BARC Score Integrated Business Intelligence and Planning in the DACH Region 2015

Transcription

1 BARC Score Integrated Business Intelligence and Planning in the DACH Region 2015 Portfolios for reporting, analysis and planning Authors: Christian Fuchs, Larissa Seidler, Patrick Keller, Andreas Bitterer, Carsten Bange, Robert Tischler, Alexander Gebath, Herbert Stauffer Publication: November 10 th, 2015 Abstract Planning is an important element of management control to align operational business with strategic corporate objectives. However, successful planning processes require comprehensive business intelligence (BI) functionality. This BARC document is the latest edition of our new vendor evaluation and ranking methodology, BARC Score. It focuses on the planning and BI market in Germanspeaking countries (Germany, Austria, and Switzerland) due to the importance of both topics in combination for many companies, especially in the mid-market. Based on data points from The BI Survey and numerous analyst interactions, vendors are rated on a variety of criteria. This document is not to be shared, distributed or reproduced in any way without prior permission of BARC

2 Table of contents BARC Score Integrated Business Intelligence and Planning in the DACH Region Portfolios for reporting, analysis and planning... 1 Overview... 3 Inclusion Criteria... 3 Evaluation Criteria... 4 Portfolio Capabilities incl. Product Satisfaction... 4 Market Execution... 6 Score... 8 Score Regions... 9 Evaluated Products Vendor Evaluations arcplan Bissantz BOARD International CoPlanner Corporate Planning Cubeware cubus evidanza IBM IDL Infor Jedox LucaNet Oracle prevero SAP Tagetik Other Vendors Related Research Documents BARC Score Integrated BI and Planning DACH 2015 Page 2

3 Overview The market for planning and BI products in the DACH region is highly competitive. Besides a few international software generalists offering their planning and BI portfolios worldwide, there are many local specialists challenging the big vendors. This report focuses on the German-speaking planning and Business Intelligence (BI) DACH market (Germany, Austria and Switzerland) and analyzes the strengths and challenges of all the leading vendors as well as many smaller vendors that often have less visibility, but equally offer outstanding value to their customers. Planning and BI initiatives always include more than just the front end products. The technical architecture also includes data warehouses and data marts (e.g. for planning), data integration and data quality components, dictionaries, repositories, and many other technologies. Organizations should have a proper BI strategy that goes well beyond an architecture blueprint to include nontechnical requirements, alignment with corporate strategy, organizational models, outcome-based priority settings, and a proper roadmap. Still, when it comes to kicking off or expanding a planning and BI program, the initial focus almost always lies on the required toolsets. While this may not be the ideal starting point, at some stage a platform, portfolio or product decision has to be made. This document will help with the selection process by evaluating the market leaders and most commonly used product sets. Inclusion Criteria There are two principal inclusion criteria for this BARC Score: the first is associated with each vendor s products and the other is linked to the financial results relating to those products. Functionality for planning (including write-back of planning data to a central database) is the entrance ticket to be evaluated in this BARC Score. Moreover, a vendor has to supply additional functionality for all four technologies from the following platform portfolio in a solution not merely focused on one industry or use case: Formatted Reporting Ad-hoc Query and Reporting Analysis Dashboarding In addition, the vendor has to generate a minimum of 3 million EUR in license revenue per year with the above product set in German-speaking countries (Germany, Austria and Switzerland). Vendors with an open source business model are evaluated by their total revenue because those companies do not charge a license for their products, but an annual subscription fee. BARC Score Integrated BI and Planning DACH 2015 Page 3

4 Evaluation Criteria Every vendor is evaluated on two dimensions: Portfolio Capabilities incl. Product Satisfaction and Market Execution. Each represents one axis on the Score. These two dimensions include the following sub-criteria. Portfolio Capabilities incl. Product Satisfaction The portfolio capabilities criteria selected to rank the planning and BI vendors in this Score include the following technologies and their corresponding weighting. In general, portfolio capabilities reflect functional (planning, formatted reporting, ad-hoc query, analysis and dashboarding) and architectural criteria as well as customer satisfaction with the products (based on The BI Survey 15 results). A special emphasis is placed on the integration of planning and BI functionality within the vendors product portfolios. Please note: Only vendor-distinct functionality is rated in our vendor portfolio ratings, not that of integrated OEM products or partner solutions. Formatted Reporting Formatted standard reports are usually page-oriented reports run on regular schedules. These include static reports, which usually appeal to the widest audience in a company because they are simple to use, and prompted reports, which enable users to filter reports based on pre-defined parameters. Aside from pixel-perfect displays, which provide developers with precise control over how they place report objects and images on a screen, formatted reports also support rich printing options, dynamic page sizing and a WYSIWYG ( what you see is what you get ) development interface. Virtually every BI product is able to provide some type of reports. The importance of page orientation, scheduling and other advanced reporting features, however, varies depending on the customer s requirements. Ad-hoc Query and Reporting In many cases, users require more interactivity than they receive from formatted reports. Ad-hoc reporting is geared to non-professional report developers and provides basic filtering and navigation features (e.g. drill down, ranking and conditional formatting). Analysis Data analysis differs from basic reporting in that it probes much more deeply into (operational) data and generates new information, which can be interpreted and acted upon by the business. Further analyses can be carried out using mathematical methods. Traditional online analytical processing (OLAP) provides dimensional (versus reporting) data views which make it easy for users to drill down, drill across and pivot dimensions as well as apply sophisticated calculations without scripting. Certain analysis products also offer methods to support set-based, visual, discovery-oriented data analysis or data mining functionality. Dashboarding Dashboards are also referred to as cockpits, scorecards or BI applications. They provide graphical views of key performance indicators and the ability to drill down to details. Some dashboards offer self-service functions so end users can create their own layouts without any outside help. Others (especially BI applications with guided navigation) require support from technically savvy business users or programmers. Scorecards often incorporate strategy maps and applications to manage improvement initiatives. BARC Score Integrated BI and Planning DACH 2015 Page 4

5 Planning Planning describes the task of creating data with a future time reference. An essential software requirement here is to write back planning data from planning forms in the front-end to a planning data model in a central database. The planning model consists of planning structures (master data), key figures and planning logic, and combines different operational and financial plans. Both the planning forms and planning model are created using a planning solution. The coordination of the various planning activities and planners involved is handled by process control functionality (workflow). For plan data entry, specific planning functionality (e.g. data allocation, simulation and comments) is provided. Integration Because planning is generally not possible without reporting (e.g. results reports or reports on intermediate results) or analysis (e.g. analyses of planned and actual values), the seamless integration of planning and BI functionality is essential to support planning processes optimally. Having functionality for both planning and BI in one product on one integrated database is certainly preferable to an integration, for example, at database level between different products with the need for ETL processes to transfer data. Architecture The overall architecture of each vendor s product portfolio is also evaluated. This includes the integration of the various components, from the perspective of the front end and user experience as well as at infrastructure levels, including data access, models and metadata. In addition, support for different platforms as well as overall performance and caching mechanisms are considered in this evaluation. Product Satisfaction The results from The BI Survey s product satisfaction ratings are also included in this BARC Score. The ratings of vendors that provide more than a single product are combined into a single rating. Vendors not included in The BI Survey, e.g. due to a limited number of survey responses from their customers, received an average rating. This average rating stands for satisfied and does not negatively affect the score. Criteria Weighting We don t consider all components of a planning and BI portfolio to be equally important in this Score. This is not a reference to the generated value of an individual technology, but indicates the current customer focus and buying pattern. BARC Score Integrated BI and Planning DACH 2015 Page 5

6 Table 1: Portfolio Capabilities incl. Product Satisfaction Weighting of Criteria Criteria Weighting Formatted Reporting Medium Ad-hoc Query and Reporting Medium Analysis Medium Dashboarding Low Planning High Integration High Architecture High Product Satisfaction High Market Execution On the Market Execution axis, we rate the planning and BI vendors in this Score using the following criteria and corresponding weightings. Organizational Strength Vendors are rated on their organizational stability, which is influenced by consistency of corporate strategy, continuity of executive leadership, but also staff turnover, reorganization and layoffs. Financial Strength This criterion covers the financial position of the vendor, from market capitalization, cash position and EBITDA to profitability, burn rate and investment rounds. For vendors that are private companies or don t break out the numbers for individual product lines, estimated figures are used. Product Strategy This is the most important of all the criteria. Vendors are rated on their product development track record, product roadmap and innovation, as well as the company portfolio s alignment with current market trends and demands. Marketing Strategy A vendor s marketing strategy is evaluated by rating its corporate and product messaging, the company s presence in printed media, advertising and social networks, as well as its ability to run events, such as conferences, seminar roadshows and webinars. BARC Score Integrated BI and Planning DACH 2015 Page 6

7 Sales Strategy To rate a vendor s sales strategy, we look at the various channels through which the company goes to market: with both direct and indirect sales teams, through distributors, value-added resellers (VARs), online channels as well as OEM relationships. We also evaluate the vendor s product pricing and sales models, such as perpetual licensing, support subscription, open source and freemium. Vertical Strategy and Solutions We also look at each vendor s solution portfolio for vertical BI applications (for example retail, insurance or manufacturing industries). This is a low-weighted criterion. Ecosystem In this category, we evaluate the extended ecosystem in which the vendor participates. This includes business partner networks, hardware or cloud infrastructure providers, consulting firms and system integrators, and other technology alliances. Vendor Support Similar to the product satisfaction score above, vendors are also rated according to their customer support score in The BI Survey. This generally takes into account the accessibility and quality of support staff, time-to-resolution scores, and the overall satisfaction with the vendor s service and support processes. The following weightings have been applied for the market execution criteria: Table 2: Market Execution Weighting of Criteria Criteria Weighting Organizational Strength Low Financial Strength Medium Product Strategy High Marketing Strategy Low Sales Strategy Medium Vertical Strategy and Solutions Low Ecosystem Medium Vendor Support High BARC Score Integrated BI and Planning DACH 2015 Page 7

8 Market Execution Score Calculating the individual ratings for all criteria and all vendors produces two scores per company: the portfolio capabilities incl. product satisfaction score and the market execution score, each being plotted on the corresponding axis and thus resulting in the vendor s dot on the following BARC Score graphic (see Figure 1). Please note: Only vendor-distinct functionality is rated in our vendor portfolio ratings, not that of integrated OEM products or partner solutions. SAP IBM Tagetik* IDL* LucaNet Corporate Planning* Oracle Board Arcplan Prevero Bissantz Jedox Infor* cubus Evidanza CoPlanner* Cubeware * No rating of integrated OEM products or partner solutions Copyright BARC, November 2015 Portfolio Capabilities incl. Product Satisfaction Disclaimer: BARC Score is published by BARC GmbH (BARC). This chart is part of a larger research document, which contains explanations of the methodology and criteria behind the chart, and should be viewed in the context of the full document. BARC does not endorse any of the vendors featured in its research documents, and does not advise readers to select only those vendors with the highest ratings. Vendors appearing in the bottom left corner of this chart are market entrants or specialists and should not be interpreted as inferior. Those vendors in the top right area are not necessarily superior, but have strong portfolio capabilities and market execution. Figure 1: BARC Score Integrated BI and Planning DACH 2015 Portfolios for reporting, analysis and planning BARC Score Integrated BI and Planning DACH 2015 Page 8

9 Score Regions Vendors can be positioned in one of five regions, depending on their total score on each of the two axes. Market Leaders Market leaders are vendors that drive both technology and market adoption in a highly influential manner. They possess both a broad portfolio of market-leading products with a strong brand as well as a robust commercial prowess through best-in-class sales and marketing programs, an extensive ecosystem of business partners and alliances, and a rock-solid financial position. Market leaders are considered a contender in virtually every planned implementation. Trendsetters Trendsetters are well established vendors that drive strong market adoption, supported by technology innovation and strategic acquisitions and by leveraging robust account management and a solid track record. Their portfolio enjoys high brand awareness in the market, covers an extensive range of technologies and services with only few gaps. Trendsetters typically have a large market share, making them a viable contender in almost all implementation scenarios. Challengers Challengers come in various shapes and sizes. They can be large vendors tapping into a new market by acquisition and pushing their way in with force, small innovative companies with a promising portfolio but limited sales and marketing resources, or vendors that attempt to disrupt a market with a new technology approach or different business model. Specialists Specialists are smaller vendors with a portfolio focused on a specific market segment. Vendors can be either limited in their technical capabilities by concentrating on certain features and functions, or the company isn t a global enterprise and focuses on select geographic regions. Entrants Entrants are usually startups that have limited reach and visibility in the market. Their product capabilities are incomplete when compared to the competition, and the vendor s long-term market potential is still unproven. BARC Score Integrated BI and Planning DACH 2015 Page 9

10 Evaluated Products The following products and versions are evaluated in the BARC Score Planning and BI DACH. Vendor Product(s) Version arcplan Edge 8.5 Bissantz DeltaMaster 5.6 BOARD International BOARD 10 CoPlanner CoPlanner 9.4 Corporate Planning CP-Suite including Corporate Planner 4.4 Cubeware Solutions Platform C8 8 cubus outperform 7.6 evidanza evidanza 3.8 IBM Cognos TM1 Cognos BI IDL CPM- and BI-Suite 2015 Infor Infor BI 10.6 Jedox Jedox Suite 6 LucaNet LucaNet.Planner 9.2 Oracle prevero SAP Hyperion Planning BI Foundation Suite prevero MIK.starlight Planning and Consolidation BusinessObjects BI Platform Tagetik Tagetik 5 BARC Score Integrated BI and Planning DACH 2015 Page 10

11 Vendor Evaluations In the following section, we discuss each vendor and highlight their strengths and weaknesses based on customer surveys and market research by the authors. Each vendor description includes vendor-related information, products covered in the BARC Score, and strengths and weaknesses. BARC Score Integrated BI and Planning DACH 2015 Page 11

12 arcplan Düsseldorf, Germany Founded in Germany in 1993, arcplan currently has 100 employees. The company serves over 3,200 clients worldwide from its headquarters in Langenfeld, Germany, as well as further offices in Europe, the Americas and Asia, with approximately 50 percent of its clients based in the DACH region. Its product offerings, which are based on the arcplan platform, consist of the BI product arcplan Enterprise, the planning product arcplan Edge, and the collaboration and self-service solution arcplan Engage. arcplan Edge is an integrated development environment for creating individual, Web-based planning applications, typically for operational plans. First released in 2010, arcplan Edge is based historically on two solutions: a planning product acquired with LumenSoft in 2009 and arcplan Enterprise. Due to the integrated and well established reporting and dashboarding functionality of arcplan Enterprise, arcplan Edge based on the arcplan 8 platform is a product for both planning as well as reporting, analyses and dashboards. arcplan Edge provides a dedicated framework for creating individual planning applications and specific functions for planning tasks as well as enhanced access and writeback capabilities for multidimensional data sources via MDX. At the end of March 2015, arcplan announced it would merge with Canada-based Longview Solutions ( Longview ), a leading provider of CPM and tax provision software solutions. At the end of September 2015, arcplan brought out an updated release including a fully integrated connector for the Longview platform. Longview is a privately held company backed by Marlin Equity Partners, a global investment firm with over $ 3 billion of capital under management. Its mid-term goal is to form a global CPM and tax solution provider with a complementary product portfolio. High flexibility for building individual, tailor-made planning and BI applications (reporting, analysis and dashboarding use cases) Large number of supported data sources that can be combined in applications as required Plan data entry with Web-based planning forms, mobile devices with flexible screen design (responsive design) as well as Excel add-in Comprehensive workflow functionality for controlling planning processes High flexibility can make handling complex, especially during the initial design and implementation phases of complex planning and BI applications Developing planning and BI applications requires some technical knowledge and is only suitable for trained business users. However, once created, experienced business users can usually administer these applications. Quality as well as functional capabilities of planning and BI applications depend greatly on the capabilities of the individual developer Limited predefined business content for planning topics (e.g. for planning financials, HR, etc.). Integration with Longview will probably provide wider options in the near future BARC Score Integrated BI and Planning DACH 2015 Page 12

13 Bissantz Nuremberg, Germany Bissantz & Company is an owner-managed software vendor based in Nuremberg, Germany. It was founded in 1996 as the technology spin-off of FORWISS, an AI research institute. The company initially specialized in solutions for sophisticated data analysis tasks in business environments. Today, it has approximately 100 employees based in three locations in Germany. The company has over 500 customers primarily in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Bissantz targets mid-sized companies and large corporations across all industries to support them in controlling and planning business performance. DeltaMaster, the flagship product of Bissantz, is a flexible, integrated BI product for dashboards, adhoc reporting, (advanced) analysis (including statistical and data mining methods), and planning. Besides its classical BI functionality, individual applications for top-down as well as bottom-up planning scenarios can be created with DeltaMaster. In doing so the product primarily addresses operational detailed plans in lines of business. For planning tasks, DeltaMaster is a programming free development environment without any predefined business content (e.g. for integrated financial planning). Individual planning applications are typically created by business power users, based on standard meta models provided by Bissantz. As a pure front end, DeltaMaster supports direct connections to popular multidimensional databases such as Microsoft SQL Server Analysis Services, Infor BI OLAP Server, IBM Cognos TM1, Oracle OLAP, Oracle Essbase and SAP BW/NetWeaver BI/HANA. Planning applications are always based on Microsoft SQL Server or Analysis Services. However, write-back capabilities to Infor BI OLAP Server and IBM Cognos TM1 are also possible. Integrated BI product for (advanced) analysis, ad-hoc reporting, dashboards and planning Vast range of analysis and visualization functionality as well as innovative chart types for datadense reports and dashboards Flexibility in creating individual planning applications with options for top-down as well as bottom-up planning, including comprehensive capabilities for commenting Statistical and predefined data mining methods that can be applied by users without expert knowledge High product satisfaction and recommendation rates in The BI Survey No predefined business content for planning tasks (e.g. integrated financial planning) High flexibility can lead to complexity (e.g. for implementing and creating complex planning and BI applications with DeltaMaster) Limited workflow functionality for controlling planning processes (e.g. planning calendar, task management with status monitoring, visual display of planning processes, and approval processes through database modeling only, not as standard functionality) No Excel add-in, only export of data to Microsoft Office provided Little focus on reports with page/print orientation or high levels of individual formatting BARC Score Integrated BI and Planning DACH 2015 Page 13

14 BOARD International Chiasso, Switzerland BOARD was founded in 1994 and employs approximately 200 people. Both its head office and software development headquarters are located in Chiasso, Switzerland. BOARD has 18 offices worldwide and a partner network in over 30 countries. Around 3,000 customers worldwide use BOARD to implement both planning and BI projects. BOARD is a one-product-company and provides a combined product consisting of a front-end and a proprietary multidimensional database. It is a flexible development environment for creating planning, dashboarding, reporting, analysis and predictive analytics applications. BOARD offers strong functionality, especially for planning and simulation use cases, and provides a consistent environment for administration, development and utilization. Due to its tightly integrated front end and back end, the proprietary BOARD database allows only limited access for third-party front ends. BOARD s product strategy is based on an all-in-one philosophy. The goal is to deliver an easy-to-use and technically homogeneous environment to support planning and BI. BOARD s vision is to enable business users to implement solutions without significant IT support, based on an easy-to-use toolkit with no technical programming needed. In the new version, BOARD 10, self-service data discovery and preparation as well as cloud hosting extends this vision. BOARD receives good feedback from its customers for both vendor and implementer support. Using its subsidiary and global partner network, the vendor is able to support customers at a local level in their native language with highly trained staff. Flexible, integrated BI product for developing planning, dashboarding, reporting, analysis and advanced analysis applications Graphical, business user-oriented development environment for creating (complex) planning and BI applications without technical programming skills Tightly integrated system architecture of multidimensional in-memory database and front-ends Functionality for bottom-up (including workflow management functionality) and top-down planning approaches Self-service dashboard creation by end users through assembly of pre-defined BI objects Limited access for third-party front ends to proprietary BOARD database Limited capabilities for formatted print reporting, as the vendor focuses on on-screen application delivery Limited predefined business content provided by BOARD itself (e.g. for integrated financial planning) as the vendor focuses on enabling individually tailored solutions Product's flexibility can lead to more complex handling for inexperienced users when implementing and building intricate applications Web client currently has functional limitations compared to full client BARC Score Integrated BI and Planning DACH 2015 Page 14

15 CoPlanner Graz, Austria CoPlanner was founded in 1989 in Graz, Austria, with the aim of supporting enterprises in implementing integrated BI systems by offering comprehensive business and technical expertise. The vendor currently employs approximately 50 people and has, according to its own accounts, 500 customers with 2,500 implementations, primarily in Austria and Germany. CoPlanner is a one-product-company. Since 2003, it has provided its BI and planning product CoPlanner, which is available in three different specifications: Smart, Enterprise and Framework Edition. All CoPlanner data is stored relationally in Microsoft SQL Server. CoPlanner is a flexible development environment for all kinds of planning approaches (top-down, bottom-up, combinations of both). Business power users typically use it to create wizard-based individual planning applications requiring only minimal IT support (e.g. for data integration tasks or linkage of sub-budgets in the data model via SQL). Customers usually start off with planning projects but often have additional requirements for reporting and analysis. For standard formatted reporting use cases, Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services is integrated in CoPlanner s user interface, while ad-hoc query and individual analyses are supported by a feature-rich Excel add-in. CoPlanner provides comprehensive planning functionality with flexible modeling of individual planning applications and integrated financial planning (balance sheet, profit and loss statement, liquidity) coming as standard. In typical implementations, CoPlanner is used by 30 to 40 concurrent users. However, there are also implementations with distinctly smaller and larger numbers of users. Business user oriented integrated product for planning, reporting and analysis with flexible modeling of individual planning applications and comprehensive planning functionality Predefined model for integrated financial planning (balance sheet, P&L, liquidity) Feature-rich Excel add-in with cell-based and formula-based (dynamic) mode Integrated engine to present relationally stored data multidimensionally, including option of third-party product access Individual UI can be customized to specific user requirements (including individual buttons, etc.) New, still unproven reporting module in CoPlanner, replacing the former Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services integration Microsoft SQL Server Integration Services is typically used for data integration tasks not very business user friendly and usually requires IT support Comparatively small vendor with strong presence in Austria only BARC Score Integrated BI and Planning DACH 2015 Page 15

16 Corporate Planning Hamburg, Germany CP Corporate Planning AG (CP) is a software vendor and consultancy based in Hamburg, Germany. The company, which was founded in 1989, currently has approximately 130 employees worldwide. CP has regional and international offices in Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the UK. The company is one of the largest planning software vendors in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. CP offers solutions for operational management, integrated financial planning, financial consolidation and strategic management. A few years ago, CP combined its separate products into an integrated suite called CP-Suite with comprehensive functionality for users, including workflows, roles and rights. All modules have a common user interface and are based on an integrated database in Microsoft SQL Server. 3,700 customers worldwide use modules of CP-Suite. Corporate Planner, the planning product of CP-Suite, is targeted at business departments. The solution can be deployed both as a single desktop application as well as an enterprise solution for CPM and financial consolidation with over 100 individual planners as users. However, across its entire customer base, Corporate Planner is used by an average of less than 10 users per installation, yet it also supports installations with significantly larger numbers of users. Among the strengths of CP are its intricate dialog boxes, wizards, comprehensive planning functionality and predefined reports and analyses that support business power users with a variety of tasks. The product provides centralized top-down planning, decentralized bottom-up planning as well as a combination of both approaches. For reporting, Corporate Planner offers various report types with many different possibilities. A comprehensive library of predefined business analyses is also available (e.g. variance, ABC and portfolio analysis), which users can run directly on their data. However, because CP doesn t regard itself as a typical BI product for individual analyses, a so-called BI-Exit is available for accessing CP data with third-party front ends: Connectivity BI and Connectivity Qlik can be used to transfer data from CP-Server (including logics, calculations, etc.) into separate databases and the Qlik-specific proprietary data structures that QlikView and Qlik Sense require. Integrated BI suite for operational management, integrated financial planning, financial consolidation and strategic management Business user oriented product with usually low installation effort and short implementation cycles Predefined planning functions and business analyses included as standard functionality Flexible capabilities for top-down and bottom-up planning. Predefined model for financial planning Not really suitable for environments with large numbers of users (> 100 concurrent users) and complex structures Limited flexibility due to high degree of prefabrication and restricted capabilities for reporting and (ad-hoc) analyses Complement with third-party products (typically Qlik) and BI-Exit (Connectivity BI) Limited functionality for formatted print-oriented reporting (the vendor recommends its own Word add-in for this purpose) BARC Score Integrated BI and Planning DACH 2015 Page 16

17 Cubeware Rosenheim, Germany Founded in 1997 and based in Rosenheim, Germany, Cubeware currently has approximately 115 employees in five German offices as well as subsidiaries in Europe, the United States and Asia. In July 2008, Cubeware was bought out by Cranes Software, a vendor based in India. Cubeware offers a BI package called Cubeware Solutions Platform C8. Its main components are C8 Importer, a product for data integration and modeling, BI front ends C8 Cockpit, C8 Cockpit consumer, C8 Mobile and C8 Snack, and the application server C8 Server. Cubeware products are primarily sold directly by the vendor in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, where they are used by approximately 3,000 customers. Cubeware technology is also used worldwide through partner channels and various OEM versions. C8 Cockpit, the main BI front-end component of the C8 Solutions Platform, is an integrated BI product for dashboards, ad-hoc reporting, analysis and planning. The product, which is targeted at business power users, can run on various multidimensional databases (Microsoft SQL Server Analysis Services, IBM Cognos TM1, Infor BI OLAP Server, Oracle Essbase, Exasol and SAP BW) and offers good layout, graphic and interactive capabilities for screen-based reporting and analyses. Relational databases can also be accessed and write-back functionality is available. Besides the full client, a Web client and a mobile client are also supplied. C8 Cockpit is aimed at usage scenarios in business departments and medium sized companies. The solution has a visual environment for building and displaying screen-based reports, analyses and dashboards. In terms of planning, Cubeware positions itself as a vendor of operational planning and detailed budget planning solutions. The vendor extends the solutions of partners like CoPlanner, Denzhorn, IDL and LucaNet to deliver integrated financial planning capabilities. Integrated BI product for dashboards, ad-hoc reporting, (OLAP) analysis and planning Runs on various multidimensional databases and is targeted at business power users Building interactive, screen-based BI applications with good layout functions Good ad-hoc reporting features targeted at business users Data integration and modeling functions in C8 Importer designed for business users Planning is primarily focused on multidimensional data structures. However, multidimensional data structures can be enhanced with relational data structures if technically necessary, and write-back to relational databases is possible Limited functionality for formatted, print-oriented reporting Cubeware focuses on interactive screen-based reports and analyses Limited capabilities for planning (e.g. lacks commenting features at cell level; advanced workflow functionality such as predefined workflows, task management and planning calendars do not come as standard; offline planning is only possible with workarounds; and no detailed business content (such as logic, data models and wizards for data entry) is available from the vendor itself) No proprietary Excel add-in; Excel add-ins of underlying databases can be used if required BARC Score Integrated BI and Planning DACH 2015 Page 17

18 cubus Herrenberg, Germany Founded in 1992 and based near Stuttgart, Germany, cubus AG currently has approximately 35 employees. According to its own accounts, more than 300 companies use cubus software. Its product, cubus outperform, is an integrated performance management solution with functionality for planning, simulation, analysis, strategy implementation (balanced scorecard) and project portfolio management. The product offers predefined business content, data models and logic. Targeted to business power users, outperform has a Web-based user interface resembling Excel. Until 2012, cubus also offered IBM Cognos Executive Viewer to support dynamic OLAP analyses on the Web. At the end of 2012, IBM sold the source code to cubus. Executive Viewer, which had been sold as an OEM version since 1998, now goes by the name cubus outperform EV Analytics. outperform provides a flexible platform for building individual, complex business logic for planning applications. The solution has no specific market or industry focus and is used by companies of various sizes and industries. However, it does have predefined models and logic for integrated profit and financial planning (P&L, balance sheet, cash flow), revenue and sales planning, human resource planning, cost center planning, cost allocations and investment planning. Customers can completely adapt and extend the models and logic to meet their specific requirements. Following initial implementation, business power users can work well with the solution. outperform uses multidimensional (Oracle Essbase, IBM Cognos TM1 or Microsoft SQL Server Analysis Services) and relational databases (Oracle or Microsoft SQL Server) for data storage. In The BI Survey 15, cubus is rated as the most popular third-party client product for Oracle Essbase for the first time this year, underlining the fact that most cubus customers use the Oracle database rather than the Microsoft SQL Server Analysis Services or IBM Cognos TM1 database options. Integrated platform for planning, balanced scorecard and project portfolio management with predefined business content, models and logic Excel-like interface and Web functionality, suitable for business users cubus consultants possess strong business expertise cubus achieves excellent vendor support and implementer support ratings in The BI Survey 15. Good vendor support invariably leads to customer satisfaction Small vendor with international presence through partners Limited functionality for print reports Creating planning forms with the Excel add-in is rather complex yet offers a broad scope of functionality to experienced users Availability of Office add-ins (Oracle Hyperion Smart View) depends on database technology used (available with Oracle Essbase only) BARC Score Integrated BI and Planning DACH 2015 Page 18

19 evidanza Regensburg, Germany evidanza was established in 2004 as a software vendor developing its own BI solutions, most of which are based on Microsoft technologies. The company is based in Regensburg, Germany, has about 40 employees and currently serves approximately 280 clients in larger mid-sized companies and large corporations. The vendor has a network of national and international partners. evidanza targets its product to clients requiring an integrated reporting, analysis and planning solution with additional functionality for collaboration as well as governance, risk and compliance (GRC). As a platform, evidanza offers flexible capabilities for building individual top-down and bottom-up planning and BI applications. evidanza can access any source system using the ETL product Microsoft SQL Server Integration Services. However, administration and particularly ETL in evidanza is relatively technical and requires support from IT or tech-savvy business users. Modeling of business and structural models, and planning structures, is supported by comprehensive wizards in SQL Server. Business departments can manage ongoing operations as well as build planning models, sub-budgets and budget templates on their own. evidanza is capable of addressing numerous requirements across the BI and performance management spectrum. This broad approach gives customers the convenience of being able to standardize on evidanza. The vendor s multi-client strategy offers many different ways to access the solution wherever users want including desktop, browser, tablets, ERP systems and SharePoint. Integrated platform for reporting, analysis and planning with supplementary modules Flexibility for building individual planning solutions including complex, multidimensional applications for top-down and bottom-up planning Multi-client strategy with many different ways to access the solution Innovative functions including storybooks and Cloud/ SaaS capabilities with its own app shop for flexible licensing Comprehensive functionality for print reporting No standalone Excel client, but there is an Excel integration in the evidanza interface Relatively technical administration and data integration; support required from IT or tech-savvy business users (on-going operations can be managed by tech-savvy business users) Offline planning currently only provided using workarounds and data integration (e.g. via Microsoft SQL Server Integration Services) Solution supports OLAP analysis. Support for other types of analyses (such as advanced analyses) is limited BARC Score Integrated BI and Planning DACH 2015 Page 19

20 IBM Armonk, NY, USA IBM is one of the world s largest vendors of IT hardware, software and services. The company has a global workforce of approximately 380,000 employees and is active in over 170 countries. At the end of 2007, IBM purchased the Canadian software vendor Cognos for about $5 billion to extend its existing business intelligence product portfolio. IBM offers a comprehensive portfolio of business intelligence, performance management, and advanced analytics solutions. For this BARC Score, we evaluated IBM Cognos BI - the company s enterprise business intelligence solution - and IBM Cognos TM1 - the strategic planning product. Both solutions are available on-premise or in the cloud. TM1 has been on the market since the early 1980s. Cognos acquired the product as part of its takeover of Applix shortly before Cognos itself was purchased by IBM. Due to TM1 s rich functionality for analysis and planning, and its in-memory technology, the product plays a strategic role for IBM. TM1 is essentially a high-performance, multidimensional in-memory database for planning and (OLAP) analysis. It is targeted at power users who build individual planning and analysis applications based on the in-memory database. The solution offers Web and Excel front ends and has capabilities for publishing content on the Web. Cognos BI provides functions for many different categories of BI applications including dashboards, formatted reporting, ad-hoc reporting and OLAP analyses in Web-based and integrated modules. Today, IBM s strategic goal and positioning of its BI and analytics portfolio is to provide capabilities that are accessible to every type of user in customer organizations. This goal is supported through the addition of IBM Watson Analytics, a new cloud-based self-service data prep and data discovery product, and continued development of the IBM SPSS Predictive Analytics portfolio. Watson Analytics is aimed at business users who demand an intuitive solution for data exploration and analysis ( data discovery ). SPSS is a package for data mining and advanced analysis. TM1 is a flexible product for business users with both Web and Excel front ends for planning and analysis based on a high performance in-memory OLAP database Extensive product offering for formatted and ad-hoc reporting; OLAP, visual and advanced analysis, and dashboard creation with Cognos BI Various options for ad-hoc and OLAP analysis and query in the portfolio with IBM Cognos BI Workspace Advanced and IBM Cognos TM1 Well established and expansive partner community with worldwide product support and knowledge Integration between Cognos BI and Cognos TM1 as well as Watson Analytics and the SPSS product families is currently limited but improvements are in the pipeline High flexibility of TM1 can lead to complex handling, especially when implementing and building intricate applications Limited functionality for advanced analysis in the Cognos BI solution Relatively expensive BI and planning products, although the cloud versions of Cognos BI and TM1 offer alternatives for cost savings and faster time to value BARC Score Integrated BI and Planning DACH 2015 Page 20

21 IDL Schmitten, Germany IDL GmbH Mitte is a solutions partner offering business, methodological and technological competencies in all aspects of financial consolidation, planning, reporting and analysis. The company was founded in 1990 and currently employs 130 people, based in its offices in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and France. IDL offers a flexible CPM suite, which includes solutions for financial consolidation (IDL.KONSIS), financial planning (IDL.FORECAST) and reporting and analysis (IDL.DESIGNER). It also offers complementary products for annual reports (IDL.PUBLISHER), e-balance filings (IDL.EBILANZ) and XBRL reporting requirements in banks (IDL.FINREP). According to its own accounts around 850 corporate groups, each with 50 to 60 individual companies on average, currently use IDL solutions. IDL also enhances its own product portfolio with third-party OEM products (e.g. to support data integration and operational planning scenarios that go beyond the inbuilt financial planning functionality). The vendor currently maintains a very close partnership with Cubeware (IDL.IMPORTER, IDL.COCKPIT). IDL s planning product IDL.FORECAST is targeted at business departments, which often belong to a group of companies. Company-wide financial results plans (balance sheet, profit and loss statement, liquidity) can be created using the product. To address operational planning scenarios other than financial planning (e.g. sales, HR, procurement planning, etc.), IDL.FORECAST is complemented by IDL.COCKPIT. Detailed operational plans are integrated with financial plans at data level with predefined routines for data integration using IDL.IMPORTER. IDL.DESIGNER, a central component of the IDL reporting platform, completes the IDL portfolio with user-friendly, Web-based functions to create ad-hoc reports, analyses and dashboards. Its modern tile interface and Windows 8 look and feel provides a user-friendly environment for designing individual reports and analyses with custom layouts. IDL.DESIGNER requires a multidimensional cube based on Microsoft SQL Server Analysis Services. IDL solutions can either run on premise or as SaaS and cloud services, based on Microsoft Azure. Comprehensive product portfolio for financial planning, financial consolidation, and reporting/analysis enhanced with OEM products Extensive predefined business rules for financial management Transparent status monitoring for controlling planning and financial consolidation processes Business user friendly, Web-based solution for ad-hoc reporting, OLAP analysis and dashboard design with IDL.DESIGNER Strong presence and partner network in Germany, Austria and Switzerland Operational detailed plans are done in a separate OEM product (IDL.COCKPIT), integrated at data level only. Therefore, there s significantly higher systems complexity due to different database environments, modeling techniques, user interfaces, (planning) functionality, etc. IDL.DESIGNER is still a young product and platform support is currently limited to Microsoft SQL Server Analysis Services cubes. Limited support for print oriented reporting Implementation of complex financial management applications can require external business consulting know-how BARC Score Integrated BI and Planning DACH 2015 Page 21

22 Infor New York, NY, USA Infor is a global US vendor of ERP, CRM, BI, SCM and other business software solutions with venture capital funding from Golden Gate Capital Partners. The company was founded in 2002, has 153 offices in 41 countries and supports over 73,000 customers in around 200 countries. The suite comprises Infor BI Application Studio (for building Web-based BI applications), Infor BI Office Plus (an add-in for Excel, Word and PowerPoint), Infor BI Dashboards (for building and administering dashboards for the Web and mobile devices), Infor BI OLAP Server and Infor BI Designer (for modeling OLAP cubes). Pre-defined BI and performance management applications are also available for various business functions and industries with Infor Dynamic Enterprise Performance Management (Infor d/epm), including strategy management, budgeting, planning and financial consolidation. All components use the Infor BI OLAP Server, which stores data in multidimensional structures. Infor requires a relational database, most often Microsoft SQL Server or Oracle, for storing the repository (users, roles, and reports from Application Studio and Office Plus). Both Application Studio and Office Plus can also access Microsoft SQL Server Analysis Services, SAP BW and Exasol as well as relational databases via ODBC. Through a meta layer named DataLinks, Infor has improved access to other relational databases and the platform also supports access to Amazon Redshift. OEM partnerships have been struck with Cubeware, Bissantz and IBM Cognos to provide additional functions such as data integration, advanced analytics and print-oriented production reporting. Integrated application suite for dashboards, reporting, analysis, planning and forecasting as well as financial consolidation with proprietary multidimensional data storage Flexible, Web-based BI applications that can be built by tech-savvy business power users Strong functionality for ad-hoc analysis and planning integrated in Excel (Infor BI Office Plus) Good mobile BI offering including dashboard creation capabilities and write-back for planning Pre-defined analytics, BI and performance management applications with Infor d/epm Limited integration of Infor BI Application Studio and Office Plus High flexibility leads to complex configuration when implementing intricate Infor BI applications from scratch Only passive positioning of Infor BI s capabilities in trending market areas such as self-service BI, visual analysis and predictive analytics Data mining and advanced analysis is covered by partner solutions BARC Score Integrated BI and Planning DACH 2015 Page 22