Data analytics has become a key driver for decision making in many businesses. Although the dairy industry is typically collecting enough real time data, it lags other industries in the ability to access, integrate, and utilize that data for making strategic decisions that will optimize the business to improve animal productivity and return on investment. It is easy to envision the opportunities that exist if we apply modern data analytics and visualization tools to farm data. For instance, an integrated data platform connecting animal performance, feed management data, diet formulation systems, and animal sensors (e.g., feeding time, rumination, activity, rumen pH) will create new opportunities to optimize farm diets, provide field data to validate technologies and decisions, and create farm-specific prediction models. During the development of an integrated data platform, we identified many data access and collection issues that must be overcome. Farm-level challenges include obsolete hardware, out of date software and operating systems, and inconsistent data collection. In addition, there is a lack of integration with off-farm data such as ration information, lab analysis, farm advisor data collection, and milk sales. Analytics opportunities include the creation of integrated reporting and dashboards using data visualization tools, alert systems to indicate management intervention opportunities and “what if” decision and management recommendation support. Dashboards and reports can present high value information but most farm managers have limited time to integrate it into strategic decision-making. One approach is to use the data platform and analytics to enhance the farm manager – dairy advisor relationship. As we move to a data driven approach new skills will be required. Farm managers need to ensure data collection on farm is organized, consistent, and accurate. Dairy advisors need to understand how to integrate ever-increasing amounts of information into strategic recommendations. This will improve the quality and timeliness of nutrition and management decisions.