Forecasting made easy with IBM Planning Analytics
October 15, 2025

Forecasting made easy with IBM Planning Analytics

Anonymous | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 7 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User

Overall Satisfaction with IBM Planning Analytics

We use it mainly for forecasting and creating financial reports. It saves a lot of time and also removes human error. While doing it manually, we have observed many times there is data inconsistency but after using the tool, it has improved accuracy and reduced human efforts. Also, due to its forecasting , it helps us in better decision making.

Pros

  • It can easily run multi-scenario forecasting very fast which takes large amount of time while doing manually.
  • It's drill down feature is very useful that we can use to find variance, which in results helps us to understand performance at granular level.
  • There are a lot of built in workflows that helps the team to integrate and stay aligned.

Cons

  • As compared to other BI tools, the inbuilt dashboards can be improved.
  • While dealing with large data, we have faced some performance issues.
  • The real time forecasting helps us to quickly understand the business changes and respond to it.
  • We have reduced the manual errors due to its centralized data management and version controls.
  • Due to its automated data processing, it has reduced our budget.
The multi-dimensional modelling is one of best feature, as it helps to build the complex financial model which reflect the real business structure.
Secondly, we also rely on IBM Planning Analytics for Excel (PAx), which combines the flexibility of Excel with the strength of a centralized database.
The drill down feature is also very useful as we can easily drill down up to transaction level summaries.
We can now build and run complex, multi-scenario forecasts in real time, which was not this easy before with Excel due to performance and version control issues. This results in data consistency and less human errors.
Drill down feature allow us to analyze variances instantly without waiting for someone to pull reports.
If compared to Excel, it eliminates version control issues and manual consolidation, which saves time and reduces errors.
On the other hand, if we compared with Hyperion, IBM Planning Analytics is more agile and user-friendly, especially with the Excel integration (PAx) and the drill down feature to get details up to base level.

Do you think IBM Planning Analytics delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with IBM Planning Analytics's feature set?

Yes

Did IBM Planning Analytics live up to sales and marketing promises?

I wasn't involved with the selection/purchase process

Did implementation of IBM Planning Analytics go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy IBM Planning Analytics again?

Yes

It is very useful in the scenarios where we have multiple stakeholders, and they need to access to see all the forecasting and financial planning. Also for bigger teams, where there is a chance in data inconsistency, IBM Planning Analytics can be useful. But in the case where teams are small, such a setup is not required and can be easily managed manually.

IBM Planning Analytics Feature Ratings

8.0
Long-term financial planning
9
Financial budgeting
9
Forecasting
8
Scenario modeling
8
Management reporting
6
7.3
Financial data consolidation
8
Journal entries and reports
8
Multi-currency management
6
Intercompany Eliminations
8
Minority Ownership
7
Local and consolidated reporting
6
Detailed Audit Trails
8
8.8
Financial Statement Reporting
9
Management Reporting
9
Excel-based Reporting
8
Automated board and financial reporting
10
XBRL support for regulatory filing
8
8.8
Personalized dashboards
8
Color-coded scorecards
7
KPIs
9
Cost and profitability analysis
9
Key Performance Indicator setting
10
Benchmarking with external data
10
6.7
Flat file integration
8
Excel data integration
8
Direct links to 3rd-party data sources
4
5.7
Pixel Perfect reports
7
Customizable dashboards
4
Report Formatting Templates
6
8.5
Drill-down analysis
9
Formatting capabilities
9
Integration with R or other statistical packages
7
Report sharing and collaboration
9
8.3
Publish to Web
8
Publish to PDF
9
Report Versioning
7
Report Delivery Scheduling
9
7.8
Pre-built visualization formats (heatmaps, scatter plots etc.)
6
Location Analytics / Geographic Visualization
7
Predictive Analytics
9
Pattern Recognition and Data Mining
9
8.4
Multi-User Support (named login)
9
Role-Based Security Model
8
Multiple Access Permission Levels (Create, Read, Delete)
9
Report-Level Access Control
8
Single Sign-On (SSO)
8
7.7
Responsive Design for Web Access
8
Mobile Application
7
Dashboard / Report / Visualization Interactivity on Mobile
8

Comments

More Reviews of IBM Planning Analytics

  1. Home
  2. Corporate Performance Management (CPM) Software
  3. IBM Planning Analytics Reviews
  4. User Review of IBM Planning Analytics