Page 74 - CMA Journal (July-August 2025)

S R

58% organizations use advanced analytics tools beyond Excel or Google Sheets

Which tools or platforms are used for
data analytics in your organization?
While 42% of respondents still rely on Excel
or Google Sheets, a majority use more DŝĐƌŽƐŽŌ džĐĞů Žƌ 42%
'ŽŽŐůĞ ^ŚĞĞƚƐ
advanced platforms for analytics: 22% use
in-house or ERP systems, 17% adopt BI tools Power BI or similar BI tools 17%
(e.g., Tableau, Data Studio)
like Power BI or Tableau, 9% use SQL
databases, 5% rely on cloud platforms, and SQL-based tools or databases 9%
(e.g., SQL Server, MySQL)
3% use Python/R. This reflects growing
adoption of specialized analytics tools /ŶͲŚŽƵƐĞ Žƌ ZWͲďĂƐĞĚ ĂŶĂůLJƟĐƐ 22%
ƐLJƐƚĞŵƐ ;Ğ͘Ő͕͘ ^ W͕ KƌĂĐůĞ /Ϳ
alongside traditional spreadsheets.
r
Python, R, or other 3%

programming tools
o
g
n

ůŽƵĚ ƉůĂƞŽƌŵƐ ;Ğ͘Ő͕͘ 5%
;Ğ
Ő
Ɛ
ŵ
njƵƌĞ͕ t^͕ 'ŽŽŐůĞ
28% see skill shortage as the main barrier in analytics adoption
What are the main barriers to using or expanding
data analytics in your organization?
ck of sk d 28% Around 28% of respondents identified a lack of skilled
ƐƚĂ
ƐƚĂīī personnel as the main obstacle to analytics adoption.
ī
ī
a
a qua
t
t
t
t
a
ality or r
t
o
q
a
q
q
da
da
rd
da
a
Poorrdoor daaata qua l ality o r r 16% Other challenges included limited management
ƚ
Ă
ƚ
Ğ
ĞŐƌĂƟŽŶƟŽŶŽŶ
ƚ
Ɛ
ƐLJ
Ɛ
ƚĞ
ƚ
ƐLJ ƐLJLJƐƚĞŵŵ ŝŶƚĞŐ Ő Ő Őƌ Ă Ž support (17%), data quality or system integration issues
Ğŵ ŝŶ
ƚ
Ğŵ ŝŶ
ƚ
ŵ ŝŶ
c
igh
igh c
igh
os
s
H H High cost t 14% (16%), low awareness of benefits (16%), high tool costs
of t
o
ools
ols
of tools
of of t t o ols (14%), data privacy concerns (7%), and data hoarding
m
manag
Limited managemenent 17% (2%). This highlights that while skill gaps remain the top
e
supporort barrier, organizations are increasingly aware of and
Low awareness 16% working to overcome multiple challenges in expanding
ŽĨ ďĞŶĞĮƚƐ analytics capabilities.
Data hoarding 2%
b btteeamms
by
y
y
y
t
Data privacy or cy or 7%
va
Da
i
p
a
ri
regulatory concernscerns
re g u la to r y c on
Respondents Overview
The survey engaged a diverse group of finance professionals from across Pakistan, representing a range of sectors,
roles, and experience levels:
• Organizational Sector: 50% of respondents work in corporate or industrial organizations, 32% in other sectors, 15% in
public sector or regulatory authorities, 2% in non-banking financial institutions, and 1% in banks.
• Roles and Seniority: Participants held a variety of positions, including 29% Managers/Assistant Managers/AVPs, 21%
Department Heads/Senior Managers/VPs, 20% C-level executives, 14% Directors, and 18% in other roles such as Analysts,
Advisors, Consultants, or Technical Experts.
• Professional Experience: The majority of respondents are seasoned professionals, with 70% having over 10 years of
experience, 12% with 6–10 years, 10% with 3–5 years, and 9% with less than 3 years.
DISCLAIMER: The views expressed by the survey participants do not necessarily reflect the official viewpoint of the Institute of Cost and
Management Accountants of Pakistan. Furthermore, Gallup Pakistan has conducted this poll according to the ESOMAR Code of Ethics
and internationally recognized principles of scientific polling. The results of this report do not represent views held by the authors or Gallup
Pakistan. The results only represent public opinion, computed based on views expressed by anonymous respondents.
72 ICMA’s Chartered Management Accountant, Jul-Aug 2025