RapidMiner vs Cognos Analytics

Rapidminer is an end-to-end data science platform that performs a wide range of functions, from data prep to machine learning to predictive modeling. According to most of the users who reviewed the tool’s support, online communities are responsive in answering queries and helping resolve issues. Many of the users who discussed the interface said that, with an intuitive layout and great design, the UI offers easy drag-and-drop functionality for rapid prototyping - no programming experience needed. A majority of the users who mentioned online resources said that crisp and informative tutorials and videos are readily available online, and that the vendor’s website offers up-to-date information on the tool. According to many users who discussed data management, the platform works well for clustering, fast cleaning and data preparation with its built-in functions and algorithms. Many of the users who reviewed its analytic capabilities said that the solution uses machine learning for data exploration and visualization to derive insights from almost any source of data, though some users said that more statistical models are needed. With new functionalities being introduced from time to time, many users said that the platform stays versatile and has powerful data processing capabilities. On the flip side, many users who reviewed speed and performance said that the platform is resource-intensive and slows down when running complex data models. Reviewing adoption, some users said that there is an initial learning curve and tutorials should be built within the tool for prompt troubleshooting. Quite a few users who reviewed the tool’s data prep capabilities said that better ETL features are needed, especially for plots and graphs, and extensive dataset modeling may require higher computing power that can slow down the platform. In summary, RapidMiner, with its rich libraries, functions and algorithms, helps in AI-driven data exploration and mining for self-service data model development to drive advanced predictive analytics for enterprises.

IBM Cognos Analytics is an excellent BI tool and rates very highly with users on all major counts. Users are unanimous in their praise of its data management and data analysis capabilities to provide a single source of truth. Having ventured into AI-powered tools with the 11.1.3 version in 2018, IBM is making bold strides to incorporate augmented intelligence into the platform. IBM has astutely combined this solution with the capabilities of one of its other offerings, Watson Analytics, for natural language processing - a game-changer for empowering non-technical users to create a vast range of dashboards. With AI-enabled exploration, users can review key drivers of metrics and identify gaps in data, though some users feel that more tools are needed for content store exploration through its relational database. It also rates excellently with users for its data integration and ad-hoc reporting capabilities, efficient metadata management and extensive data modeling features. Several strong features of this platform, as noted by reviewers, include Jupyter notebooks, regular updates to the platform and enhancements to data modules, though when it comes to integrating with Online Analytical Processing (OLAP) data sources and IBM Planning Analytics in particular, it comes up short. Version 11 of the platform comes with over-the-top installs for upgrades, which reduces time to set up; though some users feel that integrations built with the current SDK solution can be tedious to implement and maintain. Being part of the IBM software suite, it connects seamlessly to other IBM products under the same umbrella. However, integration with MS-Sharepoint is not supported; this can be managed with workarounds, but only for on-premise setups, not cloud-based deployments. The platform has a rich reporting repertoire with report burst capabilities, pivots and Cognos Event Studio for event-driven reports. However, many users feel that Report Studio should provide the write back capability, which is crucial for business. As for the cost, a majority of users feel that its licensing models are restrictive, especially when compared to other BI solutions; though the vendor seems to address pricing and ease of use with version 11.1.3. In summary, Cognos Analytics is among the best BI solutions in the market today and IBM, with its ear to the ground, is delivering enhanced data analysis and reporting capabilities at scale.