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IBM Cognos vs Oracle Hyperion comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

ROI

Sentiment score
6.7
IBM Cognos offers mixed returns; some save significantly, others find it costly, but generally enhances insights and processes.
Sentiment score
6.0
Users report varying ROI with Oracle Hyperion, highlighting process improvements, accuracy, reduced task time, and enhanced decision-making.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.5
IBM Cognos support is responsive and expert but criticized for high costs, slow resolutions, and complexity in customer service.
Sentiment score
5.4
Oracle's customer service feedback is mixed, citing delays and coordination issues, though high-priority issues get faster responses.
I rate technical support from IBM as eight out of ten, indicating a high quality of service.
Support is generally fast for Sev1 or Sev2 tickets but slower for lower-severity tickets.
I rate Oracle's technical support as very good, giving it a score of 8 to 9 out of 10.
They can improve their process.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.5
IBM Cognos offers scalable solutions, supporting large deployments with proper server architecture, powerful hardware, and seamless software integration.
Sentiment score
7.0
Oracle Hyperion is scalable and suitable for large organizations, though some users face performance challenges during expansion.
It can be scaled out to other teams, but requires building cubes and implementing policies.
I rate the scalability of Oracle Hyperion as an 8 out of 10 because it remains a top choice in the market.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.2
IBM Cognos is praised for stability and performance, surpassing competitors, with minor issues often due to server configuration.
Sentiment score
7.0
Oracle Hyperion is stable with occasional bugs, reliable performance on-premises, and robust cloud versions when best practices are followed.
I rate the stability of this solution as nine out of ten, indicating it is highly stable.
Cloud configurations have not exhibited issues like crashing or slowing down for significant data volumes.
We sometimes encounter bugs and need to connect with Oracle Support.
 

Room For Improvement

IBM Cognos needs UI upgrades, better data visualization, improved performance, and advanced self-service features to compete with rivals.
Oracle Hyperion requires user interface, reporting, integration, documentation, pricing, and support improvements for enhanced usability and advanced functionality.
There is room for improvement in self-service analytics and predictiveness.
For example, a company with fifty users versus five hundred users should see better pricing.
It is user-friendly and offers several advantages in financial reporting and consolidation.
The pricing model could be more flexible as it's more expensive than its competitors.
 

Setup Cost

IBM Cognos is costlier but offers extensive features, complex licensing, and competitive SaaS options for SMEs, emphasizing negotiation.
Oracle Hyperion's pricing includes high setup costs and complex licensing, challenging for medium-sized firms due to user-based expenses.
I rate pricing as a four, meaning it is more expensive compared to other solutions.
The pricing model is on the higher side compared to its competitors.
 

Valuable Features

IBM Cognos offers powerful analytics, flexible reporting, strong visualization, and robust security with scalability and ease of use.
Oracle Hyperion offers intuitive interfaces, data security, and efficient planning, streamlining global finance management with comprehensive insights.
IBM Cognos is a robust governed platform with significant security features and provides excellent graphics and reporting.
It enables me to input data directly based on my security and business lines, with an inbuilt calculation engine for data aggregation and reporting.
Anaplan allows for quick module changes, where adjustments in one module reflect throughout the user experience.
This issue has been resolved, and Oracle Hyperion data can now be updated, with data loads completed in 30 minutes.
 

Categories and Ranking

IBM Cognos
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.3
Number of Reviews
134
Ranking in other categories
BI (Business Intelligence) Tools (8th), Reporting (6th)
Oracle Hyperion
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.4
Number of Reviews
58
Ranking in other categories
Business Performance Management (1st)
 

Mindshare comparison

While both are Business Intelligence solutions, they serve different purposes. IBM Cognos is designed for BI (Business Intelligence) Tools and holds a mindshare of 3.1%, down 4.3% compared to last year.
Oracle Hyperion, on the other hand, focuses on Business Performance Management, holds 9.8% mindshare, down 12.4% since last year.
BI (Business Intelligence) Tools
Business Performance Management
 

Featured Reviews

AMOL JAJU - PeerSpot reviewer
Offers ad hoc analysis reports and good for operational dashboarding
There used to be many valuable features, but in the last three or four years, whatever IBM is doing with enhancements, it has taken a lot of time to build and develop. But the best usage of Cognos is the ad hoc analysis reports. I really like that. Our customers also like that. But now the usage of Cognos and OBIE is reduced by various business users because people and business users are now more focused on analytics, slice and dice, and the dashboard, and the widgets.
Pranit Chhajed - PeerSpot reviewer
Automation of financial processes streamlines operations but pricing needs improvement
Our clients mostly use Hyperion for their financial requirements, including budgeting, forecasting, and planning The feature that allows automation of the budgeting and forecasting process is extremely valuable, especially when compared to Excel. The workflow management of planning and the…
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Comparison Review

it_user79932 - PeerSpot reviewer
Feb 4, 2015
Comparison of SAP BO, Tableau, QlikView, Cognos, Microsoft, OBIEE and Pentaho
1. SAP BO/BI Enterprise scalability Security Ease of use Semantic layer 2. Tableau Visualization Data discovery Turnaround time 3. IBM Cognos Enterprise scalability Security In-memory feature 4. MS BI - Flexibility 5. Pentaho - Open source but still enterprise grade 6. QlikView Data…
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
15%
Insurance Company
10%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Government
8%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Computer Software Company
11%
Financial Services Firm
11%
University
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

Seeking lightweight open source BI software
It depends on the Data architecture and the complexity of your requirement. Some great tools in the market are Qlik Sense, Power BI, OBIEE, Tableau, etc. I have recently started using Cognos Enter...
What do you like most about IBM Cognos?
The solution's most valuable feature is its ease of use, which makes it easily compatible with other tools.
What needs improvement with IBM Cognos?
There is room for improvement in self-service analytics and predictiveness.
What do you like most about Oracle Hyperion?
We can collect data from various sources, which is very useful for budgeting and planning.
What needs improvement with Oracle Hyperion?
We are going to re-implement the Oracle Hyperion system due to changes in our chart of account process and some other factors. We were analyzing whether to move to a cloud system, EPM Cloud. We hav...
What is your primary use case for Oracle Hyperion?
We are using Oracle Financials and Oracle Hyperion. Oracle Hyperion is used for budget and MIS reporting, while Financials is used for financial accounting, payables, receivables, and general ledge...
 

Also Known As

Cognos, Cognos Analytics, IBM Cognos Analytics
Hyperion
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

More than 23,000 leading organizations across multiple industries use Cognos. Some examples of Cognos customers include BMW Financial Services, Quinte Health Care, Troy Corporation, Michigan State University, and GKN Land System.
ITNL, Aditya Birla Nuvo Ltd., Zaklady Farmaceutyczne Polpharma S.A., Daelim Industrial Co. Ltd., Barco N.V., SITA, McGregor Fashion Group B.V., PCCW Ltd.
Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft, Salesforce, SAP and others in BI (Business Intelligence) Tools. Updated: August 2025.
865,164 professionals have used our research since 2012.