Planful vs SAP Analytics Cloud

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Our analysts compared Planful vs SAP Analytics Cloud based on data from our 400+ point analysis of EPM Software, user reviews and our own crowdsourced data from our free software selection platform.

Product Basics

Formerly Host Analytics, Planful is a financial planning and analysis cloud platform. It accelerates end-to-end FP&A. Suitable for midsize to large-scale businesses, it helps by centralizing data and managing financial and operational processes.

It helps users plan and manage reviews, approvals and submissions and generates workflow status reports to check the performance of every department. It helps analyze asset performance by using financial budgeting and forecasting techniques with its capital planning feature. It is a scalable solution that allows companies to check the effect of projects on the overall bottom line.
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SAP Analytics Cloud is an augmented analytics solution that uses machine learning technology to generate data visualizations and simulate predictive scenarios. It provides every member of an organization with access to automatic, interactive insights via natural language processing. Powered by artificial intelligence, it helps businesses make decisions with confidence by exploring what-if possibilities based on historical data.

There are multiple plans available with different functionality levels, so businesses can choose the subscription that provides the best fit for their needs.
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$1,250 Monthly
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$36/User, Monthly
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Product Insights

  • Conduct Ad hoc Analysis: Simplify complex ad hoc analysis by quickly creating financial and operational models while simultaneously checking the impact of these models on the bottom line. 
  • Close Books Faster: Decrease the time it takes to close books by automating data collection, aggregation and validation. Make data secure and compliant with standards and protocols.  
  • Improve Collaboration: Collaborate in a more efficient manner with current data and real-time insights. Get the power to make quick and accurate decisions with more confidence.  
  • Get Insights: Make well-informed decisions by gaining insights from across an organization to drive long-term value and growth. Automate manual processes to gain more time for strategic planning processes, analyzing and collaborating rather than worrying about spreadsheets.  
  • Automate Manual Processes: Save time and reduce errors by automating manual financial processes. Ensure that all financial processes are done with minimum manual effort and run more efficiently.  
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  • Increase Efficiency: Automatically generates relevant explanations and insights, saving time for those who would otherwise spend it slicing and dicing data to find that information.
  • Smarter Analytics: Digs deeper and thinks smarter with data thanks to machine learning technology that powers its Smart Predict, Smart Insights and Smart Discovery modules.
  • No IT Training Needed: Discover insights through natural-language processing which eliminates the need for cryptic queries. Easily access augmented analytics, irrespective of skill levels in data science or visualization.
  • Anticipate Problems: Detect risks and avoid issues before they happen through predictive forecasting and alerts.
  • More Informed Decisions: Determine the best course of action through AI-powered capabilities that take the uncertainty and guesswork out of decision-making.
  • Visualize Impact: Software algorithms identify key influencers and make it easier to see what drives business and what impacts the bottom line the most.
  • Work Better Together: Collaborate through the cloud, keeping in constant communication to get the job done together.
  • Free Trial: Download a 30-day free trial version from the vendor's website.
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  • Modern Tools: Combine the need for structured and dynamic planning to empower organizations to make well-informed decisions in a quick and strategic manner.  
  • Financial Consolidation: Accelerate month-end closing cycles with financial consolidation. Enhance financial planning and reporting by leveraging data from a single source of truth. Get pre-built consolidation functionality for currency conversion and reporting, currency translation adjustment calculations and posting. Implement functional, administrative and setup changes without the need for IT experts. Boost teams’ agility when reacting to changes in organization, strategy, regulation and accounting protocol. Ensure trusted and consistent global reporting by automatically mapping financial data. Keep tabs from start to end on balances, and analyze financial data across consolidation activities.  
  • Structured Planning: Save time and reduce errors by automating labor-intensive financial planning activities. Avoid costly and disruptive customization fees, save time and reduce risk of error with predefined planning and reporting templates. Automate integration from any ERP, CRM or HCM. Create a single source of financial truth by automatically collecting, aggregating and validating financial data. Ensure consistency and accuracy by creating and modifying structured financial reports and elevating financial conversations. 
  • Dynamic Planning: Analyze, plan and make confident decisions with dynamic planning. Build custom-tailored financial models. Leverage customization across processes, functions and use cases. Configure planning experiences and give users the flexibility to plan for anything. Connect data sources from separate systems in one unified, cloud-based platform. Boost financial decision making with a single source of truth. Get insights and make course corrections with real-time data refreshing. Inculcate companywide collaboration culture by providing the right data at the right level to the right person.  
  • Integration: Automate data integration to reduce manual intervention and easily transform data with over 200 pre-built connectors. Adjust to automatic data processing with a growing integration platform. Check status and activity of deployed integrations from a centralized place. Ensure data integration process flows are repeatable, automated and secure, and provide audit trails required by internal and external auditors. Understand changes in data with multiple validation points across integration workflows. 
  • Reporting: Leverage reporting formats and delivery options to meet financial, management and ad hoc needs. Ensure data accuracy and transparency with self-service reporting and automated report distribution. Automate collection and aggregation of financial and business data into a single cloud-based platform. Ensure everyone is working with current and accurate information derived from a single source of truth. Boost financial IQ with self-service reporting capabilities. Create a more agile environment with impactful financial decision making. 
  • Annual Operating Plan: Build collaborative financial plans that align with business objectives. Turn annual plans into quarterly or monthly rolling forecasts, and check models for different scenarios to determine how to realign and adjust strategies.  
  • Workforce Planning: Plan accordingly for workforces by connecting HR, finance and operational data together. Create a headcount plan that can be adjusted to changing marketing requirements. Gain insight to build winning strategies and utilize employees as strategic assets. Boost financial IQ to understand and influence impacts on the financial health of workforce costs.  
  • Cash Flow Forecasting: Assess the impact of decisions by gaining complete control and visibility over finances. Reallocate cash by identifying trends and understanding levers. Mitigate cash flow risk by adjusting investment opportunities.  
  • Scenario Analysis: Analyze every option by planning across multiple case scenarios and assessing key drivers. Bring agility by optimizing current period results. Gain the flexibility to discover deeper insights across a broad range of models. Align executives and business partners with data-driven decisions. Check the impact of plan changes from every level with immediate results. 
  • Rolling Forecasts: Adjust to sudden changes, keep forecasts current and business agile with continually rolling planning periods. Automatically keep tabs on the impact of actuals on forecasted trends. Improve risk analysis by quickly identifying opportunities and risks as business landscapes evolve. Align rolling forecasts by collaborating across different departments. Gain real-time insights to redirect resources and priorities and align them with business objectives.  
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  • Data Preparation: Alerts as to possible errors and automatically cleans data through machine learning technology to enhance data for deeper insights. Offers context-based suggestions for better data preparation and data visualizations through Smart Transformations.
  • Chat With Data: Type questions into the Search to Insight bar in natural language to instantly create visualizations — no syntax mastery necessary. Analyze data easily, similar to using a search engine.
  • Instant Data Visualization: See the full picture in seconds; the solution generates interactive charts and graphs automatically upon query.
  • Predictive Forecasting: Generates prediction models that learn from historical data to automatically detect risks and predict what is likely to happen in the future.
  • What-If Analysis: Create what-if simulations through the power of self-service machine learning. Plan for the next steps by fine-tuning prediction scenarios based on confidence levels.
  • Highlight KPIs: Answer the “why” and “what” questions through augmented analytics. Identify the top contributors to business performance — the people, products and processes that contribute to the overall story.
  • Analyze Anomalies: Take corrective action aided by Smart Discovery, which automatically points out outlying data.
  • Hybrid Analytics: Protect technology investments by continuing to manage on-premise systems and existing data infrastructure, while simultaneously moving towards the future by leveraging the cloud. Supports a wide range of data connections, ensuring import and access to data from any source to maintain a 360-degree view of the business.
  • Partners: Over 100 partners offer upwards of 430 analytical extensions in the SAP App Center that provide additional value and industry specific applications to the platform.
  • Built-In Collaboration: Create discussions, assign tasks and deadlines and comment on data points. Share information and interact with each other continuously on screen.
  • Mobile App: Stay connected to the Cloud via a responsive, interactive iOS app.
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Product Ranking

#9

among all
EPM Software

#19

among all
EPM Software

Find out who the leaders are

Analyst Rating Summary

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96
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85
80
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Reports and Dashboards
Sales Planning
Capital Expenditure Planning
Cash Management
Project Planning
Reports and Dashboards
Sales Planning
Workforce Planning
Profitability Modelling and Analysis
Cash Management

Analyst Ratings for Functional Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

Planful
SAP Analytics Cloud
+ Add Product + Add Product
Capital Expenditure Planning Cash Management Financial Consolidation And Reconciliation Planning, Budgeting,and Forecasting Platform Capabilities Profitability Modelling And Analysis Project Planning Reports And Dashboards Revenue Planning Sales Planning Workforce Planning 96 96 85 80 72 94 95 100 94 100 86 81 96 80 87 92 97 73 100 80 100 98 0 25 50 75 100
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Analyst Ratings for Technical Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

75%
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User Sentiment Summary

Great User Sentiment 82 reviews
Great User Sentiment 834 reviews
86%
of users recommend this product

Planful has a 'great' User Satisfaction Rating of 86% when considering 82 user reviews from 2 recognized software review sites.

85%
of users recommend this product

SAP Analytics Cloud has a 'great' User Satisfaction Rating of 85% when considering 834 user reviews from 4 recognized software review sites.

n/a
4.2 (274)
4.29 (41)
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4.3 (41)
4.3 (72)
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4.1 (148)
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4.3 (340)

Awards

SelectHub research analysts have evaluated Planful and concluded it earns best-in-class honors for Sales Planning.

Sales Planning Award

SelectHub research analysts have evaluated SAP Analytics Cloud and concluded it earns best-in-class honors for Sales Planning.

Sales Planning Award

Synopsis of User Ratings and Reviews

Streamlined Financial Close: Planful helps automate routine tasks like data consolidation and report generation, which can significantly reduce the time it takes to close the books each month. This efficiency is often praised by users in fast-paced environments.
Improved Forecasting Accuracy: The platform's forecasting tools leverage historical data and predictive analytics to generate more accurate forecasts. Users appreciate this feature as it allows for better-informed decision-making and resource allocation.
Enhanced Collaboration: Planful provides a centralized platform for finance teams to collaborate on budgeting, forecasting, and reporting. This feature improves communication and transparency within the department, leading to more cohesive financial strategies.
Customizable Reporting: Users frequently highlight the ability to create custom reports tailored to their specific needs. This flexibility allows finance teams to analyze data from multiple angles and gain deeper insights into their financial performance.
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Data Visualization: Approximately 91% of users who reviewed visualization said that they can customize dashboards effortlessly with the solution’s wide range of templates and graphics libraries.
Ease of Use: Citing the platform’s modern and intuitive interface, around 89% of users said that the platform makes it easy to develop stories without technical knowledge thanks to Smart Discovery.
Data Analysis: Mentioning its forecasting and predictive analysis capabilities, approximately 87% of users said that the solution enables collaborative enterprise planning via statistical and predictive analysis.
Web and Mobile Accessibility: Discussing its easy accessibility on multiple browsers, around 72% users said that the platform works well on a wide range of devices.
Data Connectivity: Approximately 70% of the users who mentioned integration said that the tool, with strong live data connections, integrates well with other applications and data sources.
Functionality: Around 55% of the users who discussed features said that the tool is scalable and quite versatile, with frequent updates.
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Steep Learning Curve: Many users find Planful's interface to be complex and unintuitive, requiring significant time investment to learn the system's intricacies. The abundance of features can be overwhelming for new users, leading to frustration and a slow adoption rate within organizations.
Customization Challenges: While Planful offers customization options, implementing them often requires advanced technical skills or reliance on the vendor's professional services, which can be costly. This limitation can hinder organizations with unique workflows or reporting needs from fully tailoring the software to their specific requirements.
Reporting Limitations: Some users report that generating specific or ad-hoc reports can be cumbersome in Planful. The system's pre-built reports may not always cater to every organization's needs, and creating custom reports may require technical expertise or additional support.
Performance Issues: A segment of users has mentioned experiencing slow loading times and occasional system lags, particularly when working with large datasets or complex reports. This can impact productivity and user satisfaction, especially for organizations with high data volumes or demanding reporting requirements.
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Performance: Approximately 85% of users who reviewed performance said that some features do not work well at the enterprise level.
Reporting: Around 58% of users who mentioned reporting said that report creation with the tool is complicated and needs IT support.
Data Management: Approximately 52% of users who discussed data preparation said that the platform needs more ubiquitous data modeling capabilities.
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Planful has garnered a reputation for its robust financial reporting and analysis capabilities, particularly excelling in budgeting, forecasting, and consolidation. Users appreciate the software's ability to handle complex financial models and its flexibility in generating custom reports. The platform's intuitive interface and user-friendly design have also been praised, making it accessible to both finance professionals and non-financial users. However, some users have noted that the initial setup and implementation process can be time-consuming and may require significant support from Planful's team. Additionally, while Planful offers a wide range of features, some users have expressed a desire for more advanced functionality in areas such as workforce planning and project accounting. Compared to competitors like Adaptive Insights and Vena Solutions, Planful stands out for its comprehensive financial consolidation capabilities and its ability to handle large volumes of data. Its reporting and analytics tools are also considered to be more user-friendly and customizable. However, Adaptive Insights may be a better choice for organizations seeking a more cloud-based solution with stronger integrations with other business applications. Vena Solutions, on the other hand, may be more suitable for companies with complex financial modeling needs due to its Excel-based interface. Overall, Planful is best suited for mid-sized to large enterprises with complex financial reporting and analysis requirements. Its strengths lie in its budgeting, forecasting, consolidation, and reporting capabilities, making it an ideal choice for organizations looking to streamline their financial processes and gain deeper insights into their financial performance. However, companies with limited IT resources or those seeking a more cloud-based solution may want to consider alternative options.

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SAP Analytics Cloud is a powerful data visualization tool that helps users explore data in an easy-to-understand format and discover metrics that help them make informed decisions. Many users who reviewed visualization said that the platform has rich graphics libraries and a range of templates for story presentation of business metrics. Citing its aesthetic design, a majority of users said that the solution’s interface is intuitive for programmers and non-technical users alike. Mentioning its strong predictive and augmented analysis capabilities, a lot of users said that the platform is a strong planning tool and helps them gain business insights easily. Many users said that the tool works well on a plethora of devices, including mobile, and is accessible on multiple browsers, though some users said that its offline mode capabilities are limited. Most of the users who reviewed data integrations said that the tool handles large amounts of data seamlessly, though quite a few users said its compatibility with live connection data sources is limited to other SAP products. Reviewing functionality, a majority of users said that the tool is versatile and scalable to ensure a great end-to-end user experience, though some said that it needs more features, such as improved live data analytics. The solution does have its limitations, though. Around 85% of users who reviewed its performance said that it struggles at the enterprise level, though quite a few users said that it performs exceedingly well within the SAP ecosystem. A majority of the users who mentioned reporting said that the solution lacks automatic report distribution and broadcasting capabilities, though some said that it has excellent analytical and data-oriented report creation. Many users who discussed data management complained that the process for updating an existing data model needs a lot of rework, and that the solution needs more versatile modeling features. Overall, SAP Analytics Cloud is a planning tool with strong BI capabilities that brings the power of cloud computing to self-service data analysis for gaining actionable insights into business metrics.

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