Dayforce vs. IBM Cognos Analytics

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Dayforce
Score 7.9 out of 10
Enterprise companies (1,001+ employees)
Dayforce HCM is a cloud-based platform encompassing HR, payroll, benefits, and talent and workforce management. It provides companies with a scalable framework and real-time data, such as continual pay calculations, to enable efficient decision-making.N/A
IBM Cognos Analytics
Score 8.2 out of 10
N/A
IBM Cognos is a full-featured business intelligence suite by IBM, designed for larger deployments. It comprises Query Studio, Reporting Studio, Analysis Studio and Event Studio, and Cognos Administration along with tools for Microsoft Office integration, full-text search, and dashboards.
$10
per month per user
Pricing
DayforceIBM Cognos Analytics
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
On Demand - Standard
$10.00
per month per user
On Demand - Premium
$40.00
per month per user
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
DayforceIBM Cognos Analytics
Free Trial
NoYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
YesYes
Entry-level Setup FeeOptionalOptional
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
DayforceIBM Cognos Analytics
Top Pros

No answers on this topic

Top Cons

No answers on this topic

Features
DayforceIBM Cognos Analytics
Human Resource Management
Comparison of Human Resource Management features of Product A and Product B
Dayforce
7.9
582 Ratings
1% above category average
IBM Cognos Analytics
-
Ratings
Employee demographic data8.1505 Ratings00 Ratings
Employment history8.4540 Ratings00 Ratings
Job profiles and administration8.0530 Ratings00 Ratings
Workflow for transfers, promotions, pay raises, etc.7.8532 Ratings00 Ratings
Organizational charting7.4483 Ratings00 Ratings
Organization and location management7.7528 Ratings00 Ratings
Compliance data (COBRA, OSHA, etc.)7.5352 Ratings00 Ratings
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
Dayforce
8.4
582 Ratings
5% above category average
IBM Cognos Analytics
-
Ratings
Pay calculation9.0568 Ratings00 Ratings
Support for external payroll vendors7.5283 Ratings00 Ratings
Off-cycle/On-Demand payment8.9132 Ratings00 Ratings
Benefit plan administration8.0457 Ratings00 Ratings
Direct deposit files9.0553 Ratings00 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management8.5437 Ratings00 Ratings
Reimbursement management8.1294 Ratings00 Ratings
Leave and Attendance Management
Comparison of Leave and Attendance Management features of Product A and Product B
Dayforce
8.0
528 Ratings
1% below category average
IBM Cognos Analytics
-
Ratings
Approval workflow8.3496 Ratings00 Ratings
Balance details7.7510 Ratings00 Ratings
Annual carry-forward and encashment7.9417 Ratings00 Ratings
Employee Self Service
Comparison of Employee Self Service features of Product A and Product B
Dayforce
8.1
594 Ratings
0% below category average
IBM Cognos Analytics
-
Ratings
View and generate pay and benefit information8.5565 Ratings00 Ratings
Update personal information8.7578 Ratings00 Ratings
View company policy documentation8.0398 Ratings00 Ratings
Employee recognition7.1206 Ratings00 Ratings
View job history8.0474 Ratings00 Ratings
Asset Management
Comparison of Asset Management features of Product A and Product B
Dayforce
7.5
97 Ratings
3% below category average
IBM Cognos Analytics
-
Ratings
Tracking of all physical assets7.597 Ratings00 Ratings
HR Reporting
Comparison of HR Reporting features of Product A and Product B
Dayforce
7.2
581 Ratings
5% below category average
IBM Cognos Analytics
-
Ratings
Report builder7.6572 Ratings00 Ratings
Pre-built reports7.7572 Ratings00 Ratings
Ability to combine HR data with external data6.3400 Ratings00 Ratings
Onboarding
Comparison of Onboarding features of Product A and Product B
Dayforce
7.8
374 Ratings
3% below category average
IBM Cognos Analytics
-
Ratings
New hire portal7.8364 Ratings00 Ratings
Manager tracking tools7.9320 Ratings00 Ratings
Performance and Goals
Comparison of Performance and Goals features of Product A and Product B
Dayforce
7.7
241 Ratings
6% below category average
IBM Cognos Analytics
-
Ratings
Corporate goal setting7.5202 Ratings00 Ratings
Individual goal setting7.9221 Ratings00 Ratings
Line-of sight-visibility7.6189 Ratings00 Ratings
Performance tracking7.9226 Ratings00 Ratings
Performance Management
Comparison of Performance Management features of Product A and Product B
Dayforce
7.8
265 Ratings
2% below category average
IBM Cognos Analytics
-
Ratings
Performance plans7.5246 Ratings00 Ratings
Performance improvement plans7.6210 Ratings00 Ratings
Review status tracking7.9248 Ratings00 Ratings
Review reminders7.9244 Ratings00 Ratings
Multiple review frequency8.0219 Ratings00 Ratings
Succession Planning
Comparison of Succession Planning features of Product A and Product B
Dayforce
7.0
119 Ratings
12% below category average
IBM Cognos Analytics
-
Ratings
Create succession plans/pools7.294 Ratings00 Ratings
Candidate ranking6.9102 Ratings00 Ratings
Candidate search6.6107 Ratings00 Ratings
Candidate development7.194 Ratings00 Ratings
Recruiting / ATS
Comparison of Recruiting / ATS features of Product A and Product B
Dayforce
7.3
287 Ratings
6% below category average
IBM Cognos Analytics
-
Ratings
Job Requisition Management7.5271 Ratings00 Ratings
Company Website Posting7.5265 Ratings00 Ratings
Publish to Social Media7.5222 Ratings00 Ratings
Job Search Site Posting7.5254 Ratings00 Ratings
Duplicate Candidate Prevention6.6217 Ratings00 Ratings
Applicant Tracking7.4264 Ratings00 Ratings
Notifications and Alerts7.3258 Ratings00 Ratings
BI Standard Reporting
Comparison of BI Standard Reporting features of Product A and Product B
Dayforce
-
Ratings
IBM Cognos Analytics
7.9
101 Ratings
4% below category average
Pixel Perfect reports00 Ratings8.592 Ratings
Customizable dashboards00 Ratings7.899 Ratings
Report Formatting Templates00 Ratings7.496 Ratings
Ad-hoc Reporting
Comparison of Ad-hoc Reporting features of Product A and Product B
Dayforce
-
Ratings
IBM Cognos Analytics
8.1
103 Ratings
0% below category average
Drill-down analysis00 Ratings8.1101 Ratings
Formatting capabilities00 Ratings8.1102 Ratings
Integration with R or other statistical packages00 Ratings7.871 Ratings
Report sharing and collaboration00 Ratings8.499 Ratings
Report Output and Scheduling
Comparison of Report Output and Scheduling features of Product A and Product B
Dayforce
-
Ratings
IBM Cognos Analytics
8.3
103 Ratings
1% below category average
Publish to Web00 Ratings8.327 Ratings
Publish to PDF00 Ratings8.797 Ratings
Report Versioning00 Ratings8.626 Ratings
Report Delivery Scheduling00 Ratings8.0100 Ratings
Delivery to Remote Servers00 Ratings8.112 Ratings
Data Discovery and Visualization
Comparison of Data Discovery and Visualization features of Product A and Product B
Dayforce
-
Ratings
IBM Cognos Analytics
8.1
93 Ratings
0% above category average
Pre-built visualization formats (heatmaps, scatter plots etc.)00 Ratings8.088 Ratings
Location Analytics / Geographic Visualization00 Ratings8.285 Ratings
Predictive Analytics00 Ratings8.181 Ratings
Pattern Recognition and Data Mining00 Ratings8.020 Ratings
Access Control and Security
Comparison of Access Control and Security features of Product A and Product B
Dayforce
-
Ratings
IBM Cognos Analytics
8.3
98 Ratings
4% below category average
Multi-User Support (named login)00 Ratings8.495 Ratings
Role-Based Security Model00 Ratings8.394 Ratings
Multiple Access Permission Levels (Create, Read, Delete)00 Ratings8.294 Ratings
Report-Level Access Control00 Ratings8.423 Ratings
Single Sign-On (SSO)00 Ratings8.376 Ratings
Mobile Capabilities
Comparison of Mobile Capabilities features of Product A and Product B
Dayforce
-
Ratings
IBM Cognos Analytics
7.3
81 Ratings
9% below category average
Responsive Design for Web Access00 Ratings7.975 Ratings
Mobile Application00 Ratings7.366 Ratings
Dashboard / Report / Visualization Interactivity on Mobile00 Ratings8.172 Ratings
Application Program Interfaces (APIs) / Embedding
Comparison of Application Program Interfaces (APIs) / Embedding features of Product A and Product B
Dayforce
-
Ratings
IBM Cognos Analytics
7.5
60 Ratings
5% below category average
REST API00 Ratings7.357 Ratings
Javascript API00 Ratings7.556 Ratings
iFrames00 Ratings8.39 Ratings
Java API00 Ratings6.911 Ratings
Themeable User Interface (UI)00 Ratings7.110 Ratings
Customizable Platform (Open Source)00 Ratings7.87 Ratings
Best Alternatives
DayforceIBM Cognos Analytics
Small Businesses
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Score 9.0 out of 10
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BrightGauge
Score 8.9 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Paypro Workforce Management
Paypro Workforce Management
Score 9.5 out of 10
Reveal
Reveal
Score 9.9 out of 10
Enterprises
Infor Human Resources
Infor Human Resources
Score 7.3 out of 10
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Score 9.7 out of 10
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User Ratings
DayforceIBM Cognos Analytics
Likelihood to Recommend
8.0
(622 ratings)
8.1
(126 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
8.7
(86 ratings)
9.7
(27 ratings)
Usability
6.2
(60 ratings)
8.0
(8 ratings)
Availability
10.0
(12 ratings)
8.6
(4 ratings)
Performance
5.0
(13 ratings)
9.0
(5 ratings)
Support Rating
7.7
(65 ratings)
10.0
(8 ratings)
In-Person Training
7.0
(11 ratings)
8.7
(4 ratings)
Online Training
7.3
(18 ratings)
8.0
(4 ratings)
Implementation Rating
6.6
(43 ratings)
7.0
(7 ratings)
Configurability
8.8
(13 ratings)
8.0
(2 ratings)
Ease of integration
8.0
(8 ratings)
7.3
(3 ratings)
Product Scalability
9.9
(14 ratings)
8.3
(3 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
8.9
(18 ratings)
7.0
(1 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
9.9
(12 ratings)
7.0
(1 ratings)
User Testimonials
DayforceIBM Cognos Analytics
Likelihood to Recommend
Dayforce
Ceridian is well suited for transferring time data between systems to ensure employees are accurately compensated based on their time. Ceridian is not ideal when an employee has transferred to a different country. (As previously mentioned, we are required to create a new user record which with our setup requires the existing employee to be hired in the new location).
Read full review
IBM
Our first and most basic scenario was to automatize the creation and publication/sharing of business reports that used to be created manually by employees throughout our organization. Using Cognos for that first use case worked well. The advanced analytics functionalities we used on the aggregated data were also as expected. However, the user interface is not always intuitive, and there is a steep learning curve, so I would recommend Cognos only to large organizations where there is a need for the most advanced functionalities (AI analysis/prediction).
Read full review
Pros
Dayforce
  • Reporting. It has an extensive report builder with stock reports, ad-hoc reports, and the ability to build your own custom reports.
  • Payroll. The continuous payroll engine makes processing complex payrolls much easier and faster.
  • Forms. The stock forms are a great jumping off point to start creating custom forms that work better for your processes and organization.
  • Documentation. Every module is well documented, and you're always bound to learn something if you read through them properly!
Read full review
IBM
  • We use the tool for data modeling as it helps in predictive data analysis for complex data, which is very similar to real-life scenarios.
  • Options of customizing & scheduling reports as per our requirements basis.
  • Has mobile application which works seamless.
Read full review
Cons
Dayforce
  • In payroll, there are sometimes issues with calculating pay when people’s rates change mid-pay period
  • Would love to see an option to assist with building SQL or XML statements in the future (maybe co-pilot AI?)
  • Would love an easy way to store pre-hire documents with candidates that syncs over to their HR profile when hired
Read full review
IBM
  • Sometimes there might be performance issues when dealing with large and complex data.
  • Although IBM provides full documentation but sometimes it's difficult to find answers to questions and connect with their customer support.
  • It relies on external tools for data cleaning, transformation and also for some integration tasks. It can also improve on providing wider range of data sources for integration.
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
Dayforce
We are highly invested in Ceridian's Dayforce product. It give us the flexibility and scaling that our growing company needs. Its potential reaches beyond the basic HR functions to the decision making that our Management Team needs. Ceridian is always innovating the employee and employee experiences to offer cutting edge options.
Read full review
IBM
For an existing solution, renewing licenses does provide a good return on investment. Additionally, while rolling out scorecards and dashboards with little adhoc capabilities, to end users, cognos is very easily scalable. It also allows to create a solution that has a mix of OLAP and relational data-sources, which is a limitation with other tools. Synchronizing with existing security setup is easy too.
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Usability
Dayforce
I think it's very usable for the employee. I don't think it is as easy for the HR/PR admins - especially if there is an issue. There are so many setup screens that need to be looked at to try to figure out why payroll isn't calculating properly, hours aren't feeding over correctly, or benefits are not calculating properly. For the most part, they can't do their own troubleshooting. The same is true for the managers. Our managers find it cumbersome to go into make any schedule changes after the schedules have been generated.
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IBM
We have a strong user base (3500 users) that are highly utilizing this tool. Basic users are able to consume content within the applied security model. We have a set of advanced users that really push the limits of Cognos with Report and Query Studio. These users have created a lot of personal content and stored it in 'My Reports'. Users enjoy this flexibility.
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Reliability and Availability
Dayforce
We have never experienced a total/unplanned outages that effected our ability to process payroll. However, there are times when the application's speed is significantly effected - and processing a payroll may take up to twice as long as normal.
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IBM
Reports can typically be viewed through any browser that can access the server, so the availability is ultimately up to what the company utilizing it is comfortable with allowing, though report development tends to be more picky about browsers and settings as mentioned above. It also has an optional iPad app and general mobile browsing support, but dashboards lack the mobile compatibility. What keeps it from getting a higher score is the desktop tools that are vital to the development process. The compatibility with only Windows when the server has a wide range of compatibility can be a real sore point for a company that outfits its employees exclusively with Mac or Linux machines. Of course, if they are planning on outsourcing the development anyways, it's a rather moot point
Read full review
Performance
Dayforce
We haven't noticed any slow-down due to the integration of Dayforce WFM with our Ceridian HPL products (HRIS and Payroll). The new HTML view of the timesheets don't load as quickly as the old Silverlight view - however, we have gotten used to the change.
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IBM
Overall no major complaints but it doesn't handle DMR (Dimensionally Modeled for Relational) very well. DMR modelling is a capability that IBM Cognos Framework Manager provides allowing you to specify dimensional information for relational metadata and allows for OLAP-style queries. However, the capability is not very efficient and, for example, if I'm using only 2 columns on a 20-column model, the software is not smart enough to exclude 18 columns and the query side gets progressively larger and larger until it's effectively unusable.
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Support Rating
Dayforce
Most of the time the support is great; it's not always super efficient but I always get the help I need. Occasionally it takes a lot longer than we had hoped or get conflicting responses. We had one ticket recently where we were told we would have to pay the service team to support us on the project and then another person called the next day with the solution to our query and was able to find a solution easily. Generally, though, the response is great and they either walk me though how to do something via a Zoom Meeting or they email step-by-step instructions on how to do it and say if I have questions we can set up a meeting to discuss further.
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IBM
Why is their web application not working as fast as you think it should? They never know, and it is always a a bunch of shots in the dark to find out. Trying to download software from them is like trying to find a book at the library before computers were invented.
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In-Person Training
Dayforce
Because the training we reviewed at Insights has changed how we use the system everyday. This is a key factor in our training.
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IBM
Onsite training provided by IBM Cognos was effective and as expected. They did not perform training with our data which was a bit difficult for our end-users.
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Online Training
Dayforce
The online training is very good, there is a wide variety of topics offered and several dates and times. The instructors are very knowledgeable about the subjects they are teaching. There are so many ways to program Dayforce that just the basics seem to be covered in the class.
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IBM
The online courses they offer are thorough and presented in such a way that someone who isn't already familiar with the general design methodologies used in this field will be capable of making a good design. The training environments are provided as a fully self contained virtual machine with everything needed already to create the environments. We've had some persisting issues with the environments becoming unavailable, but support has been responsive when these issues arise and straightening them out for us
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Implementation Rating
Dayforce
Have a strong internal team. Communicate with your implementation team - they are there to make it work for you. Take the time to really think about how you want the system to work for you - in some cases, you may need to rethink your own business practices to see if you are working harder when the system could do it for you
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IBM
Make sure that any custom tables that you have, are built into your metadata packages. You can still access them via SQL queries in Cognos, but it is much easier to have them as a part of the available metadata packages.
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Alternatives Considered
Dayforce
All of the info for Payroll, HR updates, employee updates, Time worked and PTO are in a single application, with a single login, updated in every screen or module in real time. There is no lag in data from screen to screen or from user to user, its almost instant.
Read full review
IBM
In the past Management had used Excel and Workiva capabilities to create the reporting dashboards that were being used to make decisions. Since switching to IBM Cognos Analytics the Company has been much more efficient and decision making has been streamlined. IBM Cognos Analytics was chosen due to its reputation and data visualization capabilities and neither have been wrong.
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Scalability
Dayforce
Overall, we are extremely happy with the Dayforce WFM module. Our biggest pain point is concerning the twice annual software upgrades - which is the only reason I haven't rated them as a '10'. Because every customer is configured differently, the upgrades can sometimes have adverse effects on our current configured policies/rules. And although they roll-out the upgraded version in a test environment several weeks before go-live, not all testing is accurate in that environment. Some issues do not present themselves until you are working with live punches.
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IBM
The Cognos architecture is well suited for scalability. However, the architecture must be designed with scalability in mind from day one of the implementation. We recently upgraded from 10.1 to 10.2.1 and took the opportunity to revamp our architecture. It is now poised for future growth and scalability.
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Return on Investment
Dayforce
  • Performance Reviews/Comp used to be handled via paper and tracking/reporting was a nightmare - having all of that in the system is so much more efficient and provides huge ROI
  • Our organization used to have big problems with hiring managers going rogue and hiring positions that aren't approved by Finance - we built an approval workflow in the system that triggers before any req is approved which has completely solved this problem
  • Dayforce Wallet has been a huge perk for our employees - it's heavily used and our crew love it
Read full review
IBM
  • High ROI with well designed solutions. Supported by scalable deployment, robust security model and ability to create valuable content.
  • High ROI where well designed data models can be deployed with a common metadata layer to a variety of users and use cases.
  • High ROI in an environment that includes a variety of vendors and best of breed products within the overall platform
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ScreenShots

Dayforce Screenshots

Screenshot of Dayforce Home ScreenScreenshot of Scheduling DashboardScreenshot of Compensation DashboardScreenshot of Succession Planning - Talent MatrixScreenshot of Payroll DashboardScreenshot of Dayforce Mobile - Recruiting