We performed a comparison between IBM Cognos and Tableau based on our users’ reviews in five categories. After reading all of the collected data, you can find our conclusion below.
Comparison Results: In this comparison, IBM Cognos comes out on top. Users are happier with the support than Tableau users are, and IBM Cognos users also report an ROI.
"The dashboarding offered by this solution is very valuable to us."
"We are able to generate quality reports easily which allows us to decrease response time."
"IBM Cognos offers tools so that you can design and develop your own test queries and reporting solutions."
"Report Studio: This is the most powerful and sophisticated tool for professional reporting."
"The initial setup is very straightforward."
"Comparing IBM Cognos to other applications, once a person is trained on it or they have developed a skill set to operate the application, it is best in its category."
"IBM Cognos is an excellent solution for tax, planning, budgeting, profit and loss statements and balance sheets."
"Stability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten."
"The most important feature is the tool is very easy to use. This makes it simple to introduce it to CxOs. After a rapid demo, they are usual impressed by the results shown, because it has such a rare simplicity."
"The maps and colors and interface are all fantastic."
"Easy to create graphs and visualizations."
"The most valuable feature is the drag and drop, then the simplicity to build dashboards which allows us to provide more usable data to our customers."
"When compared with Power BI, Tableau is much easier."
"This service is the combination of very pleasant, interactive graphical visualizations along with the application of advanced statistical models (in some cases)."
"Partner support is very good."
"The solution is being delivered to our customer, who appreciates the insights generated from the reports. It is easy for them to drill into the details and use interactive charts."
"This product could use improvement in terms of usability for those with less technical know how."
"I would like for the platform to become more standard. If we make a development on our report and our dashboard, it will not be used in another solution. That means there is no portability for the developers."
"It would be better if it is was easier to implement without extensive training for it."
"They were lacking in the initial phases of development in the area of big data, and they still need to improve that aspect of the product."
"I don't like that when we use Colab packages, we get less functionality. For example, you can make groups of data with Excel or with the data sets from the packages, but when you use the Colab packages directly, you can only group the data when you analyze it with Analysis Studio. I think Cognos needs to improve more on this functionality."
"There are a lot of limitations with the out-of-the-box tool."
"I think the GIS pieces maybe not as good as we would like."
"It could have more options for themes."
"From the developer perspective, the data connection handling the target data set is what most needs to be improved."
"With Tableau, when you're dealing with very large datasets, it can be slow so the performance is an area that can be improved."
"Lacks customization in some areas."
"The data processing in Tableau is pathetic compared to Qlik."
"The only issue with the solution is with its prices at a regional level."
"The Hyper Extract functionality is not as strong as that provided by Microsoft SQL."
"Tableau has so many functions, so sometimes it's hard to find the right solution quickly. I have to search multiple menu bars to find the right command."
"If they could add global filters in the stories, more chart types, and default colours, it would help."
IBM Cognos is ranked 4th in Reporting with 129 reviews while Tableau is ranked 2nd in Reporting with 290 reviews. IBM Cognos is rated 8.0, while Tableau is rated 8.4. The top reviewer of IBM Cognos writes "Improved the quality of our KPIs, while reducing calls to the IT department". On the other hand, the top reviewer of Tableau writes "Provides fast data access with in-memory extracts, makes it easy to create visualizations, and saves time". IBM Cognos is most compared with Microsoft Power BI, Oracle OBIEE, SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Platform, Oracle Hyperion and Amazon QuickSight, whereas Tableau is most compared with Microsoft Power BI, Amazon QuickSight, Domo, SAS Visual Analytics and Oracle OBIEE. See our IBM Cognos vs. Tableau report.
See our list of best Reporting vendors and best BI (Business Intelligence) Tools vendors.
We monitor all Reporting reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.