IBM Planning Analytics, powered by TM1, is here to stay!

In December 2016, IBM TM1 effectively became Planning Analytics.  What is Planning Analytics?  IBM took the powerful, multi-dimensional calculation engine of IBM TM1 and added capabilities to make planning, budgeting, forecasting and analysis faster and more flexible than ever before.

IBM Planning Analytics provides a unified Web, Excel, and mobile experience for both finance and non-finance users. It goes beyond automating manual tasks and improving process efficiency. It offers new cognitive capabilities that help you uncover predictive insights directly from internal and external data. Plus, it’s deployable on premises or on the cloud.

IBM announced in September 2017 that TM1 10.2.2 will reach end of support on September 30th, 2019 and recommends that clients upgrade at their earliest convenience to IBM Planning Analytics.

Due to the Planning Analytics name change and TM1 10.2.2 coming off support in the near future, Planning Analytics is under pressure from some competitive misinformation.  As a result, as an IBM Business Partner, we have been getting asked some questions from our customers and from those reluctant to migrate who have been misinformed by what they have read or heard from certain vendors offering competing solutions.  We wanted to share a few of the common FAQ’s we have been getting, as well as our responses to them.

Q1: Does end of support on TM1 10.2.2 mean that IBM will no longer support my TM1 software?

A1: No, it does not mean you will lose your IBM support.  IBM TM1 was rebranded to IBM Planning Analytics in 2016, but IBM has not discontinued use of the TM1 technology.  In fact, it is quite the opposite—IBM TM1 continues to be the server that powers the analytical capabilities of IBM Planning Analytics.  IBM is increasing their investing in the offering, and will continue to do so, while leveraging the same robust IBM TM1 technology that has been the backbone of this product since its inception.  IBM Planning Analytics is simply the next generation of IBM TM1…just with a new name!

Q2: Will our existing IBM TM1 models continue to work after we migrate to IBM Planning Analytics?

A2: Existing IBM TM1 models continue to work when you migrate to IBM Planning Analytics. Migration provides all of the capabilities of IBM TM1, plus all of the new components that have been introduced into the solution, including IBM Planning Analytics Workspace, IBM Planning Analytics for Microsoft Excel, Hierarchies and more; however, you do not have to start using all of these new components for IBM Planning Analytics to work properly. Modeler licenses provide entitlements to IBM Planning Analytics Workspace, and add-on licenses are available for users to test and explore the new the capabilities before deploying broadly or pushing to a production environment.

Read more about why you should you upgrade from IBM Cognos TM1 to IBM Planning Analytics.

Q3: Our company cannot afford a costly migration from IBM TM1 10.2.2 to IBM Planning Analytics before the end of support date.  What are our alternatives?

A3: Although IBM has announced end-of-support for IBM TM1 10.2.2, as with all IBM TM1 releases, customers who are current with paying their annual IBM support renewal entitles them to migrate to the latest version (now called IBM Planning Analytics) at no additional cost. Despite the name change, the process has remained the same—customers simply install and go, using their current model.  NewIntelligence can assist you with the process – contact us to today to find out how we can help.

Q4: How does IBM Planning Analytics rank in comparison to other planning software solutions?

A4: In 2018, IBM was positioned as a Leader in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Cloud FP&A, and received “top rank” in 22 KPIs from BARC Planning Survey 19 including performance satisfaction, user experience, and product satisfaction.

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published.