What is our primary use case?
The solution is used for analyzing data and also for training.
What is most valuable?
It's a very organized product. It's easy to use.
Even if you look to the IBM SPSS Statistics, it is the same procedure, you can categorize data clearly that is nominal or scale. Therefore, you can analyze it in a simple way. This is different than most of the other software. IBM Modeler is really organized and it has too many automated methods that can be used easily even for the people who do not have a lot of experience.
I've been following the progress since SPSS was bought by IBM and transferred from Modeler to IBM SPSS Modeler. I'm recognizing the number of nuggets or techniques added to the software itself.
I used to give training courses in this procedure. I try to approach it like driving a car. If you drive one car, you can drive any other car. When IBM is so very organized, I find that, if you used it, you will learn how to choose the correct Data Science or Data Mining techniques. This will give you the ability to use the knowledge gained on other platforms. Most of the other solutions are trying to imitate IBM Modeler.
You have a lot of techniques and you have to use the proper techniques based on your needs, however, even some governmental places ask me for help. Sometimes they need association techniques, or clustering techniques, however, no doubt, you have to use the protective care modeling techniques, which are currently known as supervised modeling or regression techniques.
There are so many ways of analyzing data. If you have a huge amount of data with so many variables, you can use the solution to understand the learnings behind the data. Based on the objective of your research, you have a lot of techniques at your disposal.
The initial setup was simple.
The solution can scale.
The stability is good.
What needs improvement?
The time series should be improved. The time series is a very important issue, however, it is not given its value in the package as it should be. They have only maybe one or two nodes. It needs more than that. Also, it needs to be easier to use, for instance, you have, for the regression techniques, an assembled way for the automation that the model can detect the type of the logistic regression. If it is binary or multinomial or whatever. For the time field, they have an expert model, however, it is not as strong as regression techniques. Therefore, they need to work more on the time series.
Right now, with the Modeler, using unstructured data means needing to pay attention to IBM Modeler, including how to deal with the pictures. Currently the data, in the beginning, was structured, like an organized spreadsheet, however, now, you have to use unstructured data like pictures, voice, even location maps. This area needs improvement. If they can add this to the Modeler, it would be number one around the world.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the solution since it was named Clementine. It's been something like more than ten years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability is great. You can find very simple to use packages Orange or KNIME. KNIME is not as easy to use as Orange, however, it is the best way, as, when you are using IBM Modeler, you feel like you are making a flow chart, when you use a bundler it seems as if you are using a flow chart and just click run. You can leverage the knowledge that you can use later on.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability is very good. However, the best way to use it is to understand the underlying data science and to know the various techniques.
I'm not sure how many people are using it in my organization at this time. It changes every once in a while. It's used to a moderate extent, however, it's not a solution that's for everyone. It may not be more than 20% of the staff as users have to have a certain level of expertise.
How are customer service and support?
I do not reach out to technical support. I mostly use the hub and I've got any questions I've had answered through that.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Before IBM Modeler I was using IBM Resources called SPSS for the Statistics. The first time I used data mining techniques was through this solution.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was very straightforward. It was a simple process. The deployment was fast and only took maybe 15 minutes or so.
What about the implementation team?
I handled the deployment myself.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
In terms of costs, maybe the rough number is about $9,000. I don't pay for it due to the fact that, when I go to training for a specific training company, they give me the authorization to use it. Or I use it with my university, and they give us the license. Therefore, I don't know the exact price, however, roughly, my understanding is that it is around $9,000.
What other advice do I have?
The most important thing is to know how to mine the data. The most recent version gives you more facilities to do so, however, the techniques are mostly the same.
I'd advise users to learn Data Mining techniques or Data Science. The best support for that is to learn with IBM Modeler, as it is very easy to use. They give you one month for trial, so it's a good advance, a good chance for anybody to start to understand, to learn, to use IBM Modeler. One month is actually enough time to learn it.
I'd rate the solution at a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
