Oracle Hyperion Planning Reviews

“perfect for forecast comparison”

Pros

The actual and forecasting cubes work together well which makes the tool very dynamic when comparing forecasted numbers against actual financial results.

Cons

It isn't very user friendly and takes a lot of training and configuration to use properly. The biggest factor is getting the suite implemented correctly so it can integrate with Salesforce and other applications, while also allowing headcount and commentary details to be included as part of the financial information.

“Reliable for centralized planning”

Pros

Having everyone work from one platform has made the information much more consistent across the board. It also lets us pull aggregated data almost immediately after it's entered which has been a big improvement since we're no longer getting different answers based on whose spreadsheet someone checks.

Cons

A lot of steps still happen outside the application before we can submit our inputs. Because of that, user adoption has been a challenge at times since many people still find spreadsheets more familiar and easier to use.

“Top tier budgeting automation”

Pros

One of the biggest advantages is how well it automates budgeting and forecasting. It also handles complex financial operations very efficiently and the ability to integrate third-party applications with Oracle Hyperion Planning adds a lot of value.

Cons

Getting users trained on the software can be challenging at times especially when clients without a technical background try to use it and find it a bit difficult. My team and I also run into technical glitches quite often when multiple people are working in the application at the same time.

“A powerful tool”

Pros

Among OLAP tools for financial planning, Hyperion Planning stands out as one of the strongest options available. The newer cloud version also makes it more versatile, with better cross-platform use and integration capabilities.

Cons

The user interface still doesn't offer much flexibility for customization. Some basic actions users would normally expect are missing and I hope Oracle improves this over time by adding more dynamic dashboards in future updates.

“Flexible rules with strong security”

Pros

The security setup is amazing and I really like the rules engine with template support. Plus it is also very useful being able to build formulas across both columns and rows.

Cons

I feel like the thing that could be better is the documentation around formulas across rows or columns, since it doesn't provide enough clear examples.

“Good tool”

Pros

Plenty of flexibility here and the calculation engine handles complex scenarios really well. The slice-and-dice capabilities are useful and both ad hoc and canned reporting give a lot of options depending on what I need.

Cons

One issue is that the more complex calculations can end up hiding a lot of the underlying processes that probably should be more visible.

“A smart view that boosts planning”

Pros

One of the most useful parts of Oracle Hyperion Planning is the Smart View add-in. It connects well with Excel which makes complex data manipulation and data entry much more convenient without requiring any specialized user training.

Cons

A downside of this tool is that it doesn't offer much in the way of advanced analytics or dashboarding inside the tool itself. You either have to make do with the basic dashboard features available or rely on an external solution like Power BI.

“Excel integration but weak dashboards”

Pros

Hyperion is a very decent tool and the Excel integration is its biggest strength. Users can do their tasks directly in Excel the same way they usually would and then simply hit submit while the system takes care of the rest.

Cons

Dashboarding is where the tool falls short, since it does not offer visually appealing dashboards on its own. For management reporting, users usually have to depend on outside tools such as PowerBI or Tableau.

“A top-tier planning powerhouse”

Pros

When it comes to handling complex calculations and pulling data incredibly fast for analysis and reporting, this tool really stands out. It works exceptionally well for planning and budgeting across an organization and as an EPM solution, it ranks among the best for meeting OLAP requirements across different domains.

Cons

Updates from Oracle tend to come slowly and the newer releases still have a few bugs that need attention. Integration and compatibility with other ETL tools can also be a bit tricky and it's disappointing that the latest version no longer supports Hyperion Studio.

“Excel imports make reporting faster”

Pros

It worked really well for pulling together monthly financial data from multiple locations. One of the biggest benefits was being able to import our numbers directly from an Excel file. After exporting the data into Excel, we could send it straight into Hyperion with just one click from inside the spreadsheet which made the whole process much more convenient.

Cons

Even though updating the data was pretty easy, we still had to check in the system that the amounts came through exactly as they appeared in our spreadsheet. That said problems with the upload were very rare.

“Outdated interface and constant errors”

Pros

One thing that works well is the ability to build custom queries that end users can work with pretty easily, while still keeping the underlying logic restricted from limited-access users.

Cons

The interface is very dated and because of that it is not very easy to move around in. Lately, it has also been very buggy in our organization. The web plug-in version keeps throwing errors when logging in, opening queries and even just navigating through the application. Another frustration is that you have to run a query before you can extract the SQL. On top of that when searching for a specific table, the system makes you search through all tables first which ends up taking a lot of time.

“liked the simple interface”

Pros

Its interface and overall structure are easy to navigate which makes the platform pleasant to work with.

Cons

At times the connection between it and Excel drops or doesn't sync properly.

“Steep learning curve is annoying”

Pros

The planning capabilities are excellent and the engine behind it is very powerful.

Cons

Using it is hard because it is not user-friendly and the learning curve is steep if you want to get good at it. On top of that dealing with Oracle has been frustrating. They come across as difficult to work with and almost make you feel like you have to chase them just to use their products. Everything from contracting to support to training is hard, slow and focused on their own priorities rather than the customer's. Because of that I'd recommend avoiding it if you can.

“provides real-time data visibility”

Pros

Having access to data in real time is really helpful and I can always hit refresh to pull the most current numbers when needed.

Cons

The file import process was pretty sensitive, so uploads didn't go through very easily.

“too slow”

Pros

The reports generated by the system meet my budgeting and planning needs well and they cover the purpose I use the software for.

Cons

Performance is much too slow right now. I'd really like Oracle to improve the system so reports can run faster.

“Powerful planning analytics”

Pros

As a planning analytics tool, this application does a really good job and feels very capable. The one thing it's missing is stronger interactive reporting functionality.

Cons

One part I have appreciated is how quickly the tool responds which makes it much more helpful when users need to analyze different elements.

“WFP and SmartView win”

Pros

Planning has improved a lot since the early days. WFP has been especially useful for us and being able to connect to Essbase cubes through Smartview is something we really value.

Cons

The part I am less happy with is the Planning forms. When the forms get large, they can take quite a while to load and save.

“Flexible budgeting with slower calculations”

Pros

Different regional finance managers can handle monthly forecasts and annual budgets in the way that works best for them, whether they use the built-in system functions or their own preferred approach. It gives finance teams great flexibility in how they submit data, run calculations and generate reports.

Cons

When it comes to more advanced aggregations and calculations, the runtime tends to be longer than I'd want.

“Excel-like calculations but limited visuals”

Pros

The calculation side in Essbase feels very similar to working in Excel which makes it familiar and practical to use.

Cons

The graphing features could be better and the available color options are fairly limited.

“Strong planning controls”

Pros

Across several very different business units, we rely on Planning to handle a wide range of planning requirements, including some fairly complex business rules that automate calculations throughout the process. The security setup is especially valuable because it lets us restrict plans by business unit while still rolling everything up at the corporate level.

Cons

Stability can be inconsistent at times and performance tends to slow down even more as additional required dimensions are added. During implementation, you end up having to weigh the need for those extra dimensions against how quickly users can complete planning tasks. If rules are not configured well, it can create a lot of frustration for end users.