IBM Planning Analytics for IBM Cloud Pak for Data

What do you like best about the product?

I like how IBM Planning Analytics allows me to have financial and operational info in one place, making it easier to run scenarios and understand the impact of budgets under different circumstances. The tool helps in structuring, analyzing, and planning tasks related to supplier sourcing and contract negotiation. It's great for comparing different scenarios, costs, and potential supplier options, which is especially useful in our decision-making processes. I appreciate how it turns raw financial data into something understandable and actionable, aiding communication and decision-making for stakeholders and the financial team. The ability to explore faster 'what-if' situations is particularly beneficial, and it significantly prepares us better for negotiations by providing clear data when new suppliers come in. The report visualization for stakeholders is also a fantastic feature.

What do you dislike about the product?

I'm a newbie in this sector, and the learning curve is challenging. It's a very useful platform, but I need more time. It's flexible and can be navigated by users who aren't deeply technical, but they are a bit scared of the complexity sometimes.

What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?

I use IBM Planning Analytics to structure, analyze, and plan supplier sourcing and contract negotiation. It consolidates financial and operational data, making scenario comparisons easy. This helps in decision-making and negotiating leverage by quickly updating forecasts with new supplier data, providing clarity and visual report insights.

What do you like best about the product?

I use IBM Planning Analytics for financial planning, budgeting, and forecasting, which helps analyze business data and create accurate forecasts for better decision making. I like that it reduces manual spreadsheets and improves accuracy and collaboration. It allows quick analysis of large datasets and supports scenario planning. The Excel integration makes it easier for teams to work with familiar tools and work with data in a familiar environment while still using the power of the platform.

What do you dislike about the product?

One thing that could be improved in IBM Planning Analytics is the user interface, which can feel a bit complex for new users. The interface can sometimes feel a bit cluttered, especially when navigating between different planning and reporting sections. The initial setup was manageable but required some technical knowledge and planning.

What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?

I use IBM Planning Analytics for financial planning, budgeting, and forecasting. It reduces manual spreadsheets, improves accuracy and collaboration, offers quick analysis of large datasets, and supports scenario planning with Excel integration.

What do you like best about the product?

I appreciate IBM Planning Analytics for its ability to centralize data, which eliminates the need for multiple spreadsheets and makes collaboration much easier for my team. The platform allows us to run scenario simulations quickly, which is beneficial for planning pricing strategies, especially when dealing with variables like holiday-induced price changes. I like its flexibility and excellent Excel integration, which help us update reports, explore data quickly, and adjust assumptions to see immediate impacts on forecasts or margins. The flexibility in particular stands out. Additionally, the learning curve was manageable for me, and the onboarding process was smooth, which made getting started relatively easy.

What do you dislike about the product?

The learning curve for me was alright, but for others it seems to be a bit steep at first.

What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?

IBM Planning Analytics helps us centralize data and collaborate better by avoiding separate spreadsheets. We can quickly run scenario simulations to track pricing strategies and see their impact on business performance. Flexibility and Excel integration make it easier to update reports and explore data efficiently.

What do you like best about the product?

I really like the MS Excel integration in IBM Planning Analytics; it's great. The dashboards are extensive and well-designed. Even though I'm not a power user, it's impressive to see how power users can build brilliant forecasting models with it. It's also very valuable as our single source of truth for budgetary decisions focused on revenue. Additionally, it's a great tool for taking data-driven strategic decisions.

What do you dislike about the product?

I, as a business user, find it hard to build customized dashboards. There are very few self-service capabilities. Some views of reports can be simplified to remove unnecessary details for leadership. The initial implementation can be hard, especially for business users. Without an AI builder, it gets complicated.

What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?

IBM Planning Analytics helps with day-to-day reporting, focuses heavily on revenue, facilitates what-if pricing discussions, and supports budgetary discussions and target setting. It's our single source of truth for budgetary decisions.

What do you like best about the product?

IBM’s BI stacks blends AI-driven insights with powerful performance, combining Granite- powered analytics and natural-language planning with the ultra-fast, in-memory TM1 engine for real-time analysis and what-if modeling.

What do you dislike about the product?

Its flexibility comes with complexity, often requiring technical exchange expertise or consultants and while Excel is strong the web interfaces can still feel technical despite recent modernisation efforts.

What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?

IBM Planning Analytics delivers powerful planning through seamless Excel integration, combining ease of use with secure centralized data to enable faster and more informed decision-making.