Accenture adopts Microsoft Power BI as the data visualization platform for our research organization, enriching capabilities and dramatically saving time.

1. Accenture adopts Microsoft Power BI as
the data visualization platform for our
research organization, enriching
capabilities and dramatically saving time.
ACCENTURE ADOPTS
MICROSOFT POWER
BI FOR RESEARCH
Copyright © 2020 Accenture. All rights reserved

2. Accenture Research publishes hundreds
of reports, articles and points of view
every year. The organization also creates
data-driven insights, which Accenture
people increasingly use in their
conversations with clients.
Accenture Research is a global team of 300 researchers and analysts.
In their day-to-day work, they used different platforms and ways to
produce and deliver research content and insights. The proliferation of
platforms, ways to present content and variety of requests made it
difficult for Accenture people to easily and quickly find and use
relevant content.
Accenture Research recognized a single solution would be more
effective, specifically a modern business intelligence platform that
could easily be used by not only tech-savvy analysts, but by all types
of Accenture users. A single solution would also help achieve greater
scale in the delivery of “single versions of the truth,” create new
interactive data experiences and accelerate speed to insights.
CHALLENGE
Copyright © 2020 Accenture. All rights reserved

3. Together with Accenture’s global IT organization, Accenture
Research selected Microsoft Power BI as its next business
intelligence platform. Power BI is a suite of business analytics
tools to analyze data and share insights. The selection was
driven by Accenture Research’s strategy, itself shaped by
three foundational priorities: the outcome of a detailed
product assessment; the motivation to align with global IT’s
product strategy; and an objective to equip all of Accenture
with a user-friendly tool for searching research content.
Accenture implemented the ability to request access to
Power BI free, Premium, and Pro, enabling Accenture people
to use a common data visualization tool at varying levels.
With Pro, researchers gain powerful features, interactive
visualizations, business intelligence capabilities, and the
ability to build and share their own applications.
WHAT
ACCENTURE DID
With Power BI Premium, any
Accenture user can access their own
applications with a simple browser,
thus accelerating adoption.
Copyright © 2020 Accenture. All rights reserved

4. Today, Accenture Research continues to use the same platform and can easily
share BI applications with as many Accenture users as desired. Getting to this
point required a learning program of progressive levels of mastery based on
actual Accenture use cases, with researchers supported by industry and
services experts. Researchers and analysts learned how to take advantage of
accelerators (templates), self-service data preparation, design features,
programming, storytelling, and application management. They are excited to
present data analysis outcomes in dynamic, insightful and modern ways that
speak to the needs of the diverse audiences they collaborate with every day—
and the dramatic savings in time make the experience all the more valuable.
Accenture Research embraces the Human + Machine trend, where humans
and smart machines collaborate ever more closely. They also embrace the
Accenture Technology Vision 2020 trend of using AI as a collaboration tool
with humans: to not only efficiently execute tasks but also to transform what
businesses actually do.
The organization envisions bringing these possibilities to life
with the potential of using self-service artificial intelligence
(AI) with Microsoft Power BI to put AI in the hands of
Accenture people without AI expertise Accenture Research is
exploring the use of additional tools from the Microsoft Power
Platform, including self-service AI.
PEOPLE AND
CULTURE
Copyright © 2020 Accenture. All rights reserved

5. Microsoft Power BI fits with Accenture’s Microsoft 365
portfolio of applications, is rich in capabilities and is easy
to implement. It not only provides tech-savvy researchers
and analysts with a common, modern and easy-to-use
data visualization tool relevant for today and for the future,
VALUE
DELIVERED
but it also makes research assets readily available to all
Accenture employees in a dynamic way for the first time.
This capability is an important step in Accenture’s strategy
of putting technology-powered tools in the hands of many
people to achieve outcomes that were previously possible
with those few who possessed a much higher skill level.
Copyright © 2020 Accenture. All rights reserved