Decision intelligence is quickly becoming the next phase of enterprise artificial intelligence, as organizations push beyond passive reporting into systems that can drive real-time action.

What’s changing isn’t just the tooling — it’s the role data plays inside the business. Static dashboards are starting to feel outdated as platforms take on a more active role, continuously ingesting and refining data within workflows. Instead of waiting on insights, organizations are wiring data, AI and automation directly into operations, where decisions happen faster and with more consistency. At Qlik Connect 2026, this evolution will come into focus as organizations look for practical ways to move from experimentation to execution.

“With 2026 being the year where AI has to see ROI, organizations need practical and actionable roadmaps and platforms,” said Rob Strechay, principal analyst at theCUBE Research. “I expect Qlik Connect to provide both for organizations as they are quickly going from pilot to production.”

Qlik Connect will bring together analysts, practitioners and technology leaders to examine how data platforms are evolving to support decision intelligence at scale. TheCUBE will provide live coverage on April 14, including interviews and analysis on how organizations are putting analytics to work in real-world environments. (* Disclosure below.)

Scaling decision intelligence across the enterprise

Analytics is no longer confined to dashboards. Enterprises are embedding it directly into operational workflows, where systems can trigger actions without waiting for manual interpretation. This shift relies on tighter alignment across data pipelines, analytics engines and AI models, enabling teams to respond in the moment across applications and business processes.

“Investing in a layered data platform isn’t about collecting data, it’s about harnessing it,” Strechay said. “It’s about enabling your teams to innovate faster, stay compliant and turn information into accurate enterprise intelligence.”

Ultimately, execution comes down to how quickly data can be turned into action. In an environment where timing shapes outcomes, access alone is no longer enough — responsiveness is what drives impact.

“It’s not about having the data; it’s having access to the data,” said Mike Capone, chief executive officer at Qlik Tech International AB, during an interview with theCUBE. “A lot of people will have data, but how soon can you act on it is going to be that winner.”

Data readiness becomes the backbone of decision intelligence

Data integration and data quality continue to set the pace as organizations scale decision intelligence efforts. Bringing together structured and unstructured data — and keeping it consistent — is especially important in hybrid environments, where fragmentation can quietly undermine AI-driven decisions. Reliable pipelines are quickly becoming table stakes.

“Data literacy is the thing that’s held us back in the [business intelligence] world for 20 years,” said James Fisher, chief strategy officer of Qlik, in an interview with theCUBE. “AI literacy … will have the same impact if we don’t address that, as well. Our job is to continue to be part of that ecosystem.”

Partnerships are also playing a larger role as enterprises connect platforms, vendors and internal teams to scale decision intelligence. What’s starting to show up now are real deployments — where analytics and automation are tied directly to outcomes, not just insights, across business functions.

“The notion for me is this idea of data for AI,” Fisher said. “What infrastructure do you need to get data ready to support AI use cases, but then how do you use AI to support data? The idea of preparing data, driving access to data, lowering data literacy, driving AI literacy, all … factor into that.”

TheCUBE event livestream

Don’t miss theCUBE’s coverage of Qlik Connect on April 14. Plus, you can watch theCUBE’s event coverage on-demand after the live event.

How to watch theCUBE interviews

We offer you various ways to watch theCUBE’s coverage of Qlik Connect, including theCUBE’s dedicated website and YouTube channel. You can also get all the coverage from this year’s events on SiliconANGLE.

TheCUBE Insights podcast

SiliconANGLE’s “theCUBE Pod” is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube, which you can enjoy while on the go. During each podcast, SiliconANGLE’s John Furrier and Dave Vellante unpack the biggest trends in enterprise tech — from AI and cloud to regulation and workplace culture — with exclusive context and analysis.

SiliconANGLE also produces our weekly “Breaking Analysis” program, where Dave Vellante examines the top stories in enterprise tech, combining insights from theCUBE with spending data from Enterprise Technology Research, available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube.

Guests

During Qlik Connect, theCUBE analysts will talk with industry experts about how organizations are operationalizing data and analytics to support enterprise AI, shifting from insight generation to real-time decision-making through integrated platforms, automation and AI-driven workflows. Stay tuned for our complete guest list.

(* Disclosure: TheCUBE is a paid media partner for Qlik Connect. Neither Qlik, the sponsor of theCUBE’s event coverage, nor other sponsors have editorial control over content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)

Image: SiliconANGLE