Next-Generation Business Intelligence Systems: Cloud Analytics for Strategic and Operational Excellence: A Narrative Review
Keywords:
Business Intelligence, Cloud-Based BI, Executive Intelligence, Real-Time Analytics, Decision Support Systems, Data Driven Decision MakingAbstract
The fast-changing business intelligence (BI) has revolutionized the way organizations gather, analyze, and process data as a decision-making tool. Conventionally, BI systems were described as periodic, retrospective reporting that relied on centralized IT capabilities and legacy on-premises systems. These systems were useful for simple performance monitoring, but in most cases, they did not meet the increased need for timely, actionable information. The advent of cloud computing, big data applications, and self-service analytics has redefined the face of BI fundamentally and has made intelligence accessible, scalable, and real-time across organizational levels. This article presents a descriptive narrative literature review focusing on the use of cloud-based BI platforms to change executive intelligence and operational analytics with specific regard to Microsoft Power BI. Based on peer-reviewed academic literature, industry publications, and technical documentation on platforms published in the period between 2021 and 2025, the review summarizes the latest trends, advantages, and difficulties related to the adoption of modern BI. According to the findings, cloud-native BI greatly enhances the speed of decision-making, enables uninterrupted monitoring of performance, and democratizes access to analytics. However, the review also refers to such critical issues as gaps in data governance, information overload, lack of skills, and the lack of trust due to inconsistent data definitions and the outdated design of dashboards. The paper also outlines new trends in augmented analytics, AI-based governance, and increasing significance of data literacy as key complements to technological investment. Comprehensively, the paper is a valuable addition to the body of BI literature as it combines technical, managerial, and human-focused views to provide practical guidance on how organizations pursue the use of cloud-based BI as a strategic decision-support capability in dynamic business settings.
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