Catalyst, by EBM Software vs. PowerPlan

[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.

Incentivized

[PowerPlan is well suited for] Any Utility who handles their own Fixed Asset Accounting and Reporting. There are very few specialized solutions in this space that can handle this out of the box. Core functionality and support with PowerPlan are excellent. If you have a firm or service that handles a portion or the majority of your Fixed Asset Accounting and Reporting than this solution is overkill and costly for what you need. There may be other options also if you have a robust internal technology team that is comfortable developing another major fixed asset solution into what you need. Cloud Hosting is also not available at this time and will likely be several releases out and be a major redesign (unstable) at first.

Incentivized

• 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.

Incentivized

• Allow the use of retirement units for unitization out of the box.
• Align with Ferc Account and Reporting Standards
• Provide Dashboards that can be configured for different users or groups
• Functions well in a Project Centric Accounting Environment.

Incentivized

• 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

Incentivized

• The backend technology is dated and requires specialized skills or PowerPlan assistance to develop on.
• UI is also outdated and not as visually appealing as users are now accustomed to.
• Reporting is basic in functionality and appearance.

Incentivized

Well.... when it works... it's good. When it doesn't it is very frustrating for our staff.

Incentivized

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

Incentivized

[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.

Incentivized

Oracle Financials (E-Business Suite) is a very Robust ERP solution that has better integration, reporting and functionality than PowerPlan. It also operates on a more Robust Technology Stack. The Fixed Assets Module is a great solution but lacks support for Utility Specific features and functionality, so much so that we chose PowerPlan to take over this specific functionality while still utilizing Oracle for the Majority of our Project and other Accounting Functions.

Incentivized

• 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.

Incentivized

• Better Fixed Asset Reporting to Provide to Rate Commissions.
• Allowed us to embark on a major Unitization initiative and re-design of our retirement catalog.
• Focus the Support team on other technologies due to the stable nature and good vendor support.

Incentivized