Passionned Group™

IBM BI & Analytics

Senior Consultant
By: drs. Mark de Kort
Senior Consultant
All of IBM's BI products reviewed in our compact BI guide
Table of Contents
IBM BI & Analytics | Cognos Analytics, IBM Watson and  IBM SPSS

Enrich your knowledge on Cognos Analytics, IBM Watson and IBM SPSS

In this focus article we are showcasing a concise overview of our recently updated, independent BI & Analytics research on the software vendor IBM and its product portfolio (such as Cognos Analytics, IBM Watson and IBM SPSS). IBM BI & Analytics scores better in our independent study than TIBCO but slightly worse than Tableau. IBM is the most developed in BI infrastructure and the least strong in self-service BI. Within the context of BI & Analytics, we have put together the main advantages and disadvantages of IBM Business Analytics, and arranged them by topic (BI, Big Data, data analytics, AI and data science). We also point out the key functionalities of the software products such as Cognos Analytics, IBM Watson and IBM SPSS et cetera.


How does IBM BI & Analytics score on different parts?

Score of IBM Business Analytics software.Figure 1: The pros and cons of the software vendor IBM BI & Analytics. A top supplier can get a maximum of 100%. Source: the BI & Analytics Guide 2023. Do you need additional information about our research design? Click here to download this guide.

In our study we also judged the various software products of IBM BI & Analytics software. We examined no less than 710 aspects. The figure to the right shows in general terms what the strengths and weaknesses are of IBM Business Analytics. Please note that Passionned Group is 100% independent of the suppliers in the research. We are not a reseller, we do not make deals or have any ties to the vendor. Among other things, we help and advise companies in the proper selection of BI tooling.

The IBM analysis has been established by collecting a lot of public big data and from there it was exhaustively analyzed. More than 8,257 documents have been scanned from this software vendor in recent times. In this analysis both algorithms as a senior expert make their mark on performing the validation.

IBM and their complete BI & Analytics product portfolio

The company IBM knows (a minimum of) 28 products in the realm of BI & Analytics. In order of popularity, we list the most important ones here:

What is IBM Business Analytics?

In this paragraph, we describe the key elements of IBM Business Analytics, including some of its features and any related products. This product group consists of Cognos Analytics, IBM Watson, IBM SPSS, IBM Infosphere, Netezza, IBM Cloud Pak, IBM Planning Analytics, IBM BigInsights, DB2 OLAP Server, IBM Video Analytics and IBM Banking Data Warehouse. This product can be characterized by the following characteristics:

  • analytics
  • business intelligence > reporting
  • artificial intelligence
  • data connectivity > Microsoft Excel
  • data discovery > analysis
  • artificial intelligence > machine learning
  • BI infrastructure > authentication
  • business intelligence > dashboards
  • artificial intelligence > data science

Do you want to know the intricacies of all the functions (100+) of IBM Business Analytics? Download the BI & Analytics Guide™ 2023 here.

Are you considering hiring a knowledgeable IBM Business Analytics specialist?

Do you want to hire an interim IBM Business Analytics specialist who can do a mountain of work for you and implement an IBM Business Analytics application? Or do you want develop a robust, beautiful application for one of the related products like Cognos Analytics, IBM Watson, IBM Planning Analytics, IBM SPSS and IBM Cloud Pak? Our specialists are happy to assist you. Indeed, hiring IBM Business Analytics developers is sometimes unnecessary and costly. Leave a message here and we will explore the business opportunities for you.

Screen shot of IBM Business Analytics software.
Picture of IBM Business Analytics tools.
IBM Business Analytics in action
Figure 2, 3 and 4: These three images give a first impression of IBM Business Analytics. Click on the image to make it bigger.

What is Cognos Analytics?

Other names by which this software product is known: Cognos, IBM Cognos Business Intelligence, Cognos Business Intelligence, IBM Cognos, Cognos BI, IBM Cognos Analytics

We do not display here all the features but, in this paragraph, we display the details of Cognos Analytics, including some of its features and any related products. This product group consists of IBM Cognos TM1, IBM Cognos Real-time Monitoring, IBM Cognos Real-time, IBM Cognos Analysis and Cognos Cube Designer. This product / group of products can be characterized by the following properties:

  • analytics
  • business intelligence > reporting
  • business intelligence > dashboards
  • business intelligence
  • data discovery > analysis
  • BI infrastructure > repository
  • data discovery
  • BI infrastructure > authentication > OKTA
  • artificial intelligence
  • data governance > data management > data modeling

Are you now curious about all elements (100+) of Cognos Analytics? Download directly our BI & Analytics Guide™ 2023 here.

Screen shot of Cognos Analytics software.
Picture of Cognos Analytics tools.
Cognos Analytics in action
Figure 5, 6 and 7: These three images give a first impression of Cognos Analytics. Click on an image to make it bigger.

What is IBM Cognos TM1?

Other names by which this software product is known: Cognos TM1

In this part, we describe IBM Cognos TM1, including some of its features and any related products. This product group consists of IBM Cognos TM1 Server. The IBM Cognos TM1 can be characterized by the following functionalities:

  • analytics
  • BI infrastructure > Application Programming Interface
  • BI infrastructure > operating systems > Windows
  • business intelligence
  • data connectivity > XML
  • BI infrastructure > authentication
  • data connectivity > Microsoft Excel
  • business intelligence > reporting
  • BI infrastructure > Application Programming Interface > REST APIs
  • decision management > performance management

Do you want to know the intricacies of all the functions (100+) of IBM Cognos TM1? Then order the BI & Analytics Guide™ 2023 here.

Screen shot of IBM Cognos TM1 software.
Picture of IBM Cognos TM1 tools.
IBM Cognos TM1 in action
Figure 8, 9 and 10: Overlying figures show the operation of IBM Cognos TM1. Click on an image to enlarge it.
What is IBM Cognos TM1 Server?

Other names by which this software product is known: Cognos TM1 Server

In this section, we report the (main) characteristics of IBM Cognos TM1 Server, including some of its features and any related products. The IBM Cognos TM1 Server can be best characterized by the following functionalities:

  • BI infrastructure > authentication
  • BI infrastructure > Application Programming Interface
  • data connectivity > Microsoft Excel
  • BI infrastructure > Application Programming Interface > REST APIs
  • multidimensional models > cube
  • BI infrastructure > operating systems > Windows
  • data connectivity > OData
  • data discovery > analysis
  • data connectivity > XML
  • BI infrastructure > high availability > load balancing

Are you curious about all characteristics (100+) of IBM Cognos TM1 Server? Download directly our BI & Analytics Guide™ 2023 here.

Screen shot of IBM Cognos TM1 Server software.
Picture of IBM Cognos TM1 Server tools.
IBM Cognos TM1 Server in action
Figure 11, 12 and 13: Overlying images illustrate the functionality of IBM Cognos TM1 Server. Click on the image to enlarge it.

What is IBM Cognos Real-time Monitoring?

Other names by which this software product is known: Cognos Real-time Monitoring

We don’t reveal everything here but, in this paragraph, we describe the key elements of IBM Cognos Real-time Monitoring, including some of its features and any related products. IBM Cognos Real-time Monitoring can be best characterized by the following functionalities:

  • real-time analytics > real-time
  • business intelligence > dashboards
  • business intelligence
  • data connectivity > XML
  • BI infrastructure > authentication > Single Sign-On
  • data connectivity > ODBC
  • business intelligence > reporting
  • BI infrastructure > authentication
  • BI infrastructure > operating systems > Windows
  • BI infrastructure > web server

Are you now curious about all features (100+) of IBM Cognos Real-time Monitoring? In that case open the BI & Analytics Guide™ 2023 here.

Screen shot of IBM Cognos Real-time Monitoring software.
Picture of IBM Cognos Real-time Monitoring tools.
IBM Cognos Real-time Monitoring in action
Figure 14, 15 and 16: Overlying figures show the operation of IBM Cognos Real-time Monitoring. Click on an image to enlarge it.

What is IBM Cognos Real-time?

We do not display here all the features but, in this paragraph, we describe the key elements of IBM Cognos Real-time, including some of its features and any related products. The IBM Cognos Real-time can be characterized by the following features:

  • real-time analytics > real-time
  • business intelligence > dashboards
  • business intelligence
  • BI infrastructure > authentication > Single Sign-On
  • data connectivity > ODBC
  • business intelligence > reporting
  • BI infrastructure > operating systems > Windows
  • BI infrastructure > operating systems > java
  • multidimensional models > cube

Are you now curious about all characteristics (100+) of IBM Cognos Real-time? In that case open the BI & Analytics Guide™ 2023 here.

Screen shot of IBM Cognos Real-time software.
Picture of IBM Cognos Real-time tools.
IBM Cognos Real-time in action
Figure 17, 18 and 19: Various figures show the operation of IBM Cognos Real-time. Click on the image to enlarge it.

What is IBM Cognos Analysis?

We do not display here all the features but, in this paragraph, we provide a description of IBM Cognos Analysis, including some of its features and any related products. This product group consists of IBM Cognos Analysis Studio. IBM Cognos Analysis can be best characterized by the following features:

  • data discovery > analysis
  • data connectivity > Microsoft Excel
  • analytics
  • business intelligence > reporting
  • business intelligence > dashboards
  • big data > massive volumes
  • artificial intelligence
  • BI infrastructure > operating systems > Windows
  • data discovery

Are you now curious about all elements (100+) of IBM Cognos Analysis? Open the BI & Analytics Guide™ 2023 here.

Screen shot of IBM Cognos Analysis software.
Picture of IBM Cognos Analysis tools.
IBM Cognos Analysis in action
Figure 20, 21 and 22: Overlying figures show the operation of IBM Cognos Analysis. Click on the image to enlarge it.
What is IBM Cognos Analysis Studio?

Other names by which this software product is known: Cognos Analysis Studio

In this paragraph, we report the (main) characteristics of IBM Cognos Analysis Studio, including some of its features and any related products. IBM Cognos Analysis Studio can be best defined by the following properties:

  • data discovery > analysis
  • business intelligence > reporting
  • analytics
  • business intelligence
  • data connectivity > Microsoft Excel
  • multidimensional models > OLAP
  • big data > massive volumes
  • business intelligence > dashboards
  • data connectivity > Microsoft Office
  • artificial intelligence

Are you curious about all elements (100+) of IBM Cognos Analysis Studio? In that case open the BI & Analytics Guide™ 2023 here.

Screen shot of IBM Cognos Analysis Studio software.
Picture of IBM Cognos Analysis Studio tools.
IBM Cognos Analysis Studio in action
Figure 23, 24 and 25: These three images give a first impression of IBM Cognos Analysis Studio. Click on the image to enlarge it.

What is Cognos Cube Designer?

We don’t reveal everything here but, in this paragraph, we report the (main) characteristics of Cognos Cube Designer, including some of its features and any related products. The Cognos Cube Designer can be characterized by the following features:

  • multidimensional models > cube
  • analytics
  • business intelligence > reporting
  • multidimensional models > OLAP
  • business intelligence
  • BI infrastructure > operating systems > Windows
  • data connectivity > Microsoft Excel
  • BI infrastructure > repository
  • data governance > data management > data modeling
  • performance optimization > in-memory

Are you now curious about all the functions (100+) of Cognos Cube Designer? Then download our BI & Analytics Guide™ 2023 here.

Screen shot of Cognos Cube Designer software.
Picture of Cognos Cube Designer tools.
Cognos Cube Designer in action
Figure 26, 27 and 28: Several images show the operation of Cognos Cube Designer. Click on the image to magnify.

What is IBM Watson?

Other names by which this software product is known: Watson

We don’t reveal everything here but, in this paragraph, we display the details of IBM Watson, including some of its features and any related products. This product group consists of Watson Natural Language Processing. This product can be characterized by the following features:

  • artificial intelligence > natural language processing > natural language
  • analytics
  • big data > IoT
  • artificial intelligence > machine learning
  • AI > AI models
  • data discovery > time series
  • performance optimization > quantum computing
  • data connectivity > PostgreSQL

Do you want to know everything about all elements (100+) of IBM Watson? Open the BI & Analytics Guide™ 2023 here.

Screen shot of IBM Watson software.
Picture of IBM Watson tools.
IBM Watson in action
Figure 29, 30 and 31: Overlying figures show the operation of IBM Watson. Click on the image to magnify.

What is Watson Natural Language Processing?

In this part, we report the (main) characteristics of Watson Natural Language Processing, including some of its features and any related products. The Watson Natural Language Processing can be best characterized by the following properties:

  • artificial intelligence > natural language processing > natural language
  • artificial intelligence
  • BI infrastructure > Application Programming Interface
  • data discovery > analysis > sentiment analysis
  • artificial intelligence > machine learning
  • analytics
  • big data > unstructured data
  • performance optimization > data pipelines

Do you want to know everything about all the functionalities (100+) of Watson Natural Language Processing? Download directly our BI & Analytics Guide™ 2023 here.

Screen shot of Watson Natural Language Processing software.
Picture of Watson Natural Language Processing tools.
Watson Natural Language Processing in action
Figure 32, 33 and 34: Overlying images illustrate the functionality of Watson Natural Language Processing. Click on the image to magnify.

What is IBM SPSS?

Other names by which this software product is known: SPSS

Under this heading, we display the details of IBM SPSS, including some of its features and any related products. This product group consists of IBM SPSS Statistics, IBM SPSS Modeler and IBM SPSS Predictive Analytics. The product IBM SPSS can be best characterized by the following functionalities:

  • data discovery > analysis
  • analytics
  • regressions
  • analytics > advanced analytics > predictive analytics
  • data governance > data management > data preparation
  • artificial intelligence > machine learning
  • data discovery > analysis > forecasting
  • artificial intelligence > Python
  • BI infrastructure > scalability > Amazon Web Services
  • artificial intelligence > R

Are you now curious about all the functions (100+) of IBM SPSS? Download directly our BI & Analytics Guide™ 2023 here.

Screen shot of IBM SPSS software.
Picture of IBM SPSS tools.
IBM SPSS in action
Figure 35, 36 and 37: Several images show the operation of IBM SPSS. Click on the image to enlarge it.

What is IBM SPSS Statistics?

Other names by which this software product is known: SPSS Statistics

In this part, we display the details of IBM SPSS Statistics, including some of its features and any related products. The IBM SPSS Statistics can be best characterized by the following functionalities:

  • data discovery > analysis
  • analytics
  • regressions
  • artificial intelligence > Python
  • artificial intelligence > R
  • business intelligence > reporting
  • analytics > advanced analytics > predictive analytics
  • BI infrastructure > operating systems > Windows
  • artificial intelligence
  • BI infrastructure > operating systems > java

Are you curious about all characteristics (100+) of IBM SPSS Statistics? Then order the BI & Analytics Guide™ 2023 here.

Screen shot of IBM SPSS Statistics software.
Picture of IBM SPSS Statistics tools.
IBM SPSS Statistics in action
Figure 38, 39 and 40: These three images give a first impression of IBM SPSS Statistics. Click on the image to enlarge it.

What is IBM SPSS Modeler?

Other names by which this software product is known: SPSS Modeler

In this part, we report the (main) characteristics of IBM SPSS Modeler, including some of its features and any related products. This product group consists of IBM SPSS Text Analytics and IBM SPSS Modeler Server. IBM SPSS Modeler can be defined by the following functionalities:

  • analytics
  • artificial intelligence > data mining
  • analytics > advanced analytics > predictive modeling > predictive models
  • big data > unstructured data
  • analytics > advanced analytics
  • artificial intelligence > machine learning
  • artificial intelligence > algorithms
  • artificial intelligence > R
  • analytics > advanced analytics > text analytics
  • data discovery > analysis

Are you now curious about all characteristics (100+) of IBM SPSS Modeler? Download directly our BI & Analytics Guide™ 2023 here.

Screen shot of IBM SPSS Modeler software.
Picture of IBM SPSS Modeler tools.
IBM SPSS Modeler in action
Figure 41, 42 and 43: Various figures show the operation of IBM SPSS Modeler. Click on the image to magnify.
What is IBM SPSS Text Analytics?

Other names by which this software product is known: SPSS Modeler Text Analytics, IBM SPSS Modeler Text Analytics

We don’t reveal everything here but, in this paragraph, we describe the key elements of IBM SPSS Text Analytics, including some of its features and any related products. This product / group of products can be best defined by the following functionalities:

  • analytics > advanced analytics > text analytics
  • data discovery > analysis > text analysis
  • analytics > advanced analytics > text mining
  • data connectivity > Microsoft Excel
  • artificial intelligence > machine learning
  • artificial intelligence > natural language processing
  • analytics > advanced analytics > predictive analytics
  • BI infrastructure > authentication

Are you curious about all features (100+) of IBM SPSS Text Analytics? Download the BI & Analytics Guide™ 2023 here.

Screen shot of IBM SPSS Text Analytics software.
Picture of IBM SPSS Text Analytics tools.
IBM SPSS Text Analytics in action
Figure 44, 45 and 46: Various figures show the operation of IBM SPSS Text Analytics. Click on the image to enlarge it.
What is IBM SPSS Modeler Server?

Other names by which this software product is known: SPSS Modeler Server

We do not display here all the features but, in this paragraph, we report the (main) characteristics of IBM SPSS Modeler Server, including some of its features and any related products. The IBM SPSS Modeler Server can be best characterized by the following properties:

  • analytics
  • artificial intelligence > data mining
  • analytics > advanced analytics > predictive modeling > predictive models
  • big data > unstructured data
  • analytics > advanced analytics
  • artificial intelligence > R
  • BI infrastructure > operating systems > Windows
  • data connectivity > ODBC
  • analytics > advanced analytics > predictive analytics
  • BI infrastructure > Application Programming Interface

Are you curious about all characteristics (100+) of IBM SPSS Modeler Server? Download the BI & Analytics Guide™ 2023 here.

Screen shot of IBM SPSS Modeler Server software.
Picture of IBM SPSS Modeler Server tools.
IBM SPSS Modeler Server in action
Figure 47, 48 and 49: These three images give a first impression of IBM SPSS Modeler Server. Click on the image to make it bigger.

What is IBM SPSS Predictive Analytics?

Other names by which this software product is known: SPSS Predictive Analytics

We don’t reveal everything here but, in this paragraph, we describe IBM SPSS Predictive Analytics, including some of its features and any related products. This product can be characterized by the following properties:

  • analytics > advanced analytics > predictive analytics
  • data discovery > analysis
  • artificial intelligence > machine learning
  • artificial intelligence > Python
  • data discovery > analysis > statistical analysis
  • analytics > advanced analytics
  • artificial intelligence > R
  • business intelligence > reporting
  • data governance > data management > data preparation

Are you curious about all the functions (100+) of IBM SPSS Predictive Analytics? Download directly our BI & Analytics Guide™ 2023 here.

Screen shot of IBM SPSS Predictive Analytics software.
Picture of IBM SPSS Predictive Analytics tools.
IBM SPSS Predictive Analytics in action
Figure 50, 51 and 52: Several images show the operation of IBM SPSS Predictive Analytics. Click on an image to magnify.

What is IBM Infosphere?

Other names by which this software product is known: Infosphere

In this section, we report the (main) characteristics of IBM Infosphere, including some of its features and any related products. This product group consists of IBM Infosphere Information Server and IBM Infosphere Information Analyzer. This product / group of products can be best characterized by the following functionalities:

  • data governance > data management > MDM
  • data governance > data management
  • data integration
  • BI infrastructure > operating systems > Windows
  • data governance > data management > CDC
  • data governance > data quality
  • data discovery > analysis
  • data governance > data management > data replication
  • data integration > data warehousing
  • data integration > Extract-Transform-Load

Do you want to know the intricacies of all the functions (100+) of IBM Infosphere? Then download our BI & Analytics Guide™ 2023 here.

Screen shot of IBM Infosphere software.
Picture of IBM Infosphere tools.
IBM Infosphere in action
Figure 53, 54 and 55: Various figures show the operation of IBM Infosphere. Click on the image to magnify.

What is IBM Infosphere Information Server?

We don’t reveal everything here but, in this paragraph, we portrait IBM Infosphere Information Server, including some of its features and any related products. IBM Infosphere Information Server can be best characterized by the following features:

  • BI infrastructure > operating systems > Windows
  • BI infrastructure > operating systems > Linux
  • data governance > data quality
  • data integration
  • business intelligence > reporting
  • data connectivity > Salesforce
  • data integration > data warehousing
  • performance optimization > MPP
  • BI infrastructure > operating systems > Unix > AIX
  • BI infrastructure > operating systems > java

Are you now curious about all characteristics (100+) of IBM Infosphere Information Server? Download directly our BI & Analytics Guide™ 2023 here.

Screen shot of IBM Infosphere Information Server software.
Picture of IBM Infosphere Information Server tools.
IBM Infosphere Information Server in action
Figure 56, 57 and 58: Overlying images illustrate the functionality of IBM Infosphere Information Server. Click on the image to enlarge it.

What is IBM Infosphere Information Analyzer?

Under this heading, we provide a description of IBM Infosphere Information Analyzer, including some of its features and any related products. The product IBM Infosphere Information Analyzer can be characterized by the following functionalities:

  • data discovery > analysis
  • BI infrastructure > operating systems > Windows
  • business intelligence > reporting
  • data connectivity > Hadoop Distributed File System
  • BI infrastructure > repository
  • data governance > data quality
  • BI infrastructure > Application Programming Interface
  • data connectivity > Hadoop Spark
  • data governance > data management > SQL
  • data connectivity > ODBC

Are you curious about all the functionalities (100+) of IBM Infosphere Information Analyzer? Then order the BI & Analytics Guide™ 2023 here.

Screen shot of IBM Infosphere Information Analyzer software.
Picture of IBM Infosphere Information Analyzer tools.
IBM Infosphere Information Analyzer in action
Figure 59, 60 and 61: Several images show the operation of IBM Infosphere Information Analyzer. Click on the image to enlarge it.

What is Netezza?

In this paragraph, we report the (main) characteristics of Netezza, including some of its features and any related products. This product group consists of Netezza Performance Server. The product Netezza can be defined by the following functionalities:

  • data connectivity > IBM Netezza
  • data governance > data management > SQL
  • analytics
  • data integration > data warehousing
  • data integration > data warehouse
  • data connectivity > ODBC
  • artificial intelligence > machine learning
  • BI infrastructure > authentication
  • data discovery > analysis
  • data connectivity > JSON

Are you curious about all characteristics (100+) of Netezza? Then download our BI & Analytics Guide™ 2023 here.

Screen shot of Netezza software.
Picture of Netezza tools.
Netezza in action
Figure 62, 63 and 64: Several images show the operation of Netezza. Click on the image to enlarge it.

What is Netezza Performance Server?

We don’t reveal everything here but, in this paragraph, we give you insight in the key behaviors of Netezza Performance Server, including some of its features and any related products. Netezza Performance Server can be best characterized by the following features:

  • analytics
  • data connectivity > IBM Netezza
  • data integration > data warehousing
  • artificial intelligence > machine learning
  • data integration > data warehouse
  • BI infrastructure > scalability > Amazon Web Services
  • data governance > data management > SQL
  • artificial intelligence
  • data governance > data management
  • artificial intelligence > data science

Are you curious about all features (100+) of Netezza Performance Server? Then order the BI & Analytics Guide™ 2023 here.

What is IBM Cloud Pak?

We do not display here all the features but, in this paragraph, we provide a description of IBM Cloud Pak, including some of its features and any related products. This product / group of products can be best defined by the following functionalities:

  • artificial intelligence
  • BI infrastructure > operating systems > Red Hat
  • BI infrastructure > hybrid cloud
  • BI infrastructure > Application Programming Interface
  • BI infrastructure > scalability > Amazon Web Services
  • BI infrastructure > operating systems > z/OS
  • data governance > data management > data replication
  • data governance > data quality
  • BI infrastructure > Application Programming Interface > REST APIs
  • analytics

Do you want to know the intricacies of all the functionalities (100+) of IBM Cloud Pak? In that case open the BI & Analytics Guide™ 2023 here.

What is IBM Planning Analytics?

In this paragraph, we display the details of IBM Planning Analytics, including some of its features and any related products. The product IBM Planning Analytics can be best characterized by the following features:

  • analytics
  • data connectivity > Microsoft Excel
  • business intelligence > reporting
  • BI infrastructure > Application Programming Interface
  • data discovery > analysis > forecasting
  • BI infrastructure > operating systems > Windows
  • BI infrastructure > operating systems > Linux
  • business intelligence > dashboards
  • data connectivity > Microsoft Office

Do you want to know everything about all features (100+) of IBM Planning Analytics? Download directly our BI & Analytics Guide™ 2023 here.

Screen shot of IBM Planning Analytics software.
Picture of IBM Planning Analytics tools.
IBM Planning Analytics in action
Figure 65, 66 and 67: Various figures show the operation of IBM Planning Analytics. Click on an image to enlarge it.

What is IBM BigInsights?

In this part, we describe IBM BigInsights, including some of its features and any related products. This product can be best defined by the following functionalities:

  • data connectivity > Hadoop Distributed File System
  • analytics
  • data governance > data management > SQL
  • data connectivity > Hadoop Spark
  • big data
  • data connectivity > Spark > Apache Spark
  • data connectivity > MapReduce
  • analytics > advanced analytics > text analytics
  • artificial intelligence > R
  • BI infrastructure > open source

Are you curious about all elements (100+) of IBM BigInsights? Then download our BI & Analytics Guide™ 2023 here.

Screen shot of IBM BigInsights software.
Picture of IBM BigInsights tools.
IBM BigInsights in action
Figure 68, 69 and 70: Several images show the operation of IBM BigInsights. Click on the image to magnify.

What is DB2 OLAP Server?

In this section, we describe DB2 OLAP Server, including some of its features and any related products. This product / group of products can be defined by the following features:

  • multidimensional models > OLAP
  • data connectivity > IBM Db2
  • data discovery > analysis
  • business intelligence > reporting
  • BI infrastructure > operating systems > z/OS
  • BI infrastructure > scalability
  • BI infrastructure > operating systems > Linux
  • data integration > data warehousing
  • BI infrastructure > operating systems > Windows
  • multidimensional models > cube

Do you want to know everything about all characteristics (100+) of DB2 OLAP Server? Then download our BI & Analytics Guide™ 2023 here.

What is IBM Video Analytics?

Other names by which this software product is known: IBM Intelligent Video Analytics

In this section, we portrait IBM Video Analytics, including some of its features and any related products. This product / group of products can be characterized by the following features:

  • analytics > advanced analytics > video analytics
  • artificial intelligence
  • big data > streaming
  • business intelligence > reporting
  • mobile business intelligence > mobile server
  • BI infrastructure > operating systems > Linux
  • data connectivity > XML
  • real-time analytics > real-time
  • analytics > advanced analytics > text analytics

Are you now curious about all the functionalities (100+) of IBM Video Analytics? Then download our BI & Analytics Guide™ 2023 here.

Screen shot of IBM Video Analytics software.
Picture of IBM Video Analytics tools.
IBM Video Analytics in action
Figure 71, 72 and 73: Several images show the operation of IBM Video Analytics. Click on the image to enlarge it.

What is IBM Banking Data Warehouse?

Under this heading, we provide a description of IBM Banking Data Warehouse, including some of its features and any related products. This product / group of products can be best defined by the following features:

  • data integration > data warehouse
  • data integration > data warehousing
  • data discovery > analysis
  • BI infrastructure > operating systems > Windows
  • data governance > data management
  • multidimensional models > OLAP
  • BI infrastructure > operating systems > Unix > AIX
  • data connectivity > JSON
  • data integration > data warehousing > data mart
  • data integration > data warehousing > EDW

Are you curious about all the functionalities (100+) of IBM Banking Data Warehouse? In that case open the BI & Analytics Guide™ 2023 here.

Screen shot of IBM Banking Data Warehouse software.
Picture of IBM Banking Data Warehouse tools.
IBM Banking Data Warehouse in action
Figure 74, 75 and 76: Several images show the operation of IBM Banking Data Warehouse. Click on the image to magnify.

Innovations of IBM Business Analytics-tools and the version history

Lately, we see a negative trend when it comes to BI & Analytics functionality and support for various platforms and data sources. The latest novelties are in the areas of data discovery > data visualization > Sankey chart, decision management > real-time decisioning and data discovery > data visualization > radar charts.

We reviewed IBM’s current releases of the total product range. Below you can see the respective version numbers of the various BI & Analytics products of IBM:

  • Cognos Analytics: 11.2.4 11.2.3 11.2.2 11.2.1 11.2.0 11.2 11.1.7 fp6 11.1.7 fp5 11.1.7 11.1.6 11.1 11.0.13 11.0.12 11.0.11 11.0.9 11.0.8 11.0.7 1.2.0
  • DB2 OLAP Server: 8 7.1 1.1 1
  • IBM Banking Data Warehouse: 8.7 8.2.0
  • IBM BigInsights: 4.1 4
  • IBM Cloud Pak: 2021.2.1
  • IBM Cognos Analysis Studio: 10.2.2
  • IBM Cognos Analytics: 11
  • IBM Cognos Real-time Monitoring: 10.2.1
  • IBM Infosphere Information Server: 11.7.1.1 11.7 11 9.1 8.0
  • IBM Planning Analytics: 2.0.71 2.0.63 2.0.9 2.0
  • IBM SPSS: 15
  • IBM SPSS Modeler: 18.3 18.2.2 18.2 18.0 14.0
  • IBM SPSS Modeler Server: 18.3 18.2.2 18.1 14.2
  • IBM SPSS Statistics: 32 29.0 29 28.0.1 28.0 28 27 26 25 24 23
  • IBM SPSS Text Analytics: 14.0
  • IBM Video Analytics: 1.0.5 1
  • Netezza: 7.2.1 7.2
  • Netezza Performance Server: 800 11

Behind each product are the version numbers, the most recent versions are mentioned first.

What are the licensing costs of Cognos Analytics, IBM Watson and IBM SPSS?

In many cases, it can be difficult to determine the licensing costs of IBM BI & Analytics because it depends on the country, the number of users, the connectors to data sources, and at what point in the year you request a quote. And before the end of a fiscal quarter of IBM, you may be able to look forward to a decent discount. As part of a cloud-first strategy, it makes sense running the software in the cloud. You then only pay for what you actually use in resources. The purchase cost of Cognos Analytics, IBM Watson and IBM SPSS may not be the largest amounts, but maintenance and support can certainly put quite a strain on your annual budget.

What makes IBM BI & Analytics innovative

In our study, we see that IBM in the field of BI & Analytics software has a number of specific features and thus differentiates itself from the competition. This makes IBM Business Analytics more or less unique: AI models, network analysis, spend analysis, operations analytics and push notifications.

The advantages and disadvantages of IBM Business Analytics

Tag cloud of the IBM Business Analytics tools.Figure 77: Tag cloud with the strength-weakness analysis of IBM BI & Analytics

In the following sections, we describe all the advantages and disadvantages of IBM BI & Analytics, Cognos Analytics, IBM Watson and IBM SPSS, et cetera. These are not necessarily definitive because: IBM can currently work to creating missing functionality at this time (such as support for visual analytics, Red Hat, Google Sheets, Unix, Hadoop Hive, retail analytics, waterfall chart and data lineage).

Share your opinion about IBM here

Write a review about IBM BI & Analytics here. Your experiences can then start to count in an even better assessment of the performance of IBM Business Analytics.

1. IBM BI Infrastructure

92%

The vendor IBM has an excellent performance in our objective BI & Analytics survey on the section ‘BI Infrastructure’. The score amounts to 92%, relative to other vendors. We looked at the following criteria, among others: authentication, infrastructure and SDK. In total, we examined 162 criteria in this category. Would you like to learn more about the topic ‘BI Infrastructure’? Then download here our BI & Analytics Study 2023.

2. IBM Artificial Intelligence

84%

The vendor IBM has an excellent score in our objective BI & Analytics survey on the subject ‘Artificial Intelligence’ with a score of 84%, relative to other vendors. We looked at the following criteria, among others: machine learning, data mining, algorithms, computer vision, cognitive computing, augmented reality and machine intelligence. In doing so, we looked at the following five products: Netezza, IBM Watson, Cognos Analytics, Netezza Performance Server and IBM SPSS. In total, we examined 164 criteria in this category. Would you like to go into more depth with the topic ‘Artificial Intelligence’? Then download here our BI & Analytics Study 2023. Or take a deep dive in the following content:

3. IBM Mobile Business Intelligence

78%

The company has a good performance in our 100% vendor-independent BI & Analytics survey on the subject ‘Mobile Business Intelligence’ with a score of 78%, relative to other vendors. We looked at the following criteria, among others: mobile server, mobile analytics, mobile dashboards and mobile push notifications. In total, we examined 10 features within this discipline. Would you like to learn more about the topic ‘Mobile Business Intelligence’? Then download here our BI & Analytics Guide.

4. IBM Business Intelligence

75%

The company has a good performance in our 100% vendor-independent BI & Analytics survey on the section ‘Business Intelligence’ with a score of 75%, relative to other vendors. We looked at the following criteria, among others: CRM, business intelligence platform, embedded business intelligence and business process monitoring. In doing so, we analyzed the following five products: IBM Cognos TM1, Cognos Analytics, IBM Cognos Real-time, IBM Cognos Real-time Monitoring and Cognos Cube Designer. In total, we examined 73 criteria in this category. Would you like to delve further into the topic ‘Business Intelligence’? Then download here our BI & Analytics Guide. Or take a deep dive in the following content:

5. IBM Data Governance

75%

The vendor IBM has a good score in our objective BI & Analytics survey on the subject ‘Data Governance’ with a score of 75%, relative to other vendors. We considered the following factors: data management, data encryption, data lineage and data acquisition layer. In total, we examined 91 selection criteria within this main theme. Are you planning to specialize further in the topic ‘Data Governance’? Then download here our BI & Analytics Guide 2023.

6. IBM Decision Management

71%

IBM has a good performance in our study of the theme ‘Decision Management’, given that they score 71% on this, relative to other vendors. We looked at the following criteria, among others: performance management, decision-making platform, decision optimization, real-time decisioning and automated decision-making. In doing so, we assessed the following products: IBM SPSS Predictive Analytics. In total, we examined 30 aspects in this category. Would you like to go into more depth with the topic ‘Decision Management’? Then download here our BI & Analytics Guide 2023. Or take a deep dive in the following content:

7. IBM Performance Optimization

70%

The vendor IBM has a good score in our recently updated, independent BI & Analytics study on the subject ‘Performance Optimization’ with a score of 70%, relative to other vendors. The following criteria were used: in-memory, MPP, materialized views and quantum computing. In total, we examined 29 features within this discipline. Would you like to go into more depth with the topic ‘Performance Optimization’? Then download here our BI & Analytics Guide 2023.

8. IBM Analytics

67%

The vendor IBM has a good performance in our study on the section ‘Analytics’. The score amounts to 67%, relative to other vendors. We used the following selection criteria: analytics platform, customer analytics, marketing analytics, performance analytics, media analytics, manufacturing analytics and asset performance analytics. In doing so, we analyzed the following five products: Netezza, IBM BigInsights, IBM Watson, IBM Cognos TM1 and Cognos Analytics. In total, we examined 130 features within this discipline. Would you like to go into more depth with the topic ‘Analytics’? Then download here our BI & Analytics Guide 2023. Or take a deep dive in the following content:

9. IBM Data Connectivity

65%

IBM has a good score in our objective BI & Analytics survey on the section ‘Data Connectivity’. The company scores 65% on this topic, relative to other vendors. We looked at the following criteria, among others: XML, MongoDB, Amazon Redshift, Microsoft Excel, Impala, Microsoft Dynamics and Microsoft Office. In total, we examined 91 features within this discipline. Would you like to learn more about the topic ‘Data Connectivity’? Then download here our BI & Analytics Guide.

10. IBM Multidimensional Models

60%

The vendor IBM has a good score in our current BI & Analytics survey on the subject ‘Multidimensional Models’ with a score of 60%, relative to other vendors. We considered the following factors: OLAP, ROLAP, MOLAP and tabular data models. In total, we examined 14 criteria in this category. Are you planning to specialize further in the topic ‘Multidimensional Models’? Then download here our BI & Analytics Guide.

11. IBM Real-time Analytics

59%

IBM has a good score in our study on the section ‘Real-time Analytics’, given that they score 59% on this, relative to other vendors. We looked at the following criteria, among others: real-time, real-time data and data ingestion. In total, we examined 19 criteria within this section. Are you excited about the topic ‘Real-time Analytics’? Then download here our BI & Analytics Guide.

12. IBM Big Data

56%

The vendor IBM has a good score in our objective BI & Analytics survey of the theme ‘Big Data’ with a score of 56%, relative to other vendors. We looked at the following criteria, among others: streaming, complex data, massive volumes, big data management and big data computing. In doing so, we investigated the following five products: IBM BigInsights, IBM SPSS, IBM Infosphere, IBM Business Analytics and IBM SPSS Predictive Analytics. In total, we examined 59 criteria within this section. Would you like to delve further into the topic ‘Big Data’? Then download here our BI & Analytics Guide 2023. Or take a deep dive in the following content:

13. IBM Data Discovery

55%

IBM has a good rating in our independent BI & Analytics survey on the subject ‘Data Discovery’ with a score of 55%, compared to other vendors. We used the following selection criteria: analysis, time series and data visualization. In doing so, we investigated the following four products: Cognos Analytics, IBM Business Analytics, IBM Cognos Analysis and IBM Cognos Analysis Studio. In total, we examined 400 selection criteria within this main theme. Would you like to learn more about the topic ‘Data Discovery’? Then download here our BI & Analytics Guide.

14. IBM Data Integration

51%

IBM has a good performance in our 100% vendor-independent BI & Analytics survey on the subject ‘Data Integration’. The company scores 51% on this topic, relative to other vendors. We considered the following factors: data warehousing, data virtualization, data wrangling, cross-database joins and Extract-Transform-Load. In doing so, we assessed the following two products: IBM Infosphere and IBM Infosphere Information Server. In total, we examined 76 criteria in this category. Are you excited about the topic ‘Data Integration’? Then download here our BI & Analytics Guide 2023. Or take a deep dive in the following content:

15. IBM Self-service BI

45%

IBM has a moderate rating in our study on the section ‘Self-service BI’, given that they score 45% on this, compared to other vendors. The following criteria were used: self-service data preparation, self-service reporting, self-service analysis, self-service data analytics, self-service data visualization, self-service data exploration and self-service analytics platform. In total, we examined 14 criteria within this section. Would you like to go into more depth with the topic ‘Self-service BI’? Then download here our BI & Analytics Study.

In which sectors is IBM BI & Analytics most active?

In our recently updated, independent BI & Analytics research on, we also looked at which industries a supplier has a track record. These are the industries where IBM is most popular: automotive, banking, construction, energy, fashion, financial services, food, health care, insurance, life sciences, manufacturing, restaurants, retail, universities and utilities.

IBM software is most used by…

The BI & Analytics software from IBM is most often mentioned in combination with the following functions: data scientists, director and marketers.

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Training & education IBM BI & Analytics

We facilitate various training courses in the field of BI & Analytics but can also provide specific IBM training, for example as incompany. For example, you can think about the following software: Cognos Analytics, IBM Watson and IBM SPSS. Of course we frame the training with the ideas of the intelligent, data-driven organization.

In conclusion: IBM Business Analytics scores high

IBM has a extensive product portfolio with which it scores high in our BI & Analytics survey. IBM BI & Analytics innovates (approximately) at an average rate of more than 15 features per year, is active (for now) in lots of different sectors, and has developed best in BI infrastructure.

About Passionned Group

logo of Passionned Group, the IBM BI & Analytics specialistPassionned Group has specialized in 100% independent BI & Analytics consulting and the implementation of BI & Analytics solutions. Our driven and passionate consultants help businesses and governments to advance as intelligent, data-driven organizations.

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Fact sheet

Number of organizations serviced ___
Number of training courses ___
Number of participants trained ___
Overall customer rating 9.3
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Number of offices 3
Number of years active 18