Xero and Microsoft's latest joint venture will bring SMEs access to their own small business data, something that the companies say should generate powerful business insights.

The content pack will deliver Xero's 700,000+ users access to analyse their own small business data so that their advisors can make smart, data-driven decisions within minutes.

According to Xero, on offer is enterprise-level business intelligence to small businesses with 25 key business metrics, in a rich visualisation environment.

Key performance indicators like relevant revenue vs expenses, profit loss trend, debtor days and return on investment are all included in the pack.

James Maiocco, general manager for global strategic partnerships at Xero, says the integration is a great deal for businesses.

“Business tools today are smarter and more connected than ever and finally available to the small business sector. We're delighted to further integrate with Microsoft Power BI to give our users enterprise-ready tools to analyse information from Xero to make smart, informed decisions,” comments Maiocco.

The collaboration between Xero and Power BI is set to empower small businesses and their advisors to unleash the power of big data. James Phillips, Microsoft's corporate vice president of Business Applications believes it will be really effective.

"Microsoft Power BI enables customers to get the most out of their data by analysing live updates, giving them the ability to see what's going on in their business and identify trends as they are evolving. Together Xero and Microsoft give small businesses the tools and insights to make real-time decisions that will help them grow their business," says Phillips.

Natural language queries and mobile apps should make developing new insights easy and accessible. This means that Xero's data will be actionable when small businesses need it, anywhere, anytime.​