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IBM Planning Analytics vs SAS Visual Analytics comparison

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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
7.5
IBM Planning Analytics boosts ROI with faster budgeting, enhanced data analysis, cost savings, and efficient decision-making through automation.
Sentiment score
6.0
SAS Visual Analytics offers efficient analytics and revenue generation, though costs and ROI vary due to operational components.
Since using this tool, I can now make decisions faster, even when there is just a small change in the data.
Key Account Manager at DHL
We see a return on investment with IBM Planning Analytics as we are able to forecast the budget for the entire year with significant time saving.
IT Technician at HCLSoftware
I have seen a return on investment such as a thirty percent increase in efficiency.
Data Analyst at Africa Initiative
The enterprise subscription offers more benefits, ensuring valuable outcomes.
Senior Manager: ICT Compliance at DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SERVICE AND ADMINISTRATION
I have seen a return on investment with SAS Visual Analytics, as it includes AI capabilities and automatic functions with scheduling, allowing reports to be made from live data, which contributes to a new vertical for revenue generation.
Biostatistician at Lambda Therapeutic Research Ltd.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
7.2
IBM Planning Analytics' customer service is effective and proactive but could improve in response times and pricing. Ratings: 7-9/10.
Sentiment score
6.6
Customer service experiences for SAS Visual Analytics vary widely, with strong technical support but mixed business query satisfaction levels.
We have a multi-level support system, with the initial level handled by the company we bought the license from and subsequent support from IBM.
Responsable B.I at a retailer with 51-200 employees
Instead, we rely on third-party partners recognized by IBM, who provide cost-effective support.
Financial Performance Manager at a retailer with 1,001-5,000 employees
The customer support for IBM Planning Analytics is very responsive and supportive 24/7.
Key Account Manager at DHL
They provide callbacks to ensure clarity and resolution of any queries.
Senior Manager: ICT Compliance at DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SERVICE AND ADMINISTRATION
They assist us when we encounter issues and provide help while we complete tasks.
Biostatistician at Lambda Therapeutic Research Ltd.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
8.0
IBM Planning Analytics is highly scalable, supporting large user volumes, with scalability dependent on RAM and hardware alignment.
Sentiment score
7.6
SAS Visual Analytics excels in scalability and handling data, though high costs and resource needs are noted.
It handles literally every single data we give to it without lagging or crashing.
Data Analyst at Africa Initiative
Scalability is quite hard to implement in TM1, largely since the on-premise installation chosen back in 2014.
Responsable B.I at a retailer with 51-200 employees
Scalability is straightforward but it is pricey since it's a SaaS model priced per user.
Financial Performance Manager at a retailer with 1,001-5,000 employees
SAS Visual Analytics scalability is very good and positive.
Biostatistician at Lambda Therapeutic Research Ltd.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.0
IBM Planning Analytics is highly stable, efficiently managing large data volumes, with support resolving occasional technical issues.
Sentiment score
7.2
SAS Visual Analytics is generally stable, though performance can vary with data volume, hardware, and user expertise.
The performance of IBM Planning Analytics has always been fast and reliable for my needs, even when dealing with huge volumes of data.
Key Account Manager at DHL
This stability is really important as we use it for budget calculation, which is time-consuming.
Responsable B.I at a retailer with 51-200 employees
SAS Visual Analytics is stable and manages data effectively without crashing.
Senior Manager: ICT Compliance at DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SERVICE AND ADMINISTRATION
 

Room For Improvement

IBM Planning Analytics requires improvements in usability, integration, affordability, visualization, speed, data extraction, templates, and mobile support.
SAS Visual Analytics struggles with performance, integration, user-friendliness, high costs, and lacks robust API, visualization, and support resources.
The abundance of features results in complexity, requiring strict guidelines for developers to ensure simplistic approaches are adhered to.
Responsable B.I at a retailer with 51-200 employees
IBM's visualization needs significant improvement.
Financial Performance Manager at a retailer with 1,001-5,000 employees
IBM Planning Analytics does not work offline, which makes it difficult for me and my team to work or gather required data when we do not have an internet connection.
Key Account Manager at DHL
Training on SAS Visual Analytics is required to help overcome these issues.
Biostatistician at Lambda Therapeutic Research Ltd.
In terms of configuration, I would like to see AI capabilities since many applications are now integrating AI.
Senior Manager: ICT Compliance at DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SERVICE AND ADMINISTRATION
 

Setup Cost

IBM Planning Analytics is costly but valued for ROI, with pricing aligning to enterprise standards and cheaper SaaS models available.
SAS Visual Analytics is costly, deterring smaller companies, with licenses and additional costs potentially exceeding $114,000 annually.
TM1 is quite expensive, and I'd rate the pricing as an eight out of ten.
Responsable B.I at a retailer with 51-200 employees
While IBM's solutions were costly before, the introduction of SaaS models has reduced prices significantly.
Financial Performance Manager at a retailer with 1,001-5,000 employees
Regarding pricing, the cost is high compared to the competitors of IBM Planning Analytics.
Data Analyst at Africa Initiative
 

Valuable Features

IBM Planning Analytics enhances decision-making with real-time data integration, Excel compatibility, centralized management, automation, and strong security.
SAS Visual Analytics offers a user-friendly interface with no-code features, enabling intuitive insights through advanced visualization and AI integration.
Its stability helps controllers win time in their planning processes.
Responsable B.I at a retailer with 51-200 employees
It also integrates machine learning and AI engines, enabling us to use algorithms for inventory forecasting which optimizes our inventory and replenishment rates.
Financial Performance Manager at a retailer with 1,001-5,000 employees
The scenario modeling feature in IBM Planning Analytics is probably the most robust planning and forecasting solution we use, especially for what-if scenarios.
Key Account Manager at DHL
After implementing SAS Visual Analytics, we have generated a new way to generate revenue by providing live data visuals to our clients and making our team aware of data in real time, which has had a significant positive impact.
Biostatistician at Lambda Therapeutic Research Ltd.
The ability to query information from our Excel data into SAS to view specific data is invaluable.
Senior Manager: ICT Compliance at DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SERVICE AND ADMINISTRATION
 

Categories and Ranking

IBM Planning Analytics
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
28
Ranking in other categories
Business Performance Management (5th)
SAS Visual Analytics
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
5.7
Number of Reviews
41
Ranking in other categories
Data Visualization (16th)
 

Mindshare comparison

While both are Business Intelligence solutions, they serve different purposes. IBM Planning Analytics is designed for Business Performance Management and holds a mindshare of 4.0%, down 8.0% compared to last year.
SAS Visual Analytics, on the other hand, focuses on Data Visualization, holds 1.6% mindshare, down 3.4% since last year.
Business Performance Management Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
IBM Planning Analytics4.0%
Anaplan5.8%
Workday Adaptive Planning5.6%
Other84.6%
Business Performance Management
Data Visualization Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
SAS Visual Analytics1.6%
Tableau Enterprise9.3%
Qlik Sense4.7%
Other84.4%
Data Visualization
 

Featured Reviews

Gladys Njeri - PeerSpot reviewer
Key Account Manager at DHL
Data-driven planning has transformed financial decisions and now saves major reporting time
IBM Planning Analytics helps with collaboration between teams by allowing us to gather data from various departments, analyze it, and collaborate on the data to make data-driven decisions between different departments easily. As I mentioned previously, I mainly use IBM Planning Analytics to visualize the existing data to generate meaningful report dashboards and use it during stakeholder meetings to arrive at the right decision. The best features IBM Planning Analytics offers include budgeting, forecasting, and what-if scenario analysis. The scenario modeling feature in IBM Planning Analytics is probably the most robust planning and forecasting solution we use, especially for what-if scenarios, where we are able to forecast using Watson Studio, which helps in better prediction. I really appreciate the Excel integration in IBM Planning Analytics because it keeps things familiar and adds more power.
Namanjbaraiya Baru - PeerSpot reviewer
Biostatistician at Lambda Therapeutic Research Ltd.
Interactive dashboards have transformed clinical reporting and now support real time decisions
The best features of SAS Visual Analytics include performing data manipulation. I would characterize this as making data ready, transforming data, and making new variables through code while utilizing low-code and no-code facilities. In my experience, low-code features in SAS Visual Analytics help when I need to create a new variable. For instance, I can extract a date through the data roll step, and with no-code features, I can perform report creation by simply using drag and drop functionality. After implementing SAS Visual Analytics, we have generated a new way to generate revenue by providing live data visuals to our clients and making our team aware of data in real time, which has had a significant positive impact.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
15%
Retailer
10%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Outsourcing Company
8%
Financial Services Firm
13%
Construction Company
10%
Government
9%
Outsourcing Company
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business18
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise18
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business13
Midsize Enterprise10
Large Enterprise19
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM Planning Analytics?
Regarding pricing, the cost is high compared to the competitors of IBM Planning Analytics, but given that we as an organization already use IBM, we decided to go for IBM Planning Analytics. We did ...
What needs improvement with IBM Planning Analytics?
I have found that IBM Planning Analytics is flexible in the sense that you can customize the platform, customize calculations, and customize your models. However, your ability to do that when you w...
What is your primary use case for IBM Planning Analytics?
We rely on IBM Planning Analytics for our monthly forecast because it is modular, making it essential for tracking and managing our monthly, quarterly, and yearly forecasts. We use it mostly for fo...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SAS Visual Analytics?
My experience with pricing, setup costs, and licensing was positive, and I am happy with it.
What needs improvement with SAS Visual Analytics?
SAS Visual Analytics offers many options, and new users unfamiliar with SAS might face some difficulties. Training on SAS Visual Analytics is required to help overcome these issues.
What is your primary use case for SAS Visual Analytics?
My main use case for SAS Visual Analytics is making visual reports such as graphs, gauge plots, outlier plots, geomaps, and presenting my clinical data into a report or an interactive dashboard whi...
 

Also Known As

Cognos TM1, IBM Cognos TM1
SAS BI
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

ManpowerGroup, Convergys, AIG, Orchard Brands, Citibank, InterGen, Northwestern University, EF Education First, Ironside, Bazan Group, CSOB Insurance, Macquarie Group, Charles Stanley, SATO, Government of Sint Maarten, BMW Financial Services
Staples, Ausgrid, Scotiabank, the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, Oklahoma Gas & Electric, Xcel Energy, and Triad Analytics Solutions.
Find out what your peers are saying about Anaplan, SAP, Oracle and others in Business Performance Management. Updated: August 2026.
912,565 professionals have used our research since 2012.