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IBM Planning Analytics vs SAP Analytics Cloud comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

ROI

Sentiment score
6.6
IBM Planning Analytics improves budgeting efficiency and decision-making, reducing costs and manual entry while enhancing employee motivation.
Sentiment score
6.6
SAP Analytics Cloud boosts ROI by streamlining data automation and reporting, accelerating decision-making and improving business processes efficiently.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.6
IBM Planning Analytics' support is generally satisfactory, with timely resolutions; improvement needed in speed, responsiveness, and root issue resolution.
Sentiment score
6.1
SAP Analytics Cloud support is generally responsive, but users desire quicker responses, more expertise, and improved training resources.
We have a multi-level support system, with the initial level handled by the company we bought the license from and subsequent support from IBM.
Responsable B.I at a retailer with 51-200 employees
Instead, we rely on third-party partners recognized by IBM, who provide cost-effective support.
Financial Performance Manager at a retailer with 1,001-5,000 employees
They have been very dedicated and provided top-notch solutions.
Senior Software Engineer at J.P Morgan
The technical support is a very well-organized service, with a lot of tools for me as a consultant and for the end user on how to contact SAP support and get issues solved.
Competence Leader - BI at Sabris CZ s.r.o.
We are satisfied with the technical support from SAP because when we reached out, we were able to get very good support from SAP colleagues.
Project Manager at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
I am satisfied with SAP's technical support team; they provide very good support.
BI Lead Consultant at Intercom Enterprises
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.7
IBM Planning Analytics offers scalability and real-time processing, favored by large enterprises for its adaptability and efficient growth accommodation.
Sentiment score
7.3
SAP Analytics Cloud is scalable and versatile, supporting large user bases while integrating well with other SAP products.
Scalability is quite hard to implement in TM1, largely since the on-premise installation chosen back in 2014.
Responsable B.I at a retailer with 51-200 employees
Scalability is straightforward but it is pricey since it's a SaaS model priced per user.
Financial Performance Manager at a retailer with 1,001-5,000 employees
SAP Analytics Cloud can be used by a small company, and it can be used by a large corporate.
Competence Leader - BI at Sabris CZ s.r.o.
I would rate its scalability up to nine on a scale of one to ten.
Project Manager at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.7
IBM Planning Analytics is praised for its stability, robustness, and reliability in handling large data volumes across various sectors.
Sentiment score
7.4
SAP Analytics Cloud is stable and reliable, though minor connectivity and performance issues occur with large datasets and variable updates.
This stability is really important as we use it for budget calculation, which is time-consuming.
Responsable B.I at a retailer with 51-200 employees
IBM Planning Analytics is stable because the reason we switched from IBM Cognos is that IBM Planning Analytics capability allows us to connect to multiple tools, which we could not do before.
Senior Software Engineer at J.P Morgan
You have a chance to test it on your test tenant in small increments, so it should not break your productive reports and productive environment.
Competence Leader - BI at Sabris CZ s.r.o.
 

Room For Improvement

IBM Planning Analytics needs improvements in integration, automation, UI design, and data visualization to enhance user experience and performance.
SAP Analytics Cloud users seek improved integration, compatibility, visualization, programming support, pricing, analytics, documentation, technical support, and interface design.
The abundance of features results in complexity, requiring strict guidelines for developers to ensure simplistic approaches are adhered to.
Responsable B.I at a retailer with 51-200 employees
IBM's visualization needs significant improvement.
Financial Performance Manager at a retailer with 1,001-5,000 employees
The advanced features are somewhat complex to understand, and if the data set is very large, it takes a lot of time to process, which causes performance to become slower.
Senior Software Engineer at J.P Morgan
On the other hand, it is perfectly fitting to the SAP environment, with seamless integration to all SAP modules, not only ERP but also SuccessFactors and other tools from the SAP family.
Competence Leader - BI at Sabris CZ s.r.o.
Documentation-wise, we see some gaps when trying to connect different solutions.
Project Manager at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
 

Setup Cost

IBM Planning Analytics has notable setup costs and licensing fees, offering valuable functionalities and flexible licensing options for ROI.
SAP Analytics Cloud is pricey but valuable for SAP integration, requiring careful cost analysis and license management.
TM1 is quite expensive, and I'd rate the pricing as an eight out of ten.
Responsable B.I at a retailer with 51-200 employees
While IBM's solutions were costly before, the introduction of SaaS models has reduced prices significantly.
Financial Performance Manager at a retailer with 1,001-5,000 employees
My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing for IBM Planning Analytics is that the pricing and licensing cost can be somewhat on the higher side, especially for small organizations.
Senior Software Engineer at J.P Morgan
 

Valuable Features

IBM Planning Analytics excels in flexibility, real-time calculations, and integration, enhancing planning, budgeting, and forecasting with advanced features.
SAP Analytics Cloud is valued for its predictive analytics, integration, user interface, AI features, and cost-effective comprehensive functionalities.
Its stability helps controllers win time in their planning processes.
Responsable B.I at a retailer with 51-200 employees
It also integrates machine learning and AI engines, enabling us to use algorithms for inventory forecasting which optimizes our inventory and replenishment rates.
Financial Performance Manager at a retailer with 1,001-5,000 employees
Some of the valuable features of IBM Planning Analytics are its intuitive and user-friendly interface, reporting output and scheduling, access control and security, and mobile capabilities.
Senior Software Engineer at J.P Morgan
For SuccessFactors and S/4HANA Cloud, there are pre-built reports available which are commonly used by customers.
Project Manager at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
The capabilities of SAP Analytics Cloud that I consider the most valuable are that all three functionalities are in one tool.
Competence Leader - BI at Sabris CZ s.r.o.
 

Categories and Ranking

IBM Planning Analytics
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
26
Ranking in other categories
Business Performance Management (6th)
SAP Analytics Cloud
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
72
Ranking in other categories
BI (Business Intelligence) Tools (4th), Predictive Analytics (2nd)
 

Mindshare comparison

While both are Business Intelligence solutions, they serve different purposes. IBM Planning Analytics is designed for Business Performance Management and holds a mindshare of 4.9%, down 9.2% compared to last year.
SAP Analytics Cloud, on the other hand, focuses on BI (Business Intelligence) Tools, holds 2.2% mindshare, down 4.8% since last year.
Business Performance Management Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
IBM Planning Analytics4.9%
Anaplan7.4%
CCH Tagetik5.7%
Other82.0%
Business Performance Management
BI (Business Intelligence) Tools Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
SAP Analytics Cloud2.2%
Microsoft Power BI9.4%
Tableau Enterprise6.7%
Other81.7%
BI (Business Intelligence) Tools
 

Featured Reviews

Bhavna Aarna - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Software Engineer at J.P Morgan
Planning has become faster and financial teams collaborate seamlessly on annual budgets
The planning efficiency with IBM Planning Analytics is very quick, and data processing can be done efficiently. I also appreciate that it is an AI-based tool for our business, which software mainly focuses on business planning and future forecasting. The best features of IBM Planning Analytics include that the software helps us in doing budget planning. Some of the valuable features of IBM Planning Analytics are its intuitive and user-friendly interface, reporting output and scheduling, access control and security, and mobile capabilities. IBM Planning Analytics has positively impacted my organization as we have noticed specific improvements since we started using it. We are able to forecast the budget for the entire year with significant time savings. All the complex data is easily processed, and with Excel add functionality, it is easier to have all the data in one place, which can be read by pivot or data visualization. The data protection protocols are well set up. Planning efficiency is very good as we can seamlessly plan and work on all budgets on time. By using IBM Planning Analytics, we have been able to automate manual processes, where we have saved time, especially through automating dashboards. It has also increased the activity of the planning team and provided us with ad hoc reporting capabilities.
Pavlina Pankova - PeerSpot reviewer
Competence Leader - BI at Sabris CZ s.r.o.
Brings reporting, planning, and prediction together in one seamless workflow
I think the areas of SAP Analytics Cloud that could be improved or enhanced are mentioned by users or companies, and they would definitely mention the price in terms of planning licensing. From a consulting point of view, I don't see any major weaknesses. It is reasonably well-developed, and the perfect strength is that innovations are coming on a quarterly basis. It is slightly behind other tools in terms of the number of graphical outputs. Some tools have it faster, but every increment of innovations contains new features. On the other hand, it is perfectly fitting to the SAP environment, with seamless integration to all SAP modules, not only ERP but also SuccessFactors and other tools from the SAP family, for example, integrated business planning for the production planning. This is really a highlight compared to other tools.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
17%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Retailer
9%
Insurance Company
5%
Manufacturing Company
18%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Retailer
7%
Computer Software Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business16
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise12
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business24
Midsize Enterprise13
Large Enterprise39
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about IBM Planning Analytics?
The most valuable features of IBM Planning Analytics for streamlining planning processes include a unified database where all data are centralized.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM Planning Analytics?
While IBM's solutions were costly before, the introduction of SaaS models has reduced prices significantly. Comparatively, IBM rates may be better than those of competitors, such as Hyperion ( /pro...
What needs improvement with IBM Planning Analytics?
IBM is behind competitors like Tableau ( /products/tableau-reviews ) and Power BI in terms of visualization. Their visuals are less innovative and practical with fewer varieties. IBM's visualizatio...
Which would you choose - Tableau or SAP Analytics Cloud?
Tableau is easy to set up and maintain. In about a day it is possible for the entire platform to be deployed for use. This relatively short amount of time can make all the difference for companies ...
What do you like most about SAP Analytics Cloud?
In the data warehouse, you're free to make changes. You can make everything text, meaning it's always a string. Even numbers appear as text, giving you the flexibility to work with all columns.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SAP Analytics Cloud?
I normally do not deal with the commercials, so I am not aware of the pricing part of it.
 

Also Known As

Cognos TM1, IBM Cognos TM1
SAP BusinessObjects Cloud
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

ManpowerGroup, Convergys, AIG, Orchard Brands, Citibank, InterGen, Northwestern University, EF Education First, Ironside, Bazan Group, CSOB Insurance, Macquarie Group, Charles Stanley, SATO, Government of Sint Maarten, BMW Financial Services
Live Oak Bank
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881,114 professionals have used our research since 2012.