Analysis and Reporting under the Data Warehouse: Where Are the Boundaries of Responsibility between IT and Finance?
In a mid-sized enterprise with 45 employees, the finance department has historically been responsible for reporting and analysis, relying on Excel exports. The IT department built a new financial data warehouse and selected Power BI, but did not grant finance self-service reporting access, instead having IT write reports on their behalf. Finance questions IT's insufficient understanding of the data and asks about other companies' experiences in similar situations, as well as whether finance's role in reporting and analysis is shifting.
In our mid-sized company with 45 full-time employees, reporting and analysis have long been led by the finance department. We understand the business and the numbers better than anyone and are a trusted resource for decision-makers. In analysis work, due to the lack of report generators in the business software, the finance department currently exports information to Excel for processing.
Recently, the newly established IT department built a financial data warehouse based on the business software and selected Microsoft Power BI as the tool for generating reports from this data warehouse. The IT department did not grant the finance department the authority to write reports on its own, but instead proposed to write reports on behalf of users, including finance—even though IT does not truly understand the business meaning behind the data.
In this context, we would like to understand the experiences of financial peers in other companies collaborating with IT in similar scenarios: when using tools such as data warehouses and Power BI, how should responsibilities between finance and IT be divided? Is the role of finance in reporting and analysis undergoing a transformation?
Boundaries of IT and Finance Responsibilities: Data Governance and Business Interpretation
From a practical perspective, the construction of a data warehouse typically falls within IT's technical domain, while report logic and business definitions should be led by finance. IT is responsible for data extraction, transformation, loading (ETL), and tool maintenance, but the definition of metrics, selection of dimensions, and explanation of anomalies in reports require business knowledge, which is finance's strength.
If IT completely takes over report writing, the following risks may arise:
- Data Definition Deviation: IT may not understand the calculation rules for "gross profit" in different business scenarios, leading to inconsistencies between report figures and finance's definitions.
- Response Delays: Finance needs to quickly adjust reports to support decision-making; if every change depends on IT scheduling, efficiency will decrease.
- Trust Crisis: Decision-makers are accustomed to relying on finance-provided analysis; if reports are generated by IT but lack business explanation, it may weaken finance's role as a trusted resource.
Therefore, a reasonable division of labor should be: IT is responsible for the stability and data quality of the data warehouse, while finance is responsible for report design, validation, and interpretation. Finance should have self-service access to directly create reports using tools such as Power BI, with IT providing technical support and training.
Evolution of the Finance Role: From Manual Processing to Self-Service Analysis
With the proliferation of data warehouses and BI tools, the role of finance is shifting from "manual report creator" to "data analyst and business partner." Finance no longer needs to rely on cumbersome Excel exports but can more efficiently explore data and gain deeper insights into business trends. However, this transformation requires finance to have direct access to the data warehouse and the ability to use the tools.
In your company's situation, IT has not opened self-service access, which actually limits finance's transformation. It is recommended that finance communicate with IT to clarify the following:
- The data dictionary and data lineage of the data warehouse, ensuring finance understands the data sources.
- Request IT to provide Power BI training and open read-only access so that finance can create reports on its own.
- Establish a collaboration mechanism: IT is responsible for data model optimization, finance is responsible for report logic and validation, and together they maintain the report catalog.
Experience from other companies shows that successful cases often involve finance and IT forming a "partnership" rather than IT providing services unilaterally. Finance's unique value lies in transforming data into business insights, while IT's value lies in providing reliable data infrastructure. Both are indispensable.
Reflections on Role Transformation
The role of finance is indeed changing, but it is not being replaced by IT; rather, it is upgrading from "data mover" to "data interpreter." If finance cannot directly operate the data warehouse, this transformation will be hindered. Therefore, it is recommended that you proactively negotiate with IT to gain self-service analysis capabilities while maintaining ultimate responsibility for data quality.
"Finance's responsibility is not to write SQL, but to ensure that reports answer the right questions." — Insight from a finance director at a mid-sized company
In summary, data warehouses and Power BI are tools, and the right to use these tools should be given to those who best understand the business. IT's role is to enable, not replace. Finance should actively embrace this change while defending its leading position in analysis.