My client is using Anaplan for budgeting and planning purposes. They execute their budgeting and planning processes by utilizing this tool.
Anaplan
Anaplan, IncExternal reviews
415 reviews
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Anaplan as a flexible planning tool
What do you like best about the product?
Anaplan is a tool that is easy to use, not only for end users but also for developers building planning applications. The structure, building blocks, and user-friendly ("Excel-like") modeling interface make this tool suitable for a wide range of use cases, from financial forecasting and sales performance to supply chain. One tool enables the chaining of different areas, creating a unified environment with real-time collaboration that allows end users to view the latest updates made within the team or by other teams.
What do you dislike about the product?
The tool lacks some essential features that could help developers and users build and utilize the tool more effectively and fully leverage its potential. Lack of versioning, partial promotions, multifilter, or long rollback times are some of the most missing features.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
Anaplan helps eliminate the offline files created by different teams during the financial planning process. The result is that users have one source of truth with the real-time view, so there are not multiple versions of different files flowing from one team/user to another. Another benefit is that the process is unified based on the previously defined and agreed logic, and everybody follows the same steps and calculations. This helps to build more precise and suitable plans based on the same sources in a predefined timeline.
Go to cloud tool for enterprise performance management
What do you like best about the product?
> As an long time implementation partner of Anaplan , can definitely vouch for its native cloud system where it is built for ease of implementing building of models as well as intuitive and collaborative UX features which make business users understand and use Anaplan efficiently
> Latest features like workflow and ADO have been incorporated which allows data management and loading in house leading to greater data quality loaded into models and also managing tasks like approvals and automation easily
> Vast customer support portal and community wherein there are new ideas as well as readily available solutions
> Integration to and from Anaplan for database and well as BI tools and also custom integrations possible using API.
> Excellent safety and security features to ensure role as well as granular access for users can be managed
> Latest features like workflow and ADO have been incorporated which allows data management and loading in house leading to greater data quality loaded into models and also managing tasks like approvals and automation easily
> Vast customer support portal and community wherein there are new ideas as well as readily available solutions
> Integration to and from Anaplan for database and well as BI tools and also custom integrations possible using API.
> Excellent safety and security features to ensure role as well as granular access for users can be managed
What do you dislike about the product?
> In initial phase can be a bit tricky to get around especially for users with new /limited experience
>Essentially a planning tool , not data and BI tool completely so for BI features , need to link to external tools for rich reports and charts although new UX provide great options
> Bulk adding of users in a workspace is not possible.
> Lesser use of AI features for now
>Essentially a planning tool , not data and BI tool completely so for BI features , need to link to external tools for rich reports and charts although new UX provide great options
> Bulk adding of users in a workspace is not possible.
> Lesser use of AI features for now
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
> FP&A - inherently a EPM tool meant for financial planning and analysis , there are a variety of features to manage financial planning like versions for scenario management , time base functions to calculate forecast plan based on actuals
> Seamless integration to load organizational data and feature of having a hub so that across different use cases right type of data is pushed and data is managed at one place centrally
> User experience - With languid features of new UX , business users can easily use Anaplan in order of the way they can and also perform features like exporting the grids as pdfs and inputting data which immediately edits in the backend and recalculates all logic simultaneously leading to real time planning.
> Seamless integration to load organizational data and feature of having a hub so that across different use cases right type of data is pushed and data is managed at one place centrally
> User experience - With languid features of new UX , business users can easily use Anaplan in order of the way they can and also perform features like exporting the grids as pdfs and inputting data which immediately edits in the backend and recalculates all logic simultaneously leading to real time planning.
A very powerful platform with data integration and hierarchical capabilities.
What do you like best about the product?
Low code knowledge is required to maintain the models. On-cloud platform which enables real-time data displayed as you plan your scenarios.
What do you dislike about the product?
Handling sparse data and model performance when solution gets too complex.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
The platform helped in ensuring that there is a standardized way of planning across the organization. It also provides a streamlined approach in managing approval workflows.
Anaplan keeps getting better and better!
What do you like best about the product?
Building and making updates to Anaplan is really easy to learn for new users. Especially those already familiar with Excel, the formula syntax is easy to learn in Anaplan. Anaplan also has great customer support. They get back to you right away.
What do you dislike about the product?
Anaplan can be built overly complex and take up too much space if enough upfront work and thought isn't put into the design.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
Anaplan saves our customers time and also gets them out of several different excel files. Streamlines their planning process. Everything is in one place, and everyone can access it, and it also updates all output reports live.
Real-time insights using Anaplan
What do you like best about the product?
Real-time connected planning helps to eliminate silos allowing for data driven decision making. Easily scalable and auditable gives us confidence our data is safe and secure.
What do you dislike about the product?
Limited visualisations mean other reporting tools are usually required.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
Anaplan has enabled the business to easily consolidate data from multiple units to give real-time data to decision makers
Good adaptive tool for supply chain
What do you like best about the product?
Anaplan is easy to use. It can be customized to your business and manufacturing model. What I liked best was it's ability to scenario plan supply chain outcomes based on our requirements .
What do you dislike about the product?
I would like Anaplan to integrate high level analytics into the software so it can be used without having to use other tools.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
Other legacy tools were complicated to integrate and use especially for a small and meduim scale industry. Anaplan worked perfectly for our business needs and was easy to use and maintain history.
Planning tool that does most of it well
What do you like best about the product?
With a solid foundation of data, integrations, financial models, the tool can be as flexible as the company needs. The code is easy to understand and easily built out with the proper talent (either in house or contracted). Users do not need extensive architecture knowledge to stand up models and then connect the pipes together. This allows teams to trial and error fairly quickly to build new use cases. The ability to manage a large portion of the infrastructure within the function and outside of IT is also very appealing. Typically, finance functions rely on IT to perform regular tasks and wait for results - with Anaplan, a lot of those activities can remain with the business. There are a variety of integration tools available as well as native tooling that can support an enterprise.
What do you dislike about the product?
Without major talent, the models can quickly go awry and be poorly designed. Though the functionality may work, it might be less performant or create complexities when trying to adjust existing logic. Talent is also a large factor when considering this tool as it requires either building a team in house or contracting out. With contractors, you run the risk of knowledge gaps & lack of documentation for proprietary processes. To facilitate the implementation phase, business owners need to actively participate and devote a large number of hours to support the build. This is expensive to manage with larger organizations and could be less likely with smaller organizations. On the support side, you may contract out activities but there is a ramp up time that companies need to factor in (though this is true with most tools). The pricing model is quickly evolving to a subscription based model (again not uncommon amongst most SaaS platforms these days). Customer support is fairly basic and can be escalated, but is cumbersome during critical periods.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
FP&A and close use cases at the moment, but are exploring additional use cases as we grow. As a global enterprise, we have performed several M&A activities that resulted in many planning processes & Excel-based packages. The tool consolidates all activity into 1 tool and eases corporate's requirement for consolidations. The tool also acts as the single source of truth for the forecast/budget and allows finance teams globally to perform their close reconciliations. There is a large automation piece factored in so users do not need to update Excel sheets manually every period or forecast cycle. This is a major time saver and resolves most user errors when managing manual calculations. The tool also consolidates master data so all teams operate on 1 standard and prevents the misstatement of KPIs based on segregated hierarchies. Overall, Anaplan is the starting point to create consistency and flexibility in how we manage our FP&A processes.
Cloud technology enhances budgeting and reporting with intuitive features
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
Both Hyperion and Anaplan serve the same purpose for budgeting and planning, but Anaplan is cloud-based. Previously, my client was using Oracle Hyperion Planning and Essbase, which was on-premises. Anaplan, being a cloud-based platform, allows customers to adapt easily. It is easier to enter data, load data, and develop reports compared to Hyperion.
In Anaplan, once you create a system, the end user can utilize the reports immediately. Users can create UX pages with boards and worksheets. The boards contain different cards such as bar cards, chart cards, map cards, KPI cards, and field cards. These cards are used for high-level reports and top-level management reporting. For plant-wise location, worksheets can be created for analysis purposes, analyzing data at the plant level, while reports are used for top-level purposes.
The board functionality works similarly to a dashboard, where users can add different cards. Users can drag data and add chart cards, field cards, map cards, and KPI cards to a single board.
Anaplan can handle large sets of data and models within its ecosystem. Data volume is not an issue for the platform.
What needs improvement?
The tool is very effective from a user perspective, providing good analysis and reporting capabilities. It is an excellent tool for financial planning, supply chain planning, and territory and quota planning.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have a total of 3.5 years of experience in Anaplan.
How are customer service and support?
I provide technical support for clients but have not had experience contacting Anaplan's technical support directly.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
The setup of Anaplan is very straightforward.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Currently, Anaplan is more expensive compared to other tools. This pricing is based on the tool's demands. However, I believe the price might decrease after some time.
What other advice do I have?
I previously worked with Hyperion Essbase and Hyperion Planning from Oracle, and now I work with Anaplan technology.
I provide technical support to users for security-related issues, creating new administration roles, and workflow management. We assist with security provisioning, user creation, workflow issues, and technical business logic modifications. On a scale of 1-10, I rate Anaplan a 9.
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Connected Planning Made Simple and Scalable with Anaplan
What do you like best about the product?
I like Anaplan’s flexibility and real-time calculation engine the most. It enables fast, collaborative planning across different teams without needing complex coding.
What do you dislike about the product?
Some improvements are needed in reporting, workflow automation (automated email trigger), and the mobile app experience.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
Anaplan addresses the complexities of budgeting, forecasting, and FP&A by providing a unified platform that connects finance with other business functions like sales and operations. This eliminates data silos and manual consolidation, enabling real-time updates and scenario analysis. As a result, we get faster, more accurate forecasts and can respond quickly to changing business conditions. It greatly improves collaboration between finance and stakeholders, leading to more informed and confident decision-making.
best integrated planning platform
What do you like best about the product?
it's developed for business users who prefer excel-style planning by sheets
powerful and plain development tools oriented toward financial users - no tech background required for building models
process-enhanced excel with advanced reporting and analytics functionality
powerful and plain development tools oriented toward financial users - no tech background required for building models
process-enhanced excel with advanced reporting and analytics functionality
What do you dislike about the product?
their marketing and sales approach.
evangelistic marketing - sometimes it feels like new iPhone presentation or weight loss drug fair.
core platform worth its money, all non-core products ridiculously overpriced
evangelistic marketing - sometimes it feels like new iPhone presentation or weight loss drug fair.
core platform worth its money, all non-core products ridiculously overpriced
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
full-scale financial planning, budgeting and reporting
workforce performance analytics, up to daily granularity
workforce performance analytics, up to daily granularity
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