The data engine should be able to overlay now information over historical data so, for example, you can compare year over year metrics and use that to predict what is going on in the future. Reports thus shift from reactive – from constantly putting out fires, from breathlessly playing catch-up, from feeling like you can never get ahead – to forward-looking, using the most current and real-time data. That can open up new avenues of analysis, strategy, and decision-making, like the following: