IBM Planning Analytics Reviews

Vendor: IBM

4.3 out of 5

23 reviews
94% willing to recommend

4,874 followers

What is IBM Planning Analytics?

IBM Planning Analytics is an integrated planning solution that uses AI to automate planning, budgeting, and forecasting and drive more intelligent workflows.

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IBM Planning Analytics is the #4 ranked solution in top Business Performance Management solutions. PeerSpot users give IBM Planning Analytics an average rating of 8.6 out of 10. Based on the analysis of the 23 most recent IBM Planning Analytics reviews, the overall sentiment is positive, with a sentiment score of 6.8. IBM Planning Analytics is most commonly compared to Anaplan: IBM Planning Analytics vs Anaplan. IBM Planning Analytics is popular among the midsize enterprise segment, accounting for 54% of users researching this solution on PeerSpot. The top industry researching this solution are professionals from a educational organization, accounting for 48% of all views.

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IBM Planning Analytics

December 2024

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Featured reviews

Gnanavel-Chakkarapani

Junior Consultant at CMA CGM

The product has improved our company's forecasting accuracy since it serves as a very useful tool for our sales and controller teams as they easily get to enter the inputs using views in TM1, which gets loaded into our main database. If there are sales team members in different parts of the world, like in Hong Kong and Singapore, they may prefer to use IBM Planning Analytics, which is easy to use when compared to the Excel tool. Speaking about planning analytics and data analysis, I would say that our company used to use IBM Cognos Analytics for reporting, where we used to use Cognos Dynamic Cubes so that users can easily use its drag and drop features while getting to see the data for which the users had to wait for two to three minutes prior to its use. In our company, tons of data are loaded into the memory, and users can use Cognos Dynamic Cubes to analyze data and understand it. The AI capabilities of IBM have benefited our planning strategy as they are very useful for business. The tool allows the easy creation of dashboard reports using AI capabilities. No technical knowledge is required for business use cases. It is possible to integrate the product in scenarios where some new integrations are available. I remember that my company used Azure Data Factory to connect Azure, Oracle, and IBM WebSphere Application Server. When it comes to IBM Planning Analytics, it is complex to integrate it with LDAP and or any other authentication tool offered by Microsoft. In our company, some users like to integrate IBM Planning Analytics with the common LDAP or Microsoft AD, which we currently use for all our applications. The authentication part is difficult to configure with IBM Planning Analytics. The maintenance of the product is easy. My company has scheduled maintenance on the product every week, especially during forecast times, so that memories automatically lapse and users can freely access their servers. The use of the tool has had an impact on collaboration within our company's planning team since everyone knows how to easily access the data and publish the results. I recommend the product to those who plan to use it. I rate the tool a nine out of ten.

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Milan Orendac

Senior Business Executive at Sophia

IBM Planning Analytics is used for cross-departmental planning and forecasting by our customers. Different versions of the planning can be used, such as budgets and projections based on monthly results. The system keeps all historical data and tracks the development from projected numbers. IBM Planning Analytics supports compliance and risk management within financial operations. It enables the calculation of impacts, such as increased interest rates, across various business areas. The effectiveness of risk management depends on the system setup and how risks are defined by the company. In financial planning, IBM Planning Analytics aligns with current trends, including the use of AI and leveraging unstructured data. It is capable of handling large amounts of diverse data types. While it is unclear if IBM fully incorporates AI, it likely follows the trend as many companies do. Before using Planning Analytics by IBM, consider your planning process and how it can be simplified. Understand that the system won't solve all issues on its own. Overall, I would rate IBM Planning Analytics as a nine out of ten.

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Dirk Boeckmann

Executive Partner at Beat2Lead GmbH

The new frontend Planning Analytics Workspace is not very good, it could be improved. I like the Planning Analytics functionality but it would be helpful if it could be more customizable. You can create a prediction and receive information but you cannot do feature engineering regarding the predictive models. If this was added it would be helpful. The new frontends could improve, the older ones were better. They come with a lot of weight; IBM Cognos Analytics is inbuilt, has a lot to install and maintain. A flexible, lightweight frontend, with high adaptability, is more important than a large heavy solution. In these heavy solutions, you have to maintain the installation, do a lot of configuration, and have to pay a lot of attention to the size of the installation.

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IBM Planning Analytics mindshare

As of December 2024, the mindshare of IBM Planning Analytics in the Business Performance Management category stands at 9.5%, up from 8.4% compared to the previous year, according to calculations based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Business Performance Management

PeerAnalyst reports

Type	Title	Date
Category	Business Performance Management	Dec 22, 2024	Download
Product	Reviews, tips, and advice from real users	Dec 22, 2024	Download
Comparison	IBM Planning Analytics vs Anaplan	Dec 22, 2024	Download
Comparison	IBM Planning Analytics vs Oracle Hyperion	Dec 22, 2024	Download
Comparison	IBM Planning Analytics vs Oracle Planning and Budgeting Cloud	Dec 22, 2024	Download

Title	Rating	Mindshare	Recommending
Anaplan	4.0	13.7%	96%	27 interviews Add to research
Oracle Hyperion	3.9	12.5%	85%	54 interviews Add to research

Valuable Features

IBM Planning Analytics is noted for its flexibility, enabling users to address complex requirements and make independent model adjustments. Key features include real-time calculation, integration with Excel, in-memory processing for enhanced performance, data centralization, and sandboxing for testing. It supports planning processes with functionalities like forecasting and predictive analytics. Users appreciate its ease of use, ETL integration tool TurboIntegrator, and the capability to slice and dice data quickly. Additionally, it facilitates collaboration through diverse user interfaces and workflow management.

"The scenario modeling capabilities are frequently used to create different scenarios, compare them, and see which action leads to which result."
"The most valuable features of IBM Planning Analytics for streamlining planning processes include a unified database where all data are centralized."
"The product's stability is good."

Room for Improvement

IBM Planning Analytics requires better integration and simplified pricing. The interface demands modernization and improved user-friendliness. There is a need for enhanced data visualization, dashboarding, and development tools. Increased automation of tasks like feeders and improved CAFE Excel functionality are important. Greater customization and lightweight architecture for the Planning Analytics Workspace are necessary. Prediction features and templates for various business functions would enhance usability. The transport layer and authentication processes should be refined.

"The workspace API should be improved and documented so we know better which objects are used."
"Adding predefined templates could be beneficial."
"The local authentication part is difficult to manage in the product, making it an area where improvements are required."

ROI

Pricing

Enterprise buyers report that IBM Planning Analytics setup costs primarily stem from consulting, averaging around 130,000 euros for a six-month project. Licensing costs depend on user numbers and types, with annual renewal required. Options range from limited to unlimited licenses, with pricing around $50,000 per year. IBM offers competitive pricing aligned with industry standards, good ROI, and various licensing models, though it may be seen as expensive. Discounts are possible through negotiation.

"Compared with the other tools in the market, IBM Planning Analytics is a bit expensive."
"IBM Planning Analytics is priced well, and licensing costs are yearly."
"I would rate the tool's pricing a nine out of ten since it's expensive."

Popular Use Cases

IBM Planning Analytics is primarily utilized for budgeting, financial planning, and forecasting. Many organizations use it for cash flow management and reporting. Clients apply it for budgeting processes, reporting, and data sourcing. Finance teams leverage it for planning schemes, testing, and managing various scenarios. It is favored by large enterprises in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, often those with staff exceeding 2,000. Despite some cloud implementation challenges, it remains essential for these activities.

Service and Support

IBM Planning Analytics customer service receives mixed feedback, with many noting quick problem resolution but slow initial response times. Remote support is generally effective and useful, especially when addressing new issues. Users frequently rely on Google searches and forums. While support agreements assist some users, others find direct IBM contact necessary. Release notes and training enhance user independence. Several suggest improvements in responsiveness and accuracy, while others rate the experience positively, citing satisfaction and effectiveness.

Deployment

Users found IBM Planning Analytics' initial setup experience mixed. Some considered it straightforward and fast, while others felt it was complex and required technical expertise. Installation varied greatly depending on infrastructure complexity and specific requirements, taking anywhere from a week to several months. It is essential to have a team with the right technical and business skills to handle deployment challenges, especially when integrating with existing systems like LDAP, which can complicate configuration.

Scalability

IBM Planning Analytics demonstrates high adaptability and real-time data processing with no significant obstacles noted. Its capacity to scale aligns with hardware requirements as data models expand, supporting large user bases comfortably. Users appreciate its performance, rating scalability highly. It efficiently scales for diverse businesses, from medium to large enterprises, emphasizing the importance of proper database design for smooth performance. Many express that sufficient infrastructure ensures effective use without scalability challenges.

Stability

IBM Planning Analytics is noted for its stability, with many users highlighting its robustness and resilience. While some users report minor configuration sensitivities and initial instability in certain versions, most emphasize its reliable performance. Some mention issues like unexpected server shutdowns but generally rate stability highly, often between eight and ten out of ten. Users find it dependable for forecasting and budgeting, despite occasional client-specific challenges requiring vendor support.

These insights are based on the in-depth reviews provided by peers to help you make a better buying decision.

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Review data by company size

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Top industries

By visitors reading reviews

Educational Organization

48%

Financial Services Firm

Computer Software Company

Manufacturing Company

Retailer

Government

Healthcare Company

Insurance Company

Energy/Utilities Company

University

Wholesaler/Distributor

Real Estate/Law Firm

Pharma/Biotech Company

Construction Company

Legal Firm

Comms Service Provider

Transportation Company

Non Profit

Consumer Goods Company

Performing Arts

Media Company

Outsourcing Company

Hospitality Company

Logistics Company

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Learn more about IBM Planning Analytics

Built on TM1, IBM’s powerful calculation engine, this enterprise performance management tool allows you to transcend the limits of manual planning and become the Analytics Hero your business needs. Quickly and easily drive faster, more accurate plans for FP&A, sales, supply chain and beyond.

IBM Planning Analytics was previously known as Cognos TM1, IBM Cognos TM1.

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IBM Planning Analytics 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