{"id":7463,"date":"2021-03-09T14:22:13","date_gmt":"2021-03-09T19:22:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/?p=7463"},"modified":"2026-01-16T04:53:00","modified_gmt":"2026-01-16T09:53:00","slug":"business-intelligence-tools-transform-small-business","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/business-intelligence-tools-transform-small-business\/","title":{"rendered":"How business intelligence tools can transform a small business"},"content":{"rendered":"<header class=\"entry-header has-dark-background-color entry-header--has-illustration entry-header--has-illustration--generic\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__row row align-center\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-lg-7 col-xlg-6 entry-header__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"component component-single-header\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__misc text--subtitle text--uppercase text--small\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/category\/money-matters\/\" class=\"entry-header__link\">Money Matters<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-title-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"entry-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tHow business intelligence tools can transform a small business\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"entry-header__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"single-post-details container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2021-03-09T14:22:13-05:00\">March 9, 2021<\/time><\/span><span class=\"reading-time\"> min read<\/span>\n\t\t<button\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\tclass=\"social-share-button button button--icon button--secondary js-social-share-button\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-title=\"How business intelligence tools can transform a small business\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-url=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/business-intelligence-tools-transform-small-business\/\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-text=\"Please read this interesting article\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__share-label\">Share<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-label\" hidden>Copy Link<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-tooltip\" aria-hidden=\"true\" hidden>Copied<\/span>\n\t\t<\/button>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<\/header>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-author has-dark-background-color alignfull\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"co-authors\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-author-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"entry-author\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/author\/owen\/\">\n\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/fr-ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2019\/04\/Owen_sage-advice-002.jpg\" class=\"entry-author__image\" height=\"40\" width=\"40\" fetchpriority=\"high\" \/>\t\t\t\t<span class=\"entry-author__name\">Owen Sweeney<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>There\u2019s a constant flow of financial data within any business. The data paints a picture that\u2019s accurate but also invaluable. The trick is to use it in a way that makes sense and isn\u2019t a time-consuming task in itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Business intelligence provides this trick. It\u2019s all about taking the data and making it work for you in the easiest, most intuitive, and accessible way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The concept originated in corporations back in the 1950s, but in recent years increasing use of technology has seen it trickle down so that even the smallest business can make use of it. On its journey downwards, the tools have become a lot simpler to use, yet no less valuable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This article will show you how business intelligence can benefit your business and help you to stay on track using data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-visualizing-live-data\">Visualizing live data<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The simple trick behind business intelligence is that it visualizes your live data, usually in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/free-ebook-a-basic-guide-to-interactive-dashboards-for-small-business\/\">reports or dashboards<\/a> where the data is represented graphically. Most people are far better at comprehending data when it\u2019s shown visually, rather than bare numbers, so this is useful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Who hasn\u2019t created a graph within a spreadsheet application? All that\u2019s needed is to highlight a few columns of figures, then hit the graph icon on the toolbar and follow the steps. Hey presto, you get an instant bar graph or pie chart representing those figures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Business intelligence is essentially this same process. For example, with just a few clicks you can transform your profit and loss ledger into a dashboard featuring a series of tables, charts, and standout figures. And, because the data comes from your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/size\/small-business\/\">accounting software<\/a>, it\u2019s always up-to-the-minute.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Visualizing the data brings a host of practical benefits:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It\u2019s easy for you to glance at, and understand, to get a quick yet complete picture of your business finances without too much mental exertion. The dashboard is always available, with no work required to \u201cgenerate\u201d it, so you\u2019re always a click or tap away.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It\u2019s useful for sharing figures with senior members of staff, especially if colleagues have a habit of demanding figures ASAP.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A departmental dashboard is useful for aiding colleagues who might want to understand the headline figures of another department, but who might not want to see the underlying data. For example, sales can view the headline performance figures of the manufacturing area in order to gauge upcoming production quantities.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-drilling-down\">Drilling down<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>A key feature of business intelligence dashboards is that they\u2019re interactive. They\u2019re not just there to look at! You can click a specific area in your graph or chart, and turn it into the focus. This might mean you\u2019re presented with additional, more detailed information about what makes-up that figure or it might mean that the rest of the dashboard updates accordingly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, if you sell across multiple geographies then selecting the sales figures for one region might cause the dashboard to focus on the sales and expenditures to reflect just that area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This makes it incredibly quick and easy to explore data, and to get fresh insights and perspectives on your business. It makes it easier to spot areas of weakness, or to identify areas in the business that are performing above average.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ultimately, it means you have more control and understanding\u2014yet without the onerous requirement to comprehend a whole lot of data at once.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-time-saving\">Time saving<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The big benefit of business intelligence tools are not only in the visualization of real-time data. It\u2019s also about saving time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The big shock for many who start a new business is the sheer amount of admin work required. Sage recently undertook research that showed businesses worldwide estimate they spend 146 working days per year on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/reduce-admin-boost-productivity-in-your-small-business\/\">admin tasks<\/a>. 35% of those tasks were reported to be accounting related.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Anything that can help claw-back time from admin tasks is to be embraced\u2014and using business intelligence does just that. It enables you to use your time more productively by removing the manual element of data analysis from your job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Essentially, you\u2019re free to do what you love\u2014running your business with the insight to make the best possible decisions!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Wouldn\u2019t you love being able to gain access to your top five expenses in a heartbeat while in the middle of month-end?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"single-cta gated-content\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__wrapper has-dark-background-color\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"single-cta__title h3\">A basic guide to interactive dashboards for small business<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Master innovative business intelligence to grow your business\u2014and avoid problems<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"#gate-00c111d4-998d-4076-be57-46bd50803afe\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"single-cta__button button button--primary\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Get your guide to interactive dashboards<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1064\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2019\/01\/GettyImages-566357525_super-1064x810.jpg\" class=\"single-cta__image\" alt=\"Businessman using a digital tablet and laptop in an office\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2019\/01\/GettyImages-566357525_super-1064x810.jpg 1064w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 33vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-four-examples-of-business-intelligence\">Four examples of business intelligence<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The types of dashboards and reports used across businesses of all sizes vary but here\u2019s some examples of the basic business intelligence dashboards that are typically used with smaller businesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-1-business-snapshot\">1. Business Snapshot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Wouldn\u2019t it be great to have a visual summary of how your business is doing with regard to generating sales, managing expenses, and creating profits? A Business Snapshot dashboard can deliver this. It shows whether your business has made or lost money in the period under review, which can also help determine trends for future business decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-2-sales-trend-analysis\">2. Sales Trend Analysis<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>All businesses desire a 360-degree view of their customers. A Sales Trend Analysis dashboard can show sales performance month-over-month or year-over-year, and can break down sales by region and customer, or by quotes and estimates. This gives you the vision to see where you are, where you were, and perhaps where you should be in order to create optimal growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-3-financial-hygiene\">3. Financial Hygiene<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Monitoring cash flow is an essential ingredient to the survival and success of any business. A Financial Hygiene dashboard gives an overview of cash transactions, so you can see at a glance how much is sitting in your bank account, what you\u2019re due to pay out to the tax authorities (debt vs credit), and so on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-4-analysis-of-accounts-receivable\">4. Analysis of Accounts Receivable<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Who owes you cash and how much? When can you expect to receive it from overdue customers? This is what an Analysis of Aged Debtors dashboard can provide. Especially for younger businesses with tight cash flows, knowing the key information of your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/accounting-software\/accounts-receivable\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">accounts receivable<\/a> can be invaluable and might even mean the difference between bankruptcy and the continuation of the business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-don-t-be-an-incomplete-business\">Don\u2019t be an incomplete business<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Technology is often considered indispensable in business, to the extent that all companies owe it to themselves to ensure they keep up with the latest developments. Business intelligence technologies, such as dashboards, essentially raise the technological bar for the small business sector, and provides a fresh new way to work with the increasing amounts of data that all businesses generate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The benefits range from basic efficiencies to being able to get insights that were previously unheard of at this level of business size.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Can a small business be called incomplete if it doesn\u2019t benefit from the likes of financial dashboards? Probably not, but the technology is so easy to use and so easy to implement that there really can\u2019t be an excuse for not embracing it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"single-cta\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__wrapper has-dark-background-color\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"single-cta__title h3\">Discover Sage Intacct<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Get to know the new cloud accounting and financial management solutions for your industry\u2019s specific needs.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/sage-business-cloud\/intacct\/quickbooks-alternative\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"single-cta__button button button--primary\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tid=\"cta-id-6876\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-button-location=\"cta_box\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Learn more about Sage Intacct<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1440\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1331173398-1440x810.jpg\" class=\"single-cta__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1331173398-1440x810.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 33vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<section class=\"more-topics alignfull has-grey-light-background-color wp-block-sage-post-topics\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"row\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-12 col-lg-4\">\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"more-topics__title h2\">Browse more topics from this 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https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1181223319-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1181223319-1440x810.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2025-05-02T06:06:37-04:00\">May 2, 2025<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">8 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h5\">\n\t\t\tCash flow vs profit: Master the twin pillars of business growth and finance\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-6 col-lg-3 card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-2 post-12909 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-strategy-legal-operations category-trends-insights tag-bookkeeping tag-business-finances tag-business-intelligence tag-cash-flow tag-data-analysis tag-electronic-payments tag-financial-insights tag-midsized-business tag-small-business tag-staying-competitive business_type-small-business business_type-medium-business\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__link\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/scenario-planning\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/10\/BrandShoot-LND_June2024_Financial-Services_0678-684x384.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/10\/BrandShoot-LND_June2024_Financial-Services_0678-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/10\/BrandShoot-LND_June2024_Financial-Services_0678-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/10\/BrandShoot-LND_June2024_Financial-Services_0678-1214x810.jpg 1214w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2025-05-01T09:00:00-04:00\">May 1, 2025<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">12 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h5\">\n\t\t\tScenario planning: What it is, how it\u2019s used, and its benefits\u00a0\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-6 col-lg-3 card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-3 post-12548 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-technology-innovation category-trends-insights tag-business-intelligence tag-business-management tag-digital-transformation tag-payment-processing tag-small-business tag-staying-competitive business_type-small-business\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__link\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/benefits-of-using-a-purchase-order-system\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-814559004-684x384.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-814559004-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-814559004-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-814559004-1440x810.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2025-04-22T04:39:17-04:00\">April 22, 2025<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">7 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h5\">\n\t\t\t12 powerful benefits of a purchase order system\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-6 col-lg-3 card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-4 post-12935 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-strategy-legal-operations category-trends-insights tag-ai tag-artificial-intelligence tag-bookkeeping tag-business-intelligence tag-business-strategy tag-midsized-business tag-profit-and-loss tag-small-business tag-staying-competitive business_type-small-business business_type-medium-business\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__link\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/accounts-payable-outsourcing\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-169267075_super-684x384.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-169267075_super-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-169267075_super-768x585.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-169267075_super-1064x810.jpg 1064w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2025-04-21T09:49:55-04:00\">April 21, 2025<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">7 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h5\">\n\t\t\tWhat is accounts payable outsourcing and how does it work?\u00a0\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Business intelligence is about taking data and making it work for you in the easiest, most intuitive and accessible way. See how it can help smal business.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":737,"featured_media":6380,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"sage_hide_published_date":false,"sage_hide_read_time":false,"sage_hide_share_buttons":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[167],"business_type":[3],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[],"imagine_tag":[45],"coauthors":[310],"class_list":["post-7463","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-money-matters","tag-business-intelligence","business_type-small-business"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-ca","author_name":"Owen Sweeney","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2019\/06\/managingcashflow.jpg","imagine_tags":{"45":"Enterprise management"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice Canada English","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7463","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/737"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7463"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7463\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/6380"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7463"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7463"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7463"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=7463"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=7463"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=7463"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=7463"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=7463"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=7463"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=7463"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}