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IBM Planning Analytics vs Oracle Essbase 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:
 

Categories and Ranking

IBM Planning Analytics
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
26
Ranking in other categories
Business Performance Management (6th)
Oracle Essbase
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
4.6
Number of Reviews
18
Ranking in other categories
Database Development and Management (11th)
 

Mindshare comparison

IBM Planning Analytics and Oracle Essbase aren’t in the same category and 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.
Oracle Essbase, on the other hand, focuses on Database Development and Management, holds 1.1% mindshare, down 1.2% 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
Database Development and Management Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Oracle Essbase1.1%
Redgate SQL Toolbelt Essentials4.8%
SolarWinds Database Performance Analyzer4.1%
Other90.0%
Database Development and Management
 

Featured Reviews

Varsha Singh - PeerSpot reviewer
Sr. Data Analyst at Wells Fargo
Automated budgeting has transformed our forecasting accuracy and decision-making speed
Some of the best features that IBM Planning Analytics offers include built-in reporting, a web interface with spreadsheet capabilities, predictive forecasting, simple integration, and real-time insights with TM1. Predictive forecasting and real-time insights have specifically helped my team in the following ways: using predictive forecasting has enabled us to predict with predictive and AI capability for faster and more accurate forecasts. Real-time insights with TM1 provide faster and flexible analysis with high performance at scale through built-in TM1 technology. The built-in reporting supports scorecards and metrics, which includes ad hoc reports and compelling visualization. IBM Planning Analytics has positively impacted my organization because it has been a very clear and helpful platform over the past five years that I have used it. It has helped us open new clients and provide insights into data that most of the tools we used before could not. My financial team has enjoyed the software, which has helped minimize manual data entry by more than 80% and focus on more holistic data analysis and business strategy. The software has also helped us understand real-time marketing dynamics and take decisions accordingly.
Bhavya N - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior System Engineer at Infosys
Ensuring efficient data analysis and reporting while identifying areas for calculation and export improvements
The features of Oracle Essbase are valuable, such as its multi-dimensional database used for dynamic calculations and reporting purposes. These features are valuable because they support multi-dimensional data views, allowing users to analyze relationships across various data categories and establish a comprehensive perspective on business operations. Moreover, dynamic calculations allow real-time data analysis, significantly improving the accuracy and depth of financial insights. I have utilized Essbase's data aggregation capabilities. The Oracle Essbase interface provides a good user experience, allowing users to easily navigate and analyze data with fast query performance, effective data visualization tools such as charts, graphs, and tables, and flexibility for customizable analysis and reporting, including the ability to create ad hoc reports. The benefits of the interface include improving productivity and enhancing decision-making.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The most valuable feature is that it is able to slice and dice the data."
"The ease of use is valuable. The fact that it's plugged into Excel spreadsheets is also valuable. It provides additional functionality where you can slice and dice the information in a way that you can't do with spreadsheets"
"The tool is flexible."
"The product's stability is good."
"All the different platforms are well integrated."
"Its stability helps controllers win time in their planning processes."
"It's a very stable, robust product."
"The flexibility of IBM Planning Analytics is a great feature of this solution. The design flexibility with data rules and defining calculations The ability to combine online and offline calculations are a benefit. Additionally, the forecasting features and predictive analytics is very good."
"The solution is scalable."
"Oracle Essbase enables organizations to take their strategic decisions, which helps them make the right decisions at the right time."
"Essbase is extremely stable and low-maintenance."
"It helps us fetch specific data sets per users' requirements."
"The Oracle Essbase interface provides a good user experience, allowing users to easily navigate and analyze data with fast query performance, effective data visualization tools such as charts, graphs, and tables, and flexibility for customizable analysis and reporting, including the ability to create ad hoc reports."
"The solution is stable and reliable."
"It is highly efficient and easily scalable, particularly for handling large databases."
"It is very fast compared to other normal databases, like SQL and MySQL."
 

Cons

"It's wonky, and not super user-friendly with Excel."
"The dashboard is very poor and needs a lot of improvement."
"The workspace API should be improved and documented so we know better which objects are used."
"Extracting data is a little slow."
"The tool should include features for prediction. It can also improve the scalability."
"If we talk only about the TM1 engine, it's quite rich and possibly too rich, making it complex to perform simple tasks."
"Some of the main challenges with IBM Planning Analytics are the installation, which requires multiple complex configurations, challenges, and training."
"Scalability is quite hard to implement in TM1, largely since the on-premise installation chosen back in 2014. On a scale, I'd rate scalability at four, out of ten. It's difficult."
"The initial setup is pretty complex."
"The ability to drive external reporting out for development could be improved."
"The main concern is that Oracle is ending on-premises server support, so it would be better if there was a cloud platform available for Oracle Essbase."
"The consolidation engine, which is HFM or FCCS, needs some room for improvement."
"There is room for improvement in terms of cost-effectiveness."
"Essbase has a programming language, and it has a couple of functions to do forecasting, however, their feature set for that is not that good."
"A significant area for improvement in Oracle Essbase is that financial statement analysis, CAPEX and OPEX analysis, and financial consolidation must be done manually, as Oracle Essbase doesn't include the financial consolidation module that is available in EPM."
"It's an expensive product to use."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The license of this solution is paid annually. Most of my customers choose a license that includes support."
"Compared with the other tools in the market, IBM Planning Analytics is a bit expensive."
"Our licensing cost is approximately $50,000.00 per year."
"IBM Planning Analytics is priced well, and licensing costs are yearly."
"IBM Planning Analytics is not the cheapest solution, but it's priced per the market standard for this type of solution. I rate the price at seven out of ten."
"It is a bit expensive, but you get what you are paying for."
"I would rate the tool's pricing a nine out of ten since it's expensive."
"Essbase is competitively priced."
"The solution is expensive."
"I believe the licensing is on a monthly base."
"It is a costly solution."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
16%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Retailer
9%
Insurance Company
5%
Financial Services Firm
20%
Insurance Company
8%
Computer Software Company
7%
Retailer
6%
 

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 Business4
Midsize Enterprise1
Large Enterprise14
 

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...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Oracle Essbase?
It's not that expensive, but also not cheap. I'm not sure because it's a private license.
What needs improvement with Oracle Essbase?
A significant area for improvement in Oracle Essbase is that financial statement analysis, CAPEX and OPEX analysis, and financial consolidation must be done manually, as Oracle Essbase doesn't incl...
What is your primary use case for Oracle Essbase?
The initial setup of Oracle Essbase is dependent on whether you select BSO or ASO cubes. First, you need to set up the type of information and once the type of cubes is defined, you need to define ...
 

Also Known As

Cognos TM1, IBM Cognos TM1
Essbase
 

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
CHU de Rennes, Bellco Credit Union, Akindo Sushiro Co. Ltd, Deutsche Telekom AG, Samarco MineraÊo S.A., PCCW Ltd., QDQ media S.A.U., Boiron Italia, Specialized Bicycle Components Inc., Akindo Sushiro Co. Ltd., Air Canada, Daelim Industrial Co. Ltd.
Find out what your peers are saying about Oracle, Anaplan, Domo and others in Business Performance Management. Updated: December 2025.
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