Organizations continue to see an increase in the number of data sources they extract data from to drive AI, analytics, and BI initiatives. As shown in Figure 1, 24% of respondents reported a significant increase in sources, with another 51% also seeing a slight increase. Managing varied and growing sources as a foundation for AI is a growing challenge faced by organizations.1
Figure 1. Data Sources Continue to Increase for Organizations
Source: Enterprise Strategy Group, a division of TechTarget, Inc.
A significant contingent of organizations (71%) expected to implement 11 or more generative AI applications, including AI agents or other use cases using enterprise data and retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) within the next 24 months—with 14% planning for 50 to more than 100 use cases, indicating a major scale-up for many organizations. These findings reflect the steady adoption of RAG as enterprises leverage data to enhance AI capabilities (see Figure 2).2
Figure 2. Significant Plans to Build Generative AI Solutions With Enterprise Data
Source: Enterprise Strategy Group, a division of TechTarget, Inc.
1. Source: Enterprise Strategy Group Complete Survey Results, Data Governance in the Age of AI, June 2024.
2. Source: Enterprise Strategy Group Research Report, Rethinking Database Requirements in the Age of AI, February 2025.