Anaplan

I work for different use cases in the FP&A domain, similar to Anaplan , including cost and expense planning and forecasting scenarios, workforce planning and forecasting scenarios, net sales and revenue calculation, and currently I'm working with performance management use case in Anaplan .

We used to create data hub models in Anaplan. Our source systems were S/4HANA and different other ERP  systems. We loaded data from the source system into Anaplan data hub model. In Anaplan data hub, we loaded data in a flat way and then used those lists and module saved views to create the hierarchies and pull them into the spoke models. In Anaplan spoke models, we created different input modules, calculation modules, and output modules, creating reportings including P&L reporting and different other reportings. From Anaplan to different target systems, such as OneStream and HFM , we sent Anaplan data at the higher level.

When we were calculating net sales and revenue calculation in Anaplan, we worked on the allocations part where we loaded data into Anaplan at the high level and then allocated those forecast numbers and plan numbers at the ground level for different hierarchies including products, customer, cost center and department level. We then rolled it up at the higher level in the hierarchy and sent it to the source system or the downstream systems.

Before we implemented Anaplan, our clients used to calculate the numbers in Excel files. It was not real-time data. One user would complete their part of work and then forward it to another user who could implement it in the Excel file. It was not real-time and was a very time-taking process. After we implemented it in Anaplan, it made the calculations much easier and at one time, multiple users could log into Anaplan and work simultaneously for different areas. This helped us to reduce the cost of employees and increased the performance of the team and the system.

Implementing Anaplan helped us to save almost 150 hours per month.

After implementing Anaplan, we were able to increase performance by 50% and achieved 150 hours of savings.

Anaplan provides different useful features. We have the integration capability where we do not need to load the data manually into Anaplan. We can integrate with the source system or the target system and automate those jobs using CloudWorks. Real-time data calculation is another important feature of Anaplan. User access management provides the security and selective access for different users to access Anaplan. Anaplan has a front end with new UX, which is very good for customers. Customers can modify the UX pages according to their view and needs, apply different filters, and create pie charts and graphs. Anaplan provides the ability for users to update the view on the front-end UX page. Modeling is very simple for Anaplan model builders and developers.

Anaplan provides the flexibility to plan and forecast numbers at the ground level. This is another important feature, which is not available in many other different tools for planning and forecasting.

There is a chance of improvement for the history. In Anaplan back-end model, if there is any change, it is captured in the history. However, on the front-end UX page, if there are any changes on the UX page, there is no history captured. This can be improved. Sometimes we see our production environment, dev and test environment, and they have two different apps, but the UX pages appear different in both environments. We are not able to track how it got updated and by whom it got updated. If any kind of history can be captured on the front-end UX page, that would be really appreciated and helpful.

I have been using Anaplan for the last seven years.

Anaplan is stable.

Anaplan is scalable. I have good experience with it.

Customer support is good. We are getting the kind of support that we need from Anaplan.

I have not evaluated any other option. I moved into Anaplan and I am happy working with Anaplan, so I am not exploring any other option.

I rate Anaplan as a nine out of ten. As I have already mentioned, there is a lesser area of improvement, but there are still some chances that we can improve in Anaplan. I have not used any specific tool because I was part of the testing team and Q&A team. Moving into Anaplan was a good experience because I gained experience in development and there is no specific computer language that I need to learn to develop in Anaplan. As a model builder starting with Anaplan, one should be very focused on Anaplan Way certification and then Anaplan Level One and Level Two certification. This would really help. From an end user perspective, Anaplan is not meant for allocations. Whenever someone wants to work with Anaplan, they need to keep the performance and size in mind. This should be kept in mind before we bring the requirement or discuss the requirement. We are using Anaplan to increase the performance of the team, which should be considerable. There are no concerns. It is going well. I have an overall good experience working with Anaplan. It is time-saving and provides very accurate numbers for forecasting and planning.

I have been using Anaplan  mainly for financial planning and model building from the beginning.

One of the recent projects that I worked on was for the financial planning of a China-based company. We obtained their data and used it for planning and analysis, which allowed us to conduct a profit analysis for them. This represents the recent use case that I have been part of.

I have mainly worked on financial planning, and beyond that, I have also been part of a project briefly that included a supply chain project. I also recognize that we can use Anaplan  for validation.

Anaplan helps us in connected planning by allowing us to connect other software such as Excel and PowerPoint to Anaplan, making it very useful for obtaining reporting details and enabling integration between the tools very easily.

The integration process between Anaplan and other tools such as Excel and PowerPoint is quite smooth. The integration is very seamless compared to any other tools in the market, making Anaplan quite easy to integrate with different tools.

CloudWorks in Anaplan is a valuable feature that makes the integration and the scheduling of processes very seamless. I believe most people should know about it.

Since we began using Anaplan, our firm has been very organized, and we have been gradually moving up in the market. I attribute this success to using a very firm and seamless tool.

One improvement that could be added to Anaplan is to stabilize the models when data complexity increases, allowing us to manage our time and space well. This area does need some improvement.

Another feature that Anaplan should have is the ability to validate data already in the module in the form of a chart or a pie chart directly without needing specific apps or pages. This would greatly help in the visualization aspect.

I have been working in this field for almost three years.

Anaplan is stable.

Anaplan's scalability is quite good.

The customer support for Anaplan is good.

I have been using Anaplan since the beginning, so this is the primary tool I have used.

We evaluated other options such as Pigment , but due to Anaplan's more refined software and flexibility, we chose Anaplan over Pigment .

The main improvement was in productivity, where productivity actually increased compared to other tools, and time optimization has been a very key component in that tool.

What matters is how polished the software is, how flexible it is for the people, and how much it can help the company in scalability, making Anaplan a go-to software for them.

IBM Planning Analytics  is better for large data manipulation, whereas Anaplan  excels in the presentation side and ease of use. My group company uses Anaplan  for summarizing clean data, while the UK region company uses Planning Analytics for detailed calculations and speed.

I develop in both Anaplan and IBM Planning Analytics , so I know both very well. I try to find ways to compare them for various purposes and explain their slightly different use cases based on the tools' capabilities.

Anaplan's focus on APIs helps streamline data consolidation, while IBM Planning Analytics offers stronger capabilities in base-level data and detailed calculations.

Anaplan is excellent for summarizing clean data and is easier to use for reporting and security, while Planning Analytics is better for data cleansing and low-level data manipulation. The ease of developing individual models in Anaplan is notable, allowing users to handle it with minimal complication.

Anaplan's problem is that it has its own niche market. It cannot perform some tasks handled by Planning Analytics due to their different foundations, Anaplan on Hyperblock technology and TM1 on OLAP.

Anaplan lacks a native ETL tool, making it challenging to integrate numerous flat files. Its licensing model could also be changed, and integration with other solutions simplified.

The report on Anaplan and Planning Analytics could have been more detailed.

I have worked with Planning Analytics for years.

I do not use technical support much because I write code, run servers, and handle technical aspects myself, minimizing reliance on external customer service.

Planning Analytics and Anaplan have unique selling points despite being marketed in the same area. They are not the same tool, each catering to different needs. It is important to choose based on specific user requirements and end goals.

Anaplan has a different pricing methodology compared to Planning Analytics, with a more consolidated approach. This difference might guide a company's decision to switch tools if cost structure is a concern.

I do not view it in a commercial competition way; it is more about which tool is best for my specific data needs.

I am still exploring what features could be suggested for improvement since Anaplan and IBM Planning Analytics serve different purposes in our applications.

I have colleagues who are Anaplan salespeople and marketers, driving its adoption across different companies.

Anaplan is marketed strongly, and many cannot see the distinction without understanding the backend and coding structures.

I would rate this review a nine out of ten.