First, data resources-the "new oil" owned by enterprises in the future
According to the definition given by Gartner, a professional information technology research and analysis company, "big data" is a massive, high-growth and diversified information asset that needs new processing mode to have stronger decision-making power, insight and discovery power and process optimization ability. Victor? Meyer? Schoenberg and Kenneth? Cookeye's book "The Age of Big Data: Great Changes in Life, Work and Thinking" points out that big data has four characteristics: huge volume, diverse types, fast processing, low value density but high commercial value. Based on the strategic importance of big data, the US government even regards big data as "the new oil of the future". For enterprises, data resources will gradually become a core asset, "it is only a matter of time before they are included in the balance sheet".
Data is the basis of all work, and it is also the incomparable advantage of other departments owned by the financial department. In the era of big data, the original data can no longer meet the needs of daily business management decisions. We not only need to dig deep into financial data resources, but also need to expand the collection of business data resources to provide data support for giving full play to the decision support function of financial management.
1. Financial data. Basic functions of financial accounting
Through the procedures of confirmation, measurement, recording and reporting, the economic situation of enterprises is truthfully reflected in the form of data, and the history of economic activities of enterprises is reliably recorded and reported. At present, the accounting work has a relatively complete system of regulations and norms, adopted modern information technology to assist accounting means, and accumulated a large number of basic financial data information through confirmation, measurement and recording procedures, which provided sufficient financial information support for relevant parties to make decisions and reflect the performance of entrusted responsibilities, and effectively fulfilled their external reporting responsibilities. Correspondingly, as another important branch of modern accounting, management accounting plays an increasingly important role in fulfilling internal management responsibilities. As far as fulfilling the responsibility of internal management is concerned, financial personnel need to sort out and process the data on the basis of financial data according to the needs of internal management and financial analysis, fully and deeply explore the intrinsic value of financial data resources, provide reasonable suggestions for improving enterprise management, indirectly promote enterprises to improve efficiency and boost their growth.
2. Business data. Financial management is one of the core functions of enterprises, and the economic and business activities of enterprises are the basis of financial management. Financial business integration is the inevitable trend of financial management innovation in the future, and the maturity of information technology has created important conditions for financial business integration. In the process of real financial management, such as enterprise operating contract data (which can be subdivided into new contracts/carry-over contracts, domestic contracts/overseas contracts and other structured contract data information), raw material price data and industry development trend data have become indispensable and important reference factors in the process of financial forecasting and decision-making. In the era of big data, financial workers are required not only to confirm, measure, record and report the true and reliable financial data, but also to move towards the integration of financial business, and to put the management tentacles into the business and industrial chain of enterprises.
Even the external environment, actively promote the digitization of business management activities, and timely and fully obtain business data information related to internal management decisions.
Second, data management-the "new path" of financial management innovation
For a long time, under the influence of the goal orientation of financial reporting, the focus of enterprise financial management is mainly on preparing financial reports and fulfilling entrusted responsibilities. Although the preparation of financial reports is based on confirmation, measurement and recording, due to extensive process management, data (financial data and related business data), as an important resource of enterprises, has not received due attention: some enterprise decision-making related data have not been collected in time and fully; Due to the difference of data classification standards, it is difficult and inefficient to integrate and utilize data; A large amount of data is short-lived (generating financial statements) and then dormant until it loses its value forever due to destruction ... The enlightenment of the era of big data is that financial data and related business data, as a special language to record the economic activities of enterprises, should not be ignored, forgotten or erased in the memory of enterprise development. Strengthening data collection, storage, analysis and application is a new path pointed out by this era for financial management innovation and transformation.