IBM ILOG CPLEX Optimization Studio vs. SAP Predictive Analytics

It is well suited for solving large-sized, mixed-integer, and integer programming problems. Now, the new version supports for Multi-Objective optimization along with some new algorithms such as Benders Decomposition. It is less appropriate for quadratic programming problems where the objective function is the product of multiple variables. However, it's very easy to code any problem.

It's a great tool to merge actual data analysis (which Lumira doesn't do that well) with visualization (which Lumira does well) - so it can be seen as Lumira for data analysts. However, a lot of the 'predictive' side is hidden/black box which can be frustrating for those analysts, so you could argue it is too complex for casual users, but too 'black box' for analysts.

Incentivized

• Linear Programming
• Mixed-Integer Linear Programming
• Non-Linear Convex-Optimization
• Visualization
• Shadow Price Analysis
• Parameter Tuning

• It doesn't require you to have a Ph.D. to build models!
• You can use it to address a very large and wide dataset without worrying about sampling.
• Automation is in the product DNA. You can prepare your data, ingest it into the "Kernel", then get insights about what was found, decide to publish it and schedule scoring tasks or model refresh in the same product.

Incentivized

• Data handling from different sources like Note Pad, etc.
• Large size of MILP problems.
• Various parameters to set.

• Working with this software is very simple and enjoyable for me as [an] IT consultant and expert, but it is a bit complicated for novice users.
• Some big data takes more time‌to load, which I think could be faster

Incentivized

It's nice to use and with good optimization.

the UI is a bit dated and available as a desktop tool mostly.

Incentivized

Honestly, to say, I never contacted CPLEX but used its forum to know/clarify any issues I faced.

The documentation provides an explanation about what features are available but not necessarily what's happening behind the scenes. On the other side, the "community" has grown since the acquisition and most questions are properly addressed by SAP folks. Since the "product maintenance" mode announcement was made, there wasn't much new content published except on the Smart Predict side (which is built by the SAP Predictive Analytics team)

Incentivized

IBM CPLEX Optimization Studio covers wide range of problems in comparison to Gurobi and also offers a number of visualization tools for results analysis. It has better customization and parameter tuning options in comparison to Gurobi. It offers various API integrations such as Python, Java and C++ which is not the case with Gurobi.

We have typically used Spotfire for data analysis but decided to move to SAP Business Objects due to its innate connection with SAP. I found Lumira to be good for visualizations but it is not meant for data analysis. Therefore, we have introduced Predictive Analytics to see if it can fill that gap. So far, it's been far less intuitive than Spotfire to get started, and as far as I am aware so far, it does not bring many additional capabilities. I do, however, like that it utilizes the Lumira look/feel and integrates very well.

Incentivized

• Faster computation leading to better internal customer relations
• Able to solve high variable problems with ease
• Anomaly detection became easier within business

• Proper forecasting increases our credibility with partners and customers
• Forecasting determines the amount of investment in each sector and reduces the cost of additional costs

Incentivized