How to Implement Ad-Hoc Reporting Without Driving Your Data Department Crazy

Ad-hoc reporting is critical for companies seeking to make informed decisions, yet it often creates a bottleneck for data teams due to the need for specialized skills in data engineering and SQL, which most domain experts lack. This results in a backlog of urgent report requests, causing stress and delays in decision-making. While dashboards offer robust reporting features, they lack the flexibility to answer follow-up questions, which is where ad-hoc reports provide value by allowing domain experts to explore data more deeply. To alleviate the pressure on data teams and empower business users, the adoption of self-service analytics tools, such as Sigma, is recommended. These tools enable domain experts to generate their own ad-hoc reports without technical skills, allowing for quicker access to insights and reducing reliance on data teams. To implement such tools effectively, companies should focus on training business users in basic data skills, organizing data for easy access, and maintaining strategic data governance to ensure data accuracy and relevance while avoiding bottlenecks. By democratizing ad-hoc reporting, companies can enhance decision-making capabilities and allow data teams to focus on high-priority tasks.