Catalyst, by EBM Software vs. Workday Adaptive Planning

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
Workday Adaptive Planning
Score 7.9 out of 10
Mid-Size Companies (51-1,000 employees)
Workday Adaptive Planning(formerly Adaptive Insights) is a financial planning and reporting tool. It includes automated budgeting and forecasting, financial reporting, and other active planning capabilities, including integrations with third-party products like Salesforce.N/A
Pricing
Catalyst, by EBM SoftwareWorkday Adaptive Planning
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Catalyst, by EBM SoftwareWorkday Adaptive Planning
Free Trial
YesYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
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 SoftwareWorkday Adaptive Planning
Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
Catalyst, by EBM SoftwareWorkday Adaptive Planning
BI Standard Reporting
Comparison of BI Standard Reporting features of Product A and Product B
Catalyst, by EBM Software
7.1
2 Ratings
17% below category average
Workday Adaptive Planning
9.3
1 Ratings
10% above category average
Customizable dashboards7.12 Ratings10.01 Ratings
Report Formatting Templates7.12 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Pixel Perfect reports00 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Ad-hoc Reporting
Comparison of Ad-hoc Reporting features of Product A and Product B
Catalyst, by EBM Software
7.7
2 Ratings
9% below category average
Workday Adaptive Planning
8.0
1 Ratings
5% below category average
Drill-down analysis7.12 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Formatting capabilities8.02 Ratings7.01 Ratings
Report sharing and collaboration8.02 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Integration with R or other statistical packages00 Ratings8.01 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
3% below category average
Workday Adaptive Planning
8.0
1 Ratings
3% below category average
Publish to PDF7.92 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Report Delivery Scheduling8.01 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Report Versioning00 Ratings8.01 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
1% below category average
Workday Adaptive Planning
7.7
1 Ratings
1% below category average
Pre-built visualization formats (heatmaps, scatter plots etc.)8.01 Ratings7.01 Ratings
Location Analytics / Geographic Visualization7.01 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Predictive Analytics8.01 Ratings8.01 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
9% below category average
Workday Adaptive Planning
9.0
1 Ratings
3% above category average
Multi-User Support (named login)8.02 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Role-Based Security Model8.02 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Multiple Access Permission Levels (Create, Read, Delete)8.02 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Mobile Capabilities
Comparison of Mobile Capabilities features of Product A and Product B
Catalyst, by EBM Software
8.0
2 Ratings
0% below category average
Workday Adaptive Planning
8.5
1 Ratings
6% above category average
Responsive Design for Web Access8.02 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Dashboard / Report / Visualization Interactivity on Mobile8.02 Ratings10.01 Ratings
Mobile Application00 Ratings8.02 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
6% below category average
Workday Adaptive Planning
8.8
169 Ratings
4% above category average
Long-term financial planning7.01 Ratings8.9156 Ratings
Financial budgeting8.01 Ratings8.6166 Ratings
Forecasting8.01 Ratings8.9161 Ratings
Scenario modeling8.01 Ratings8.9153 Ratings
Management reporting8.92 Ratings8.7166 Ratings
Consolidation and Close
Comparison of Consolidation and Close features of Product A and Product B
Catalyst, by EBM Software
7.2
1 Ratings
13% below category average
Workday Adaptive Planning
8.1
136 Ratings
1% below category average
Financial data consolidation9.01 Ratings8.3101 Ratings
Journal entries and reports8.01 Ratings9.065 Ratings
Multi-currency management6.01 Ratings7.978 Ratings
Intercompany Eliminations5.01 Ratings7.858 Ratings
Minority Ownership7.01 Ratings7.934 Ratings
Local and consolidated reporting8.01 Ratings8.592 Ratings
Detailed Audit Trails00 Ratings7.1112 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
6% below category average
Workday Adaptive Planning
8.6
158 Ratings
2% above category average
Financial Statement Reporting8.01 Ratings8.8140 Ratings
Management Reporting9.01 Ratings8.5153 Ratings
Excel-based Reporting7.01 Ratings8.7152 Ratings
Automated board and financial reporting8.01 Ratings8.5132 Ratings
XBRL support for regulatory filing00 Ratings8.525 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
Workday Adaptive Planning
7.9
129 Ratings
2% below category average
Personalized dashboards7.12 Ratings7.7111 Ratings
Color-coded scorecards6.01 Ratings7.591 Ratings
KPIs7.01 Ratings8.1104 Ratings
Cost and profitability analysis8.01 Ratings8.2108 Ratings
Key Performance Indicator setting8.01 Ratings7.893 Ratings
Benchmarking with external data7.01 Ratings8.164 Ratings
Integration
Comparison of Integration features of Product A and Product B
Catalyst, by EBM Software
7.4
2 Ratings
13% below category average
Workday Adaptive Planning
8.5
148 Ratings
1% above category average
Flat file integration8.01 Ratings8.6115 Ratings
Excel data integration7.12 Ratings8.6142 Ratings
Direct links to 3rd-party data sources7.12 Ratings8.4109 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Catalyst, by EBM SoftwareWorkday Adaptive Planning
Small Businesses
IBM Planning Analytics
IBM Planning Analytics
Score 8.7 out of 10
IBM Planning Analytics
IBM Planning Analytics
Score 8.7 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Cube
Cube
Score 8.9 out of 10
Cube
Cube
Score 8.9 out of 10
Enterprises
OneStream
OneStream
Score 8.8 out of 10
OneStream
OneStream
Score 8.8 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Catalyst, by EBM SoftwareWorkday Adaptive Planning
Likelihood to Recommend
7.9
(2 ratings)
8.9
(198 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
-
(0 ratings)
7.8
(39 ratings)
Usability
8.8
(2 ratings)
9.2
(104 ratings)
Availability
-
(0 ratings)
7.3
(21 ratings)
Performance
-
(0 ratings)
9.1
(10 ratings)
Support Rating
7.8
(2 ratings)
8.2
(45 ratings)
In-Person Training
-
(0 ratings)
8.2
(2 ratings)
Online Training
-
(0 ratings)
7.3
(9 ratings)
Implementation Rating
-
(0 ratings)
9.4
(57 ratings)
Configurability
-
(0 ratings)
8.2
(9 ratings)
Contract Terms and Pricing Model
-
(0 ratings)
7.3
(1 ratings)
Ease of integration
-
(0 ratings)
8.3
(11 ratings)
Product Scalability
-
(0 ratings)
8.8
(11 ratings)
Professional Services
-
(0 ratings)
8.2
(1 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
-
(0 ratings)
8.2
(7 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
-
(0 ratings)
6.4
(7 ratings)
User Testimonials
Catalyst, by EBM SoftwareWorkday Adaptive Planning
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.
Read full review
Workday
It can be best suited in scenarios which require multi dimensional modelling and reporting and more simpler and granular metrics need to be tracked. It also helps assess various what if scenarios to evaluate scope of business opportunities and help stakeholders take business decisions. One can create plans aligned with various organizational and business unit goals by collaborating with all kinds of department and users in organization.
Read full review
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.
Read full review
Workday
  • Version Management. Adaptive lets us manage many versions/scenarios all in one platform with the robust ability to compare them to each other.
  • Processing Performance. With the Elastic Hypercube technology that was implemented a few years back, we can watch changes flow through a complex web of formulas and arrive at an answer within seconds.
  • Audit Trail. Our administrators love the ability to see and report on who made what changes when, which leads to real accountability within the organization.
Read full review
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
Read full review
Workday
  • It would be beneficial to me, as a user, if there was a library of documentation for every type of feature. This could be something regarding formula building, understanding how attributes work, with examples, or a location for basic and advance documentation on Sheet/Model/Cubes.
  • I would like to have the ability to directly assign some dimensions to accounts easier. A drag and drop feature for that would be interesting. This has been a challenge for me when new dimensions are built and I am unable to assign them to new accounts.
  • I would also like to see some more formulas or an easier way to do some basic tasks. For example a simple YTD function instead of running a simple, yet long string of texts for the formulas. Or the option for selecting YTD features, removing the need of the formula all together.
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
EBM Software
No answers on this topic
Workday
For one we're in way too deep to not move forward with Adaptive. We're integrated with Workday, we do a ton of reporting with Adaptive, and it's working very well for planning and forecasting. No reason to look back or change course.
Read full review
Usability
EBM Software
Well.... when it works... it's good. When it doesn't it is very frustrating for our staff.
Read full review
Workday
Workday Adaptive Planning has detailed online help with both articles and videos that are comprehensive. It has a lot of similarities to Excel, which most finance people are already familiar with, plus the user interface is intuitive and easy to pick up. The online support team is quick to respond and very knowledgeable.
Read full review
Reliability and Availability
EBM Software
No answers on this topic
Workday
There haven't been any lately. The only one issue I can think of is when there was an update in Adaptive that altered our reports. Before I realized there was an issue, Adaptive reached out to let me know, so that it could be fixed.
Read full review
Performance
EBM Software
No answers on this topic
Workday
All aspects of Adaptive Insights perform well. One area that I wish was quicker was integration. When importing data from Intacct our accounting ERP platform, it can sometimes take 4 hours for the import to process. The earlier imports are done, the quicker they complete. My estimate for a quick upload is about two hours.
Read full review
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
Read full review
Workday
Whenever we have had any questions, issues, or concerns, the support has been quick and thorough. [This] allow[s] us to be able to fully resolve any issues, or be connected with the right group quickly to attain the result we were after; be it from simple formatting to adding new detailed reporting.
Read full review
In-Person Training
EBM Software
No answers on this topic
Workday
This was extremely helpful so that they could walk you through the model and teach you more about the complexity of various areas. It is most helpful when it is specific to your organization's model. The larger in-person trainings were helpful but they tended to be more generic and entry level. The trainings that are more tailored to your specific needs are the most helpful.
Read full review
Online Training
EBM Software
No answers on this topic
Workday
They often times tended to be way too generic or entry level. They would also become sales pitches to upgrade or get new Adaptive Planning products. The questions in the training would be very niche and specific to other organizations. They were rarely helpful to the group at large.
Read full review
Implementation Rating
EBM Software
No answers on this topic
Workday
Trust the expertise of very strong 3rd party implementers. Having deployed Adaptive at a separate company before, I thought I knew it all (hubris, I know). Fortunately, I began to (very quickly) trust the judgment of our Carlson implementation team, and they provided invaluable insights and best-in-class processes that have benefitted me and my team greatly.
Read full review
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.
Read full review
Workday
Workday became our choice because it is fully web-based and easily integrates with other systems. The learning curve for Workday was shorter than that of Dynamics. The reporting tools in Workday are more user-friendly than that of Dynamics. However Workday did not have Check Printing tools which are available in Dynamics. The organization started a project to digitize all financial transactions so it was not a priority feature. When it comes to scaling up the functionalities of Workday it was much easier than Dynamics.
Read full review
Contract Terms and Pricing Model
EBM Software
No answers on this topic
Workday
Good read only seat access
Read full review
Scalability
EBM Software
No answers on this topic
Workday
We went from 2 users to 70+ users over a 2 year period of time. The application scaled wonderfully. 65 of those users were non-finance users so they were able to quickly learn the software and prepare budgets quickly and efficiently. That is the power of Adaptive and its ability to scale
Read full review
Professional Services
EBM Software
No answers on this topic
Workday
This is now available in house at Workday which is convenient.
Read full review
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.
Read full review
Workday
  • Adaptive has had a very positive impact on our planning process by providing the ability to collaborate and has reduced the inevitable errors encountered with our other budgeting tool.
  • Our ROI is proving out exponentially with the increased efficiencies gained, time saved from streamlining of our processes, and the overall enhancement with staff communication throughout the budget cycle.
Read full review
ScreenShots

Workday Adaptive Planning Screenshots

Screenshot of Adaptive Planning balance sheets.Screenshot of Adaptive Discovery visuals.Screenshot of Adaptive Planning expense variance analysis report.Screenshot of Adaptive Discovery visuals with drill-down capabilities.Screenshot of Adaptive Planning in-sheet visualizations (waterfall chart)Screenshot of Sparklines are used to visualize trends and make adjustments visually