The world‘s largest survey of data, BI and analytics trends Research sponsored by: Authors fbigelmaier@barc.comFlorian BigelmaierAnalyst Data & Analytics cbange@barc.comDr. Carsten BangeFounder & CEO lbaier@barc.comLarissa BaierSenior Analyst Data & Analytics hstauffer@barc.comHerbert StaufferSenior Analyst Data & Analytics rtischler@barc.comRobert TischlerSenior Analyst Data & Analytics tgrosser@barc.comTimm GrosserSenior Analyst Data & Analytics Table of Contents Executive Summary����������������������������������������������������������� 6 Generative AI for Data & Analytics..........................................42EmbeddedAnalytics&AI..........................................................44Data Products & Marketplaces................................................46Data Ops & Observability.........................................................48Data Fabric..................................................................................50Data Valuation & Monetization...............................................52Agentic AI....................................................................................54Real-TimeAnalytics&Streaming.............................................56 Survey Results������������������������������������������������������������������ 10Results Overview........................................................................11TrendsDevelopment..................................................................13Leadersvs.Laggards..................................................................15 Top 20 Trends in Detail��������������������������������������������������� 17 DataQualityManagement........................................................18Data Security & Privacy..............................................................20Data-Driven Culture...................................................................22Data & AI Governance................................................................24Data & AI Literacy.......................................................................26Self-Service Analytics & Data Discovery..................................28AI / ML / Advanced Analytics.....................................................30Data Warehouse Modernization..............................................32Data Preparation by Business Users.......................................34DataCatalogsandDataIntelligencePlatforms......................36Cloud for Data & Analytics........................................................38DecisionIntelligence&Automation.........................................40 Denodo........................................................................................70Strategy.......................................................................................71TARGIT.........................................................................................72 Foreword Everybusinessisadatabusiness.Theprimaryroleofdataistoem-powerdecision-makersacrossalllevelswithreliable,actionablein-sights.WhileusingdataandAItoautomateprocessesanddecisionsisanemergingtrend,stayingcompetitiverequiresorganizationstocon-tinuallyevolvetheirdatacapabilities,transformingrawinformationintoinsightsthatdrivedecision-makingandlong-termsuccess. With1,579participantsfromacrossindustriesandregions,theBARCData, BI and Analytics Trend Monitor 2026 reveals how data, BI andanalyticsprofessionalsprioritizethesetrendsglobally.Theirinputhelpsdistinguishbetweenhypeandenduringtrends,offeringcrucialinsightsfororganizationsnavigatingtheevolvinglandscape.Ourtimeseriescomparisonsalsoshowhowtrendshavedeveloped,makingitpossibletodistinguishhypefromstabletrends. However,becomingdata-drivenpresentschallenges.TheBARCData,BIandAnalyticsTrendMonitor2026showsthatwhileAIandautoma-tiontrendsaregainingprominence,theydonotdiminishthecontinuedimportanceoffundamentaldatapracticeslikesecurity,qualityandgovernance.Infact,itisbecomingincreasinglyclearthatwithoutthesefoundationalelements–alongsidefosteringadata-drivencultureandenhancingdataliteracy–long-termsuccessinleveragingdata&AIcannotbeachieved. Dr. Carsten BangeWürzburg, Germany, November 2025 Executive Summary Executive Summary Our survey of 1,579 participants highlights this duality: while innovationaroundAIisaccelerating,organizationscontinuetoprioritizequality,trust,complianceandcultureasthebasisforsuccess.Thehighrelevanceof data-driven culture, governance and data & AI literacy underlines theimportantbalancebetweenhumanandtechnologicalcapabilities. Manyofthetrendsshapingdatamanagement,BIandanalyticsin2026continuetodemonstratetheirlastingsignificance,withafewareasshow-ingnotableshifts. Dataqualitymanagementhasrecla