Catalyst, by EBM Software vs. IBM Planning Analytics

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Catalyst, by EBM Software
Score 7.8 out of 10
N/A
Catalyst from EBM Software in Minneapolis is a cloud-based business performance application suite, designed to provide an environment and workflow for understanding business profitability.N/A
IBM Planning Analytics
Score 8.2 out of 10
N/A
IBM Planning Analytics, powered by IBM TM1®, is an integrated planning solution designed to promote collaboration across the organization and help keep pace with the speed of modern business. With its calculation engine, this enterprise performance management solution is designed to help users move beyond the limits of spreadsheets, automating the planning process to drive faster, more accurate results. Use it to unify data sources into one single repository, enabling users to build…
$825
per month 5 users
Pricing
Catalyst, by EBM SoftwareIBM Planning Analytics
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
Essentials
$825
per month 5 users
Standard
$1,650
per month 10 users
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Catalyst, by EBM SoftwareIBM Planning Analytics
Free Trial
YesYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoYes
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
YesYes
Entry-level Setup FeeOptionalOptional
Additional DetailsFlexible and tiered pricing structures available - monthly, 1-3-5- contracts, and more
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Catalyst, by EBM SoftwareIBM Planning Analytics
Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
Catalyst, by EBM SoftwareIBM Planning Analytics
BI Standard Reporting
Comparison of BI Standard Reporting features of Product A and Product B
Catalyst, by EBM Software
7.1
2 Ratings
6% below category average
IBM Planning Analytics
9.0
93 Ratings
17% above category average
Customizable dashboards7.12 Ratings8.993 Ratings
Report Formatting Templates7.12 Ratings9.387 Ratings
Pixel Perfect reports00 Ratings8.982 Ratings
Ad-hoc Reporting
Comparison of Ad-hoc Reporting features of Product A and Product B
Catalyst, by EBM Software
7.7
2 Ratings
5% below category average
IBM Planning Analytics
9.0
99 Ratings
11% above category average
Drill-down analysis7.12 Ratings8.996 Ratings
Formatting capabilities8.02 Ratings8.998 Ratings
Report sharing and collaboration8.02 Ratings9.395 Ratings
Integration with R or other statistical packages00 Ratings8.974 Ratings
Report Output and Scheduling
Comparison of Report Output and Scheduling features of Product A and Product B
Catalyst, by EBM Software
8.0
2 Ratings
2% below category average
IBM Planning Analytics
9.0
93 Ratings
10% above category average
Publish to PDF7.92 Ratings8.987 Ratings
Report Delivery Scheduling8.01 Ratings8.978 Ratings
Publish to Web00 Ratings8.988 Ratings
Report Versioning00 Ratings9.486 Ratings
Data Discovery and Visualization
Comparison of Data Discovery and Visualization features of Product A and Product B
Catalyst, by EBM Software
7.7
1 Ratings
2% above category average
IBM Planning Analytics
8.8
95 Ratings
15% above category average
Pre-built visualization formats (heatmaps, scatter plots etc.)8.01 Ratings9.495 Ratings
Location Analytics / Geographic Visualization7.01 Ratings8.989 Ratings
Predictive Analytics8.01 Ratings9.485 Ratings
Pattern Recognition and Data Mining00 Ratings7.519 Ratings
Access Control and Security
Comparison of Access Control and Security features of Product A and Product B
Catalyst, by EBM Software
8.0
2 Ratings
8% below category average
IBM Planning Analytics
9.0
99 Ratings
4% above category average
Multi-User Support (named login)8.02 Ratings9.497 Ratings
Role-Based Security Model8.02 Ratings8.998 Ratings
Multiple Access Permission Levels (Create, Read, Delete)8.02 Ratings8.999 Ratings
Report-Level Access Control00 Ratings8.324 Ratings
Single Sign-On (SSO)00 Ratings9.491 Ratings
Mobile Capabilities
Comparison of Mobile Capabilities features of Product A and Product B
Catalyst, by EBM Software
8.0
2 Ratings
3% above category average
IBM Planning Analytics
7.5
86 Ratings
4% below category average
Responsive Design for Web Access8.02 Ratings6.685 Ratings
Dashboard / Report / Visualization Interactivity on Mobile8.02 Ratings7.558 Ratings
Mobile Application00 Ratings7.549 Ratings
Budgeting, Planning, and Forecasting
Comparison of Budgeting, Planning, and Forecasting features of Product A and Product B
Catalyst, by EBM Software
8.0
2 Ratings
2% below category average
IBM Planning Analytics
9.0
105 Ratings
10% above category average
Long-term financial planning7.01 Ratings8.9101 Ratings
Financial budgeting8.01 Ratings8.9104 Ratings
Forecasting8.01 Ratings9.4105 Ratings
Scenario modeling8.01 Ratings8.9104 Ratings
Management reporting8.92 Ratings8.9104 Ratings
Consolidation and Close
Comparison of Consolidation and Close features of Product A and Product B
Catalyst, by EBM Software
7.2
1 Ratings
9% below category average
IBM Planning Analytics
9.2
98 Ratings
16% above category average
Financial data consolidation9.01 Ratings9.394 Ratings
Journal entries and reports8.01 Ratings8.986 Ratings
Multi-currency management6.01 Ratings9.387 Ratings
Intercompany Eliminations5.01 Ratings8.986 Ratings
Minority Ownership7.01 Ratings9.478 Ratings
Local and consolidated reporting8.01 Ratings8.990 Ratings
Detailed Audit Trails00 Ratings9.392 Ratings
Financial Reporting and Compliance
Comparison of Financial Reporting and Compliance features of Product A and Product B
Catalyst, by EBM Software
8.0
1 Ratings
1% above category average
IBM Planning Analytics
8.8
99 Ratings
10% above category average
Financial Statement Reporting8.01 Ratings8.995 Ratings
Management Reporting9.01 Ratings9.496 Ratings
Excel-based Reporting7.01 Ratings8.998 Ratings
Automated board and financial reporting8.01 Ratings9.388 Ratings
XBRL support for regulatory filing00 Ratings7.664 Ratings
Analytics and Reporting
Comparison of Analytics and Reporting features of Product A and Product B
Catalyst, by EBM Software
7.2
2 Ratings
11% below category average
IBM Planning Analytics
9.1
101 Ratings
12% above category average
Personalized dashboards7.12 Ratings9.3100 Ratings
Color-coded scorecards6.01 Ratings8.995 Ratings
KPIs7.01 Ratings9.498 Ratings
Cost and profitability analysis8.01 Ratings8.996 Ratings
Key Performance Indicator setting8.01 Ratings8.997 Ratings
Benchmarking with external data7.01 Ratings8.968 Ratings
Integration
Comparison of Integration features of Product A and Product B
Catalyst, by EBM Software
7.4
2 Ratings
11% below category average
IBM Planning Analytics
9.2
100 Ratings
11% above category average
Flat file integration8.01 Ratings9.497 Ratings
Excel data integration7.12 Ratings8.998 Ratings
Direct links to 3rd-party data sources7.12 Ratings9.389 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Catalyst, by EBM SoftwareIBM Planning Analytics
Small Businesses
IBM Planning Analytics
IBM Planning Analytics
Score 8.3 out of 10

No answers on this topic

Medium-sized Companies
Centage
Centage
Score 9.5 out of 10
Centage
Centage
Score 9.5 out of 10
Enterprises
Prophix
Prophix
Score 8.8 out of 10
Prophix
Prophix
Score 8.8 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Catalyst, by EBM SoftwareIBM Planning Analytics
Likelihood to Recommend
7.9
(2 ratings)
8.9
(109 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
-
(0 ratings)
9.1
(5 ratings)
Usability
8.8
(2 ratings)
9.7
(72 ratings)
Support Rating
7.8
(2 ratings)
9.7
(96 ratings)
Product Scalability
-
(0 ratings)
9.1
(1 ratings)
User Testimonials
Catalyst, by EBM SoftwareIBM Planning Analytics
Likelihood to Recommend
EBM Software
[Catalyst, by EBM Software] is well suited to track invoices from vendors to get them paid on time to avoid late fees. [Catalyst, by EBM Software] is less appropriate when paying vendor because that is not a function they currently have. If the system was an all in one system that could track and pay your invoices it would be an amazing software.
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IBM
IBM Planning Analytics is good for small to medium-size jobs or less complex projects. It can generate reasonably comfident results if input datasets are well prepared and cleaned. IBM Planning Analytics is not quite good when it comes to large-scale datasets, or datasets from various sources (for example data dumped from different databases.
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Pros
EBM Software
  • The GUI is easy to navigate on the iPad mini, which we use for charting.
  • The options are simple so there is very little room for mistakes.
  • Charting is easy and the setup allows for necessary fields that must be completed so charting stays uniform.
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IBM
  • Handle very large data volumes.
  • Scale to a large number of users.
  • Not having to compromise on business complexity.
  • It can be run by business users.
  • Availability of highly qualified consultants to support businesses.
  • REST API allows for an open eco system and a variety of solutions to extend the product.
  • Vast integration possibilities.
  • AI-infused engine with IBM Watson.
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Cons
EBM Software
  • The browser closes unexpectedly at times when refreshing the page and you get logged out
  • The incorrect vendor is chosen by Catalyst a few times
  • The Catalyst file is occasionally not placed on time in the folder
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IBM
  • IBM Planning Analytics was an upgrade from an older version of TM1 that is experiencing some growing pains, some functionality is harder to reach than it has been in the past
  • It is easy to learn as a surface user with created reports, but it does require some technical skills to make advanced calculations and reports if there is no reliable consultant available, much like Excel
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Likelihood to Renew
EBM Software
No answers on this topic
IBM
Since IBM Cognos Express is suitable only for medium data warehouse environment, we are not sure if this tool solves the long term need as the business keeps growing rapidly. So its a 50/50 ratio to renew Express license. But having said that, the components of IBM Cognos Express are also available in other Cognos BI suites like Cognos 10.x version. So we will probably upgrade our environment to IBM Cognos 10.x which comes with more new features.
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Usability
EBM Software
Well.... when it works... it's good. When it doesn't it is very frustrating for our staff.
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IBM
For developers, admins and end users looking for flexibility, IBM Planning Analytics would rate very highly on usability. For example, a developer has access to a highly performant built-in ETL (Extract Translate Load) tool and scripting language called Turbo Integrator that can (among other things) bring in data via flat file or direct connection from many data sources, move data around Planning Analytics, perform batch calculations, export to files or other data stores. In the rare situation where limitations are encountered there is a well documented REST API. Admins and end users benefit from the intuitive PAW (Workspace) interface as well as the rich Excel integration through Planning Analytics for Excel (PAfE). Since flexibility inherently comes with a little more complexity, so an organization with simple and "cookie-cutter" requirements may rate Planning Analytics a little lower.
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Support Rating
EBM Software
The support for Catalyst is great and they are usually within the 48 hour response time. There could be a little quicker upload time for invoices that are submitted. They usually show up until the next day on the system and sometimes gives us a stress on time. Overall, the support is quite good
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IBM
Although I find the IBM Planning analytics documentation quite time consuming, their support with email and call is something i can term as very considerate and patient, I have had few calls about the features and how i would want to implement them within my projects, and the teams have been super helpful to resolve my issues
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Alternatives Considered
EBM Software
[Catalyst, by EBM Software] is a very easy system to use and is very user friendly. It gives you different ways of researching an invoice and not just one. Catalyst also helps to allow us to research an invoice within seconds and eliminates a lengthy and confusing process. It is a great software for first time users to learn quickly and efficiently.
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IBM
Anaplan does not handle sparsity; this is very problematic for large volume data sets (many 0's). There also are limitations to the number of dimensions that can be used in a module. If more dimensions are required, then separate modules need to be built and intertwined. IBM PA does not have these limitations.
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Return on Investment
EBM Software
  • Catalyst is better than pencil and paper data analysis. But the app can be very frustrating when it's not working the way it did last week.
  • The GUI is very simple. Sometimes too simple, like there is no way to go back in and edit SOAP note options.
  • New feature roll-outs are mandatory. I understand that no one would opt in to being the guinea pig, but it would be nice if you weren't the first user to try it.
  • The integration with billing software has streamlined the billing notes and saved us money over having two separate systems.
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IBM
  • One of the advantage is on its ability to ease budget and planning
  • Secondly,the fact that it allows for forecasting means based on such insights means that organisations are able to prepare for future eventualities
  • Thirdly, since it can accommodate data from multiple sources means that one is able to carry out best business practices like planning.
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ScreenShots

IBM Planning Analytics Screenshots

Screenshot of Workflow managementScreenshot of Income statementScreenshot of Margin analysisScreenshot of Metrics managementScreenshot of Income statementScreenshot of Expense analysis