The blog post explores the current and future landscape of self-serve analytics among data teams, highlighting findings from the State of Data Teams 2025 report, which reveals that while 70% of data leaders find self-serve a valuable goal, 53% are dissatisfied with their BI platforms. It features insights from leaders at Settle, Doximity, and Kaplan, who emphasize the need for dashboards to evolve beyond traditional roles to deliver real business value. The discussion reveals a spectrum of definitions for self-serve and addresses the challenges of democratization, data governance, and balancing centralization with decentralization. The leaders express a vision where AI plays a significant role in automating report generation and enhancing data accessibility while maintaining the human element for nuanced analysis. The conversation underscores the importance of a collaborative approach in data management, where self-serve tools are part of a larger cycle of inquiry and resolution, fostering trust and consensus around data usage.