5 best practices to (truly) get the most out of your reporting software in 2026

In 2026, the role of the finance function is no longer limited to producing figures, as highlighted by the study conducted by EMAsphere among more than 50 European finance departments (full results available here). It must ensure data reliability, accelerate analysis, and support strategic decision-making.

Yet, many CFOs and finance teams are still underusing their reporting tools due to a lack of time, prioritisation, or clearly established best practices. And that’s completely understandable!

That’s why we’ve identified 5 key actions, applicable to any organisation, to transform your reporting software into a true performance lever—each illustrated with a concrete implementation example in the reference reporting platform, EMAsphere.

1️⃣ Open reporting to all stakeholders

Best practice: effective reporting should not remain confined to the finance department. The more teams have access to clear, shared, and contextualised information, the faster and more aligned decision-making becomes.

Finance, executive management, operations, HR, and sales do not need the same indicators, but they must all work from a single source of truth.

Expected results:

• fewer ad hoc requests to the finance team,
• greater autonomy and engagement for each team,
• improved internal knowledge sharing.
  
  

With EMAsphere: EMAsphere allows access to an unlimited number of users, with finely configurable permissions. Each team and/or user accesses only the dashboards relevant to them, while working on consistent and consolidated data.

2️⃣ Automate intercompany management to speed up closings

Best practice: managing inter-entity flows remains one of the main obstacles to fast and reliable closings.

Without automation, it leads to:

• discrepancies that are difficult to explain,
• time-consuming manual checks,
• unnecessary stress during closing periods.
  
  

The key is to configure rules once in order to industrialise controls.

With EMAsphere: EMAsphere allows you to define structured intercompany rules and automatically detect discrepancies, whether you manage 3 or 20 entities.

Result:

• faster closings,
• improved traceability,
• a reliable group view, without Excel reprocessing.
  
  

3️⃣ Use AI to accelerate analysis (without replacing expertise)

Best practice: AI is not meant to make decisions instead of finance professionals. However, it is extremely effective for:

• performing pre-analysis and alerts,
• accelerating the understanding of data and concepts,
• handling support tasks (translation, drafting reports, preparing presentations, …).
  
  

When used properly, it frees up time for what truly matters: analysis and strategy.

With EMAsphere: EMAsphere’s AI features include:

• instant dashboard translation into 6 languages,
• access to an integrated assistant for smooth and simple platform usage,
• clear pre-analysis of dashboards including insights, alerts, and recommendations.
  
  

4️⃣ Set up performance thresholds

Best practice: good reporting is not only about reviewing the past. It must raise alerts before deviations become problematic. Defining critical thresholds for specific indicators (cash position, solvency level, working capital requirements, …) makes it possible to move from consultative reporting to proactive reporting.

With EMAsphere: it is possible to configure health indicators to assess the company’s financial health at any given time:

• custom thresholds are defined (Critical, Poor, Normal, …) based on objectives,
• everything can be analysed:
  cash signals, operational deviations, revenue variations, …
  
  

The CFO is informed at the right time, without having to constantly monitor every dashboard.

5️⃣ Rely on support to evolve your reporting

Best practice: a reporting tool is never static. It must evolve with:

• the company’s structure,
• its challenges,
• its regulatory constraints,
• and its strategy.
  
  

The organisations that derive the most value from their reporting are those that rely on support, rather than remaining alone with their configurations.

With EMAsphere: EMAsphere teams support users in:

• optimising existing reporting,
• adding new scopes (HR, sales, ESG…),
• adapting dashboards to sector-specific challenges.
  
  

Access to the Help Center allows users to quickly get concrete answers without wasting time.

Ready to secure your data, accelerate analysis, and make strategic decisions in 2026?

A reporting software is not just a technical tool. It is a true management lever—provided it is:

• well shared,
• well configured,
• well used,
• and regularly challenged.
  
  

By applying these 5 best practices, you transform your reporting into a strategic tool that supports performance and decision-making in 2026 and beyond. Want to test them on the reference reporting software, EMAsphere? Our teams would be delighted to present the platform and explore how it can meet your needs.