used to be the domain of a few tech-savvy IT professionals, is now becoming democratized to include a variety of business functions like Product Managers, Project Managers, UX designers, and Business Analysts. Consequently, we’ve taken steps to meet these buyers’ information needs in the form of comparison tables, accessible white papers, blog posts, and more.

2. Buyers Overwhelmingly Want Better Data Visualization

Business professionals understand that data is useful only when it’s actionable and insightful, and visualization is what transforms raw data into actionable insights. One prospective buyer in the survey says “We want to pull data from our SQL server, Microsoft Dynamics, SharePoint and Excel, and we want a strong visualization tool.”

Not surprisingly, the most-requested BI tools among buyers are dashboards and scorecards.

3. Most Buyers Want Integrated Suites

All but a small fraction of prospective BI software buyers want integrated suites, rather than multiple best-of-breed applications.

If the findings in this report interest you, do browse through the additional charts in the SlideShare deck below, or visit the SoftwareAdvice website for the report in article format.

[slideshare id=33656014&doc=bi-buyerview-slideshare4-140417131624-phpapp01]

About Software Advice

Software Advice™ is a trusted resource for software buyers. The company’s website, www.softwareadvice.com, provides detailed reviews, comparisons and research to help organizations choose the right software.

Twain Taylor

View Comments

  • Secondly, look out thee layout from the button, whether in step with your own personal habits.
    Investing in a very study course it doesn't met your requirements could be damaging part in your career.
    PC repair in Washington DC is a uge business as whhile on an average
    there's morfe than one laptop per person therefore if
    the uszage iss much more correspondingly the business
    of PC repairs can also be widespread.

Recent Posts

What Is the Best Angular Chart Library in 2026? Top Options Compared

You can build complex web applications easily with Angular. But it’s a challenge to present…

3 days ago

How to Create Interactive JavaScript Charts (Step-by-Step Guide)

JavaScript charts help transform raw data into clear, interactive visualizations that users can easily understand.…

1 week ago

Canvas vs. SVG: Which is Best for JavaScript Charts?

Modern web applications depend on data visualization to transform complex information into clear, actionable insights.…

2 weeks ago

10 Best JavaScript Charting Libraries in 2026 (Ultimate Guide)

Data is a big part of modern software. Companies use charts to track sales, monitor…

2 weeks ago

Data Visualization Tools: Ultimate Guide to Choosing the Best Tools

Every day, businesses get more data than ever before. Looking at endless rows and columns…

3 weeks ago

How to Create Interactive React Charts with FusionCharts

Building interactive React charts from scratch can quickly become complicated. It becomes even more challenging…

4 weeks ago