Microsoft realized it needed to change how it utilized data in order to transition financial analysts from data custodians to business partners supporting decision making. It took three key steps: 1) Outsourcing raw data collection to reduce time spent on this by analysts; 2) Standardizing data taxonomy and metrics across subsidiaries through a central data warehouse; 3) Implementing data visualization tools like Power BI to generate insightful and interactive reports for analysis in close to real-time. These changes have dramatically improved productivity and decision making support.