---
title: "Business Intelligence Use Cases: A Comprehensive Guide"
---

# Business Intelligence Use Cases: A Comprehensive Guide

Last Reviewed: May 12, 2026 7 min read [No comments](https://www.selecthub.com/business-intelligence/business-intelligence-use-cases/#respond)

[![Conner Martin](https://www.selecthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/cropped-Conner-Headshot-96x96.jpg)](https://www.selecthub.com/author/conner-martin/) [Written by Conner Martin](https://www.selecthub.com/author/conner-martin/)

Technical Content Writer

Table of Contents

- [What Is Business Intelligence?](#What_Is_Business_Intelligence)
- [BI Use Cases](#BI_Use_Cases)
  - [Understand Customers](#Understand_Customers)
  - [Leverage Prescriptive Analytics](#Leverage_Prescriptive_Analytics)
  - [Chart Internal Data](#Chart_Internal_Data)
  - [View and Share Insights](#View_and_Share_Insights)
- [Key Features](#Key_Features)
  - [Data Collection](#Data_Collection)
  - [Analytics](#Analytics)
  - [Dashboarding](#Dashboarding)
- [Companies That Use Business Intelligence](#Companies_That_Use_Business_Intelligence)
  - [Coca-Cola](#Coca-Cola)
  - [Walmart](#Walmart)
  - [Netflix](#Netflix)
- [Top BI Software](#Top_BI_Software)
  - [Power BI](#Power_BI)
  - [Oracle Analytics Cloud](#Oracle_Analytics_Cloud)
  - [MicroStrategy](#MicroStrategy)
- [FAQs](#FAQs)
- [Next Steps](#Next_Steps)

If you’re drowning in raw data, [business intelligence software](https://www.selecthub.com/c/business-intelligence-tools/) is a must-have tool for extracting usable insights. Depending on your needs, there are many business intelligence use cases to get the most out of your chosen solution.

[Compare BI Software Leaders](https://pmo.selecthub.com/bi-software-analyst-report-site-vers/)

![Business Intelligence Use Cases Guide]()

## What Is Business Intelligence?

Business intelligence is software designed to manage and analyze data from various internal or external sources. Its insights can help streamline processes and improve key metrics through [data-driven decision-making](https://online.hbs.edu/blog/post/data-driven-decision-making).

There are many different business intelligence tools with several features they share. This inclusivity means there are many different circumstances in which you can apply the functionalities available to you.

## BI Use Cases

Companies across industries can benefit from applying business intelligence to internal or external data, whether you’re looking to track and aggregate KPIs, assemble robust customer profiles or otherwise put your data to use.

![BI Common Use Cases]()

Here are some common business intelligence use cases:

### Understand Customers

For many companies, [customer analytics](https://www.forbes.com/sites/jiawertz/2022/08/26/why-customer-insights-are-critical-for-a-business-to-thrive/?sh=5e93158c4000) is one of the most powerful features of business intelligence. Insights from customer data enable you to improve customer experiences and overall satisfaction.

#### Profiles and Demographics

Understanding who your current and potential customers are — and crucially, identifying what separates the two — is the backbone of any sales process. Business intelligence collects and organizes data on the people who interact with your company.

In addition to helping you retain existing customers, interpreting this demographic data can help you intentionally target marketing efforts to reach and convert potential customers.

#### Habits and Patterns

Business intelligence can also provide information about how customers interact with your business. What percentage of shopping carts on your online store do customers [abandon before purchasing](https://www.forbes.com/sites/garydrenik/2022/10/19/managing-abandoned-cartswhy-consumers-ditch-their-carts-and-how-to-reclaim-those-sales/?sh=2194adb72e24)? Does viewing one item tend to predict buying another?

Analyzing this data can help you fine-tune your sales processes, guide customers through sales funnels and more.

[Compare BI Software Leaders](https://pmo.selecthub.com/bi-software-analyst-report-site-vers/)

### Leverage Prescriptive Analytics

One of the most powerful applications of business intelligence is [prescriptive analytics](https://www.selecthub.com/business-intelligence/predictive-descriptive-prescriptive-analytics/). This type of analytics points toward specific actions you can take in response to the data.

#### Strategic Decisions

A main strength of business intelligence is its ability to draw usable information from raw data. These insights can indicate areas for potential improvements and even guide larger-scale strategic decisions.

### Chart Internal Data

Business intelligence also provides tools to analyze data from within your business, from operations and project management to budget or HR concerns.

#### KPIs

Establishing [key performance indicators](https://ie.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/what-are-kpis) is crucial for any business. When combined with business intelligence functions like prescriptive analytics, KPIs can be one of any organization’s most valuable data points.

With business intelligence, you can track KPIs, evaluate whether you’re meeting your goals and identify new or overlooked KPIs.

#### Problem Areas

If your KPIs are lagging or you know there are inefficiencies in your business, but you don’t know where, business intelligence tools could be the answer. You can trace inefficiencies to their sources through descriptive analytics and find solutions.

### View and Share Insights

Analytics and data-driven conclusions are only useful if you can understand and communicate them with [visual analytics tools](https://www.selecthub.com/business-intelligence/visual-analytics-tools/). Presentation and interpretation methods are key benefits of business intelligence.

#### Data Visualization

Business intelligence can provide charts, graphs and other [visual aids](https://www.ibm.com/topics/data-visualization) to interpret data. These can be a major benefit for internal communications and for ensuring that the conclusions provided by business intelligence are understood and put to efficient use.

[Compare BI Software Leaders](https://pmo.selecthub.com/bi-software-analyst-report-site-vers/)

## Key Features

Most business intelligence solutions share the same core set of features that make them suitable for the use cases discussed above, including:

### Data Collection

Business intelligence brings multiple data streams together from different sources, then processes and organizes them into a useful form. This process may involve data mining and [ETL functions](https://www.selecthub.com/etl/etl-requirements/) to prepare for the analytics step.

### Analytics

After collecting the data, BI uses analytics to convert it to actionable insights. Depending on the specific features available, these analytics can identify issues, track patterns and build models to help shape strategy.

### Dashboarding

Business intelligence tools also provide executive dashboards to display and organize key data feeds. The content can be hosted on cloud-based platforms so your team can access, monitor and edit it as needed.

## Companies That Use Business Intelligence

Companies in many industries use business intelligence to collect, analyze and use data, including giants like:

### [Coca-Cola](https://d3.harvard.edu/platform-digit/submission/coca-cola-leverages-data-analytics-to-drive-innovation/)

Coca-Cola uses BI to project sales revenue, analyze spending and forecast economic conditions. It also helps the company evaluate marketing campaigns and decide about introducing new products.

### [Walmart](https://customers.microsoft.com/en-us/story/1557385809666881648-walmart-retailer-power-bi)

Large retail companies like Walmart use BI for reporting and analytics. These companies typically have massive, constantly growing databases, so effective business intelligence operations are crucial.

Business intelligence tools can clean and organize all that raw data, even from disparate sources, and convert it into useful insights for a competitive advantage.

### [Netflix](https://medium.com/analytics-vidhya/how-netflix-used-data-science-to-form-into-a-100-billion-company-6f61cf68c4fb)

Like many streaming services, Netflix applies BI algorithms to track user preferences and recommend shows and films. This strategy provides each user with a customized experience to maximize their satisfaction.

As it produces original content, this viewing data also helps Netflix decide which series to support and which to cancel.

## Top BI Software

Plenty of business intelligence tools are out there, each with its own features and benefits. Check out our top picks below:

### [Power BI](https://www.selecthub.com/p/business-intelligence-tools/power-bi/)

Microsoft’s Power BI is a widely used platform in multiple industries. It provides dashboards and other visualizations through an easy-to-read interface and can incorporate data from many sources.

![Power BI Dashboard]()

Dashboard view in Power BI.

Different versions are available at varying price points tailored to users ranging from individuals to large companies.

[Compare BI Software Leaders](https://pmo.selecthub.com/bi-software-analyst-report-site-vers/)

### [Oracle Analytics Cloud](https://www.selecthub.com/p/business-intelligence-tools/oracle-analytics-cloud/)

Oracle Analytics Cloud offers a highly customizable business intelligence solution using AI and machine learning. Users can request analytics reports through natural language queries with chatbot support.

![Employee Attrition Analysis in OAC]()

Multiple ways to view data and analytics in Oracle Analytics Cloud.

The platform emphasizes predictive analytics, using past and present data to establish trends and build models for the future. Machine learning algorithms also identify trends and generate data visualizations.

### [MicroStrategy](https://www.selecthub.com/p/business-intelligence-tools/microstrategy/)

With a focus on analytics, MicroStrategy is a highly scalable and user-friendly business intelligence tool. It connects to multiple data sources to build your company’s big picture and leverages collaboration features to keep your team in the loop.

![Data Visualization in MicroStrategy]()

Data visualization with MicroStrategy.

It offers cloud-based, on-premises and hybrid deployment options as well as mobile-friendly apps so you can access data and reports from anywhere.

[Get our BI Tools Requirements Template](https://pmo.selecthub.com/bi-requirements-template-site-vers/)

## FAQs

[What does business intelligence do?](#group_932)

Business intelligence converts raw data into useful information and strategic insights. It can provide decision-making guidance, generate customer analytics and identify inefficiencies in workflows and processes.

[What’s the difference between business intelligence and business analytics?](#group_173)

Though there’s plenty of overlap between them, business intelligence and business analytics refer to different processes.

Typically, business analytics focuses on using data from the past to forecast the future, while business intelligence looks at both the past and present to incorporate real-time data. Most business intelligence software includes business analytics features.

[Who uses business intelligence?](#group_892)

A variety of professionals within your company will find use cases for business intelligence, from sales and marketing departments to project managers and dedicated data engineers.

[Compare BI Software Leaders](https://pmo.selecthub.com/bi-software-analyst-report-site-vers/)

## Next Steps

The right business intelligence software can provide you with new capabilities in numerous situations. If you’re in the market for a business intelligence solution, get started with our [free requirements template](https://pmo.selecthub.com/bi-requirements-template-site-vers/) to lay out your must-have features.

What are the most applicable business intelligence use cases for your organization? Let us know in the comments!

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Originally published in August 2024 and last updated in May 2026. Contributions from Conner Martin.

## About the Contributors

The following team members helped research, create, and review this content.

[![Conner Martin]()](https://www.selecthub.com/author/conner-martin/)

Written by  
[Conner Martin](https://www.selecthub.com/author/conner-martin/)

Technical Content Writer

 

Conner Martin is a writer and researcher with a passion for communication and education. He covers business intelligence and related categories, and in his spare time he enjoys reading, playing tabletop roleplaying games, and enjoying the beautiful Colorado outdoors.

[See Full Bio](https://www.selecthub.com/author/conner-martin/)

Ritinder KaurDescriptive vs Predictive vs Prescriptive vs Diagnostic Analytics

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