Datarails

Pros: Centralizes our data, structured database is easy to access and draw information from.

Cons: Can be laggy, which can be frustrating. Esp when you're in the middle of an important calculation.

Overall: We came across DataRails as we were looking for a cloud-based CPM. What attracted us to the solution was its broad customizability and superior customer support. Implementation was simple and it’s been smooth sailing.

Pros: Insights platform, office integration. Best features by far

Cons: No cons, we've been using the platform for about 6 months now and so far smooth sailing

Overall: My team and I are all very pleased with DataRails. The Office integration is amazing. Data comes from Excel and flows into powerpoint effortlessly. We see our charts updating live, which is amazing. So if there's anything the executive team needs to know about, we see it. It's very useful and has made our reporting all the more accurate.

Pros: Automatic consolidation means we don’t waste time bringing together numbers.

Cons: So far none, but we just recently began using the system..

Overall: with DataRails centralizing our numbers, we no longer have to worry about people working on inaccurate figures. We’re able to connect information from different ERPs from different subsidiaries automatically, which is fantastic since prior to DataRails we would manually combine them in order to produce corporate reports. Enjoy working with this software.

Pros: Reliable consolidation of financial statements from subsidiaries

Cons: People who love Excel love this product, and vice versa.

Overall: Use this solution for budgeting and forecasting all financial metrics. Also use it as a BI tool. Well suited for working with data without requiring expertise of data transformation. We rely heavily on the solution for analyses, and its great for consolidating information. All information from different ERPs is imported into DataRails, and having that centralization is a huge plus. Grants you flexibility in reporting and the dashboard capabilities are excellent.

Pros: simplifies reporting, can update reports whenever we want, centralized control for execs

Cons: can crash if you try to overwork it, happened to me about twice

Overall: It integrates with our ERP easily. I like how we can get through financial close quicker with this solution. It’s easier to collaborate and send Excel based information to one another. Rate of error seems to have gone down, and less time is spend on consolidation. We were initially interested in the product for the close process but as we got accustomed to it realized it could do so much more for us.

Pros: Highly customizable, for me the customizable management reporting package was the best.

Cons: None so far..........................................................

Overall: We wanted a CPM solution and chose DataRails. Their solution is very customizable, for us the customizable management reporting package was very good. Met our needs well. Drill downs are also very good- the ability to look into a cell-level audit trail is something we didn’t have prior. Also the BI features are useful since they are easy to navigate. Basically, there’s a lot you can do with DataRails and I think the highlight it that once they recognize what your needs are they adapt the product to you.

Pros: Reporting capabilities top pick for me. Easy visualizations and centralized dataset.

Cons: Glitchy from time to time. thats the only thing that comes ti mind right now

Overall: I highly recommend using DataRails. The platform gives you all the benefits of connected planning with additional BI-like features which are an added bonus. For me I love the ability to report with true-to-life, exact, numbers that are drawn in real time from our database. If things change last minute or if something seems off or if the numbers had been edited, all of my visualizations can be updated to reflect these changes, and its so easy to do. DataRails is a really dynamic tool.

Pros: Work is done faster and more accurately. We're able to introduce automation without influencing how people work on the ground.

Cons: Usage issue- sometimes the badge does not appear and I can’t sign in

Overall: Was looking for software that could give our finance team a boost since I read all about the advantages of automation platforms and so decided to integrate one in our department. Did some research and decided to choose DataRails due to its innovative offerings- we’ve been able to implement automation without really changing too much in how people work on the ground. It’s been really great for us, digital transformation as they say really can change how we work for the better.

Pros: All employees can work with this platform easily, which can’t be said for most BI tools. Also really like that we can update our reports with real-time numbers if we need to make last minute updates, very useful. Also customizability is good.

Cons: Was a little bit confusing at first but once you get the hang of it you’ll use it all the time.

Overall: I was interested in improving our reporting processes so I looked into many different software that could help with this. This includes BI tools and CPMs etc. I looked into the core features of a few products and decided to go with DataRails. All in all its been good.

Pros: Traceable numbers- if you want to see how a number was reached, what the underlying formula is etc its all there. Excel numbers are easily accessed.

Cons: From time to timethe badge does not appear so I can’t sign in.

Overall: The implementation of this product went smoothly and we feel that we’re getting high ROI. First of all it takes data accuracy to a whole new level-the fact that we have every version of every spreadsheet within reach is of immense value. Second, the manipulations that we can conduct now are priceless. Spreadsheet data is often messy, disorganized, hard to find or hard to understand, and it means that oftentimes information that can contribute to organizational processes is not leveraged, which is a shame because its there. We’re really happy with DataRails since now we can take advantage of all of it, and we don’t have to ask employees to do anything differently.

Pros: You get to stay in Excel, that’s by far the greatest pro. And their Insights option is really good.

Cons: Would like if in future updates it'd be possible to integrate with older systems like Adaxa.

Overall: This solution meets my department’s needs really well. At first we weren’t sure which solution would be best for us as this is a relatively new one in the market. But after we saw what it can do, we knew that DataRails was the choice for us. We were reluctant to move off Excel and in order to use most other solutions available that’s what we were asked to do. With DataRails, there’s virtually no overhead since all our employees work in the same methods as they have for years- on Excel! But what we gain is automatic consolidation, reduced unnecessary work, reliable numbers, excellent visualizations, and the list goes on. Basically, we GAIN, and give up nothing in the process.

Pros: Crazy time saver, reduces errors to a minimum, automation eliminates unnecessary work.

Cons: The software sometimes crashes, not often but from time to time

Overall: I can’t even begin to explain the value of DataRails. I never thought it’d be possible to access spreadsheet numbers that are located so remotely, but here I find myself doing just that. We have a branch on the other side of the world that, instead of emailing our finance team multiple excels, just clicks “Save” and our team can see all figures on the Insights function or Excel. AMAZING!

Pros: 1. Love the export to Office
2. Easy and quick to update
3. support team is lovely

Cons: I can’t complain, this tool has been so great for us

Overall: My FPA department was facing challenges when it came to reporting. The numbers were constantly changing and we felt that our reporting simply wasn’t as accurate as it should have been. Then we purchased DataRails, and trust me when I say it changes reporting for the better. Our management team loves it because they can pull data from the database to Powerpoint in real time, meaning that at any given moment the figures are up to date. This tool has many uses, but for us specifically what it has done for our reporting function is priceless.

Pros: DataRails lets us work with a familiar user interface (Excel) or use their Insights platform which is easy to learn. Automatic consolidation is useful.
The company frequently updates the platform to fit current needs.

Cons: More customizable branding would be good. Would be nice to see this made available in the future.

Overall: DataRails is amazing because it is well suited for all our needs- forecasting, budgeting, planning management, ad-hoc analysis, and data visualization. Whats more, as we are extremely reliant/dependent on Excel, DataRails is just the best since we can keep using it as our interface and at the same time have access to consolidated numbers. I love digging into cell-level breakdowns to show our CEO exactly how we reached our conclusions. This is the BEST planning tool you need if you work in finance. We didn’t want to give up conducting manipulations within Excel, and with DataRails we didn’t have to.

Pros: Customer service reps are great and keen to assist. Instant consolidation of budgets is great, and the automation saves us thousands of hours.

Cons: Nothing to dislike my team is satisfied with the product.

Overall: DataRails has excellent functionality while allowing you to continue using familiar Excel instead of asking you to learn an entirely new system. It’s an amazing product with super easy implementation. Allows you to easily spot inconsistencies or errors.

Pros: I like that DataRails is continuously innovating and improving the product over time. Implementation is simple and there is no need for maintenance. Quick results with an intuitive design

Cons: No notable cons. Very happy with DataRails.

Overall: We chose DataRails over its competitors and we’re very happy with our choice. We keep using our Excels but benefit from a system that is in the cloud, it's customizable, and offered for a great price. It has improved every aspect of the FP&A function within our company. Our budgeting cycles are shorter, our data is more reliable, and analysis and reporting are more real time.

Pros: 1- Flexibility allows us to mold portions of the product to our needs 2-Implementation was relatively quick (even though we implemented during our annual planning cycle). 3-Affordable compared to other SAAS alternatives. 4- Customer support is excellent and timely. 5- Ongoing product enhancements continue to improve this product. Updating with current results is a simple refresh button-click.

Cons: There aren't many things specific to the software that I don't like. I would say that the most difficult part about using this software is managing the requests from management so that it doesn't compromise the value of the software.

Overall: Trying to manage P&L's for a handful of retail locations and departments, combined with nearly 2,000 employees is a challenge to say the least. Planning with DataRails has streamlined our planning and forecasting cycles and helped us to standardize metrics, reporting and analysis. It makes comparing plans, forecasts and actuals across the organization easy and requires no training or overhead. Who would’ve thought that would ever be possible..

Pros: Allows for the reduction of errors, improves reporting, more time for analysis

Cons: Takes a little bit of getting used to but what system doesn’t

Overall: Great solution for planning across a distributed organization. Can handle multiple systems and locations with ease. It’s flexible, easy to use, and allows for planning at a granular level to improve budgeting and forecasting. Staff is always nice and easy to work with. Integrates well with other systems.

Pros: We started using their Insights feature instead of our BI. Really useful.
Made data collection easy and organized
Constant access to up-to-date numbers

Cons: Would be nice if it had the option of drag and drop for inputs

Overall: DataRails is used on a daily basis by my finance team as we perform analyses and drive insights. We chose to implement this cloud financial and analysis platform since we desperately needed a consolidation planning tool where we could continue using disparate spreadsheets and at the same time control our processes easier and better. DataRails gives us exactly this in addition to flexibility in reporting financial results.

Pros: Seamless integration with Excel
User friendly interface
Has streamlined our budgeting process

Cons: Occasionally there are glitches in our templates..

Overall: In my organization we use DataRails’ cloud financial and analysis platform for budgeting and forecasting all of our financial metrics. Each department continues to rely on Excel as usual for budgets, and then using DataRails Finance sees real-time updates and compares budgets with actuals. Useful for a variety of processes including workforce management, income statement analysis, forecasting, reporting, etc.