For years, you would have invested in data platforms to store information, build reports, and track performance. That effort created visibility. And you saw what happened in the business.

But now the expectation is different. You want both visibility and clarity the moment a decision is made. In fact, CXOs today want answers in plain language while moving forward with confidence.

This is where the idea of a decision platform starts to make sense.

Microsoft Fabric, together with Copilot, is shaping this shift. With features like Chat with Data, your data no longer sits inside Power BI dashboards waiting to be interpreted by a professional. It becomes something leaders can interact with directly, almost like a conversation with their own business.

“I’m less interested in how sophisticated the analytics look. I care about whether my client teams walk out of a meeting knowing what to do next.”
                                                                                                                                                                              – Chief Executive Officer, UBTI

Microsoft itself shows this direction clearly. Their vision for Fabric brings analytics, data engineering, and BI into one environment so teams work from the same foundation. When Copilot is added to this environment, asking questions in natural (conversational) language becomes part of daily decision-making.

The Shift from Data Platforms to Decision Platforms: Microsoft Fabric & Copilot

• A data platform answers: “What data do we have?”
• A decision platform answers: “What should we do next?”

A traditional data platform focuses on storage, pipelines, and reporting. It organizes data well, produces dashboards, and helps teams review performance. However, a decision platform goes one step further. It connects data to real choices, and supports leaders when they review numbers, compare scenarios, or plan actions.

Microsoft Fabric supports this shift by integrating data, analytics, and reporting into a single system. OneLake serves as a unified data foundation, so your teams do not work from separate copies; everyone refers to the same source.

But the best part is Copilot. With this layer, instead of waiting for analysts to prepare views, you can Chat with Data and explore answers all by yourself:

• A sales head can ask about regional trends;
• An HR can ask how attrition and hiring are shifting across teams;
• A finance leader can ask about cost patterns;
• An operations head can ask which products are missing their daily targets and why.

Regardless, the AI responds in natural language.

Being in 2026, Traditional Analytics Still Has Limits

Traditional data analytics platforms still play an important role. With dashboards, reports, and KPIs remaining valuable, they provide structure and standard metrics. At the same time, business questions do not always arrive in a fixed format. You often think in follow-up questions. One answer leads to another.

Static reports cannot always keep pace with this style of thinking. They show what was designed in advance. In addition, they cannot always respond to a sudden “why” or “what if.”

This is where conversational analytics adds value. When you can Chat with Data, you can look beyond predefined views. You can literally ask, refine, and explore in real time. Copilot in Microsoft Fabric supports natural language queries, summary generation, and guided insights.

“Speed matters, but clarity matters more. I would rather have one clear insight today than ten reports next week.”                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       – Managing Director, UBTI

Ultimately, the goal here is not more reports, but clearer decisions.

How Microsoft Fabric + Copilot Changes the Decision Lifecycle

Your decision lifecycle, typically, includes:

• Gathering data
• Preparing reports
• Reviewing insights
• Deciding actions

Microsoft Fabric and Copilot shorten this cycle. Because data sits in a unified environment, teams spend less time reconciling numbers from different systems. And because Copilot supports natural language interaction, you can talk to your data and move from question to insight quickly.

For example, one of your board members reviewing quarterly performance might suddenly ask:

• “Which region improved profit margin the most?”
• “What changed compared to last quarter?”
• “Show drivers behind the increase.”

For these queries, instead of switching between reports or platforms, you can continue the discussion while interacting with the data directly through Copilot. This creates a more organic decision flow.

“We’ve seen clients invest heavily in advanced data analytics platforms but still rely on gut calls. The turning point comes when data enters daily conversations, and not just during a monthly review meet.”                                                                                                                                                                 – Director of Technologies, UBTI

If you notice, data becomes an active part of your conversation, and not as a separate exercise.

Real-World Patterns Observed by UB Technology Innovations, Inc.

All our conversations usually started with a CXO telling us, “We have all the data, but it’s everywhere.” That statement alone says a lot.

Looking back at our recent Microsoft Fabric engagements, three very different industries stand out: healthcare, supply chain, and manufacturing. We spoke with the executive committee teams, who have varying degrees of priorities and pressures. Still, the pattern we notice is surprisingly similar.

• Pattern 1: Decisions improve when data feels dependable.

In one of our healthcare projects, the issue was having many reports but lacking business confidence.

Touted as one of the most sensitive sectors, clinical administrators and medical directors need numbers they can trust when planning staffing, compliance, or patient services. As we partnered with them, Microsoft Fabric became their single source of truth. Powerfully, their meetings shifted from debating numbers to discussing actual actions.

And this is where Chat with Data becomes paramount. When you can ask questions in natural language and get answers from governed data, you’ll stop second-guessing the source and start focusing on outcomes.

“One standard feedback we keep hearing from clients is Copilot shortens the time between a question and a decision. And I’m really encouraged when I see CXOs act on those answers.”                                                                                                                                                                                                                  –Director of Operations, UBTI

• Pattern 2: Simpler data flows free up expert time.

A manufacturing client’s SAP BW migration showed us another reality.

Highly skilled analysts were spending large chunks of time managing refresh cycles and fixing data structures. After helping them transition to Microsoft Fabric, those same people spent more time analyzing production trends and KPIs.

When your teams make the best use of Chat with Data, they tend to ask more questions because asking becomes easy. Eventually, curiosity goes up, and when curiosity goes up, better ideas follow.

• Pattern 3: Real-time visibility changes daily work behavior.

We had a unique project. A fresh produce supply chain brand.

If a truck took a slower route, they noticed it later. If the inventory data was mismatched, it showed up in a report after the fact. If something unusual happened during peak hours, they often reacted when the impact was already visible in revenue or delivery timelines.

As we introduced Microsoft Fabric’s near real-time data ingestion and live dashboards, their working style changed; teams began checking numbers during the day, as they happened. Route issues were flagged while deliveries were still in progress. Stockouts were spotted before they became stockouts.

Now layer Copilot’s Chat with Data capabilities on top of that. Instead of waiting for data analysts, the managers simply ask, “Which routes are delayed right now?” or “Show me terminals with unusual activity today.” That small change influences how the day unfolds.

Microsoft Fabric and Copilot, in the Next 3-5 Years

In the next three to five years, we firmly believe that organizations embracing the evolution (from data platforms to decision platforms) will gain a clear edge. They will anticipate actions earlier, and they will analyze outcomes better.

Today, many teams still open Power BI reports and dashboards to understand performance. Tomorrow, leaders will habitually Chat with Data.

The enterprises that succeed in the next five years will be those that treat data not as a technical asset, but as an interactive strategic asset; something to ask, to explore, and to act on with confidence.

“Technology is rarely the hard part. The bigger shift happens when business users start asking their own questions instead of waiting for analysts.”                                                                                                                                                                                                                       – Head of Practice for Cloud Data Warehouse and Microsoft Fabric, UBTI

Turn your data platform into a decision platform. Speak with our team for a focused assessment or a hands-on Microsoft Fabric and Copilot rollout.