Informatica PowerCenter vs Informatica PowerExchange vs SnapLogic comparison

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Informatica PowerCenter, Informatica PowerExchange, and SnapLogic based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft, Informatica, Oracle and others in Data Integration.
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Featured Review
Quotes From Members
We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use.
Here are some excerpts of what they said:
Pros
"The most valuable features are the dynamic reading of the file metadata profile, and the ability to define business rules that are used to verify and validate the uploaded files.""The setup is straightforward.""The most complex task, in this case, was to read and transform BLOB data, and Java transformation in Informatica Power Center was a great solution.""The support is valuable. There are also open-source ETL products, which work very well, but there is no support. When we face a production problem, being able to get support is valuable, and it brings efficiency. With an open-source solution, we can't engage anyone to resolve the problem as quickly as possible.""The product's initial setup phase is very easy.""The solution is stable.""We can scale the product.""If the systems get migrated or upgraded, the amount of resources required are very minimal. We can change the connections and establish a new connection. It's very helpful."

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"The product’s flexibility is valuable.""The agentless RCDC enablement through PowerExchange is a great idea and has worked very well so far.""It is easy to integrate the solution with other tools.""It is a scalable and versatile solution.""The data transformation is the solution's most valuable feature.""The most valuable feature is connectivity to data sources.""The main benefit of PowerExchange is its native real-time capabilities. Competing tools are counting on third-party packages or Oracle to offer real-time capabilities. However, Informatica has a native ability to scan the data on the file system level and capture the changes almost instantly when I push it to the consumers. The solution has a powerful built-in replication engine.""Provides a significant amount of control over the landscape and overall implementation."

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"The product is easy to use and has many connectivity options.""It's more developer-friendly, and development can be done at a faster phase.""The solution could improve its API management.""The solution is easy to implement and easy to use. It's basically just drag and drop.""I found SnapLogic valuable and what I found most valuable about it was its ETL feature. I also found its automation feature valuable. It can be used for automating manual activities. It can be used as a middleware for certain transactional data processing and minimal datasets and ETL activities.""By using snaps instead of functions in code, you can see the building blocks of the integration visually. This helps a lot.""You can use other languages, such as Python, and easily connect to other systems.""SnapLogice is a low-code development tool."

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Cons
"Informatica PowerCenter could improve by having a single interface because half of the system is still in the legacy interface and many other elements are moved to the developer client. It would be good if there was a single interface for the end user and developers.""PowerCenter could be improved by having more big data components. Normally, we prefer Informatica as a relational database, but nowadays, companies are trying to understand and use big data components. I think it would be useful if we had more chances to create a hub ecosystem because customers try to use some data integration tasks by SQL, Spark and Spark codes, and Scala, but at the end of the day, the company will understand that we need to trace all the steps. An ETL tool is a must for that company, if we're talking about the regulated industries like finance, telcos, etc. If Informatica's biggest ecosystems feature were okay, I would prefer to use it.""Some of the conversions are done inside the product. We use work tables that are created by the engine itself, but the names of the work tables are very long, and they don't have any meaning, which makes it a bit difficult to understand and follow exactly what is happening inside.""It would be good to recreate the entire interface to make it easier for users to build workflows.""I would like to see improvements made to the custom transformations. It should be more open for users that want to write their own code and use cases.""This solution needs the functionality to do batch processing of data. It also lacks connectivity to NoSQL, unstructured data sources.""This product is going to decommission in the next couple of years.""The UI is outdated and old-fashioned, at least in our current version. Also, we have experienced some stability issues with the Workflow Monitor application."

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"The one place where it could be improved is definitely pricing. That's a very big problem. It depends product to product, but pricing is an issue.""The solution could be made more user-friendly. The configurations are also quite difficult.""They should make it quick and easy for use of citizen data integration or for people or integrators developing at the customer side. They could be development teams within the business team. For them, the product owners can consider making it a little bit more seamless and a little bit more democratized.""Real-time has not been enhanced that much over the past few years. There has not been as many features added like they did before.""The product is not suitable for application integration.""Informatica is very expensive in all aspects, so the pricing is something that could be improved.""I would like the stability to improve.""The connectivity with T24 core banking could be improved."

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"SnapLogic should have some inbuilt protocol mechanism in order to speed up.""What could be improved in SnapLogic is that it was not capable in terms of processing a large number of datasets, but at that point, SnapLogic was evolving. It didn't give a lot of Snaps. I heard recently there are a lot of Snaps getting added and the solution was being enhanced, particularly to connect different data sources. When I was working with SnapLogic six months to one year back, I faced the issue of it not being capable of handling a huge volume of datasets or didn't have much of Snaps, and that was the drawback. If there is any large number of data sets, that's based on or depends on your configuration. If it is a huge volume of data, other traditional ETL tools such as Informatica and Talend can process millions and billions of records, while in SnapLogic, the Snaplex fails or it returns an error in terms of processing that huge volume of data. Informatica, Talend, or any other ETL tool can run for hours in terms of jobs, while SnapLogic jobs fail when the threshold is reached. SnapLogic isn't able to withstand processing, but I don't know if that's still an issue at present, because the solution is getting enhanced and it's been more than six months to one year since I last worked with SnapLogic. There are now a lot of Snaps getting added to the solution, and if it can overcome the limitations I mentioned, SnapLogic could be the go-to tool because currently, it's not being used as much in organizations. It's being used comparatively less compared to other retail tools.""The support is the most important improvement they could make.""One of the areas for improvement in SnapLogic is that the connectors for some of the applications should be more available in terms of testing in the dev environment. Another area for improvement is that the logging should be standardized, for example, the integration with an ELK stack should be required out-of-the-box, so you can ship the log and have it in the ELK stack. There should be integration with ELK stack for the log shipping.""Connecting to data behind enterprise firewalls has been tricky.""One area for improvement in SnapLogic is the transparency in the flow of data. It needs to have more transparency. Right now, users only have a preview option at the end of any job flow, so at the end of any Snap Pack, there is a data preview option that lets you review the data and see how it's moving. What would make the solution better is more debugging and more access to change data from the preview panel or more functionality in terms of the preview option.""There is room for improvement with APM management and how task execution looks.""We'd like zero downtime in the future."

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Pricing and Cost Advice
  • "We have found the pricing very cost-effective. The licensing is CPU and data source-based."
  • "Cost could be improved."
  • "Licensing is a one time cost. But maintenance costs depend on what you want, how long you need it. Maintenance is a kind of insurance. With health insurance, you don't know whether you will get sick or need to go to hospital or not but you have to have insurance. It's the same thing with support. If you have that expertise in resolving issues, if you have enough experience in your IT department, I would say you don't need the support. But in practice, they recommend you go with the support. If you want support you have to pay for it."
  • "Price-wise, it's more expensive than SSIS, but it's a better tool, so it has more features. Licensing is on a yearly basis."
  • "Its maintenance is expensive."
  • "It's much more expensive, almost three times more expensive than most other solutions."
  • "We are satisfied with the pricing."
  • "I consider this to be an expensive product."
  • More Informatica PowerCenter Pricing and Cost Advice →

  • "An annual package license fee is required."
  • "The cost of PowerExchange is reasonable. It does not rely on complicated formulas or unrealistic equations. The pricing model is straightforward. There is one component, and real-time integration is included. Some other solutions require purchasing additional modules or third-party plugins for this capability."
  • "It's expensive. In fact, nobody would buy any product of Informatica if the price was the only consideration. It costs money, and it doesn't come cheap, but it provides value for money in many ways."
  • "There is a need to pay towards the licensing cost of the product. It is an expensive product."
  • "Many users don't prefer to use the product, considering the high costs attached to the licensing part of the solution."
  • "The product is not very expensive."
  • More Informatica PowerExchange Pricing and Cost Advice →

  • "It is a higher initial cost than other easy-to-use integration apps."
  • "They have pricing/usage tiers that are easy to move up or down."
  • "SnapLogic is not expensive. It's reasonably priced."
  • "The cost with SnapLogic is an annual license and better than Informatica."
  • "By scaling the solution incrementally the cost is controlled and more beneficial to the client."
  • "The license model is based on consumption."
  • "I used the free trial."
  • "SnapLogic's price is high compared to the other tools available in the market."
  • More SnapLogic Pricing and Cost Advice →

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    Comparison Review
    Anonymous User
    Technology has made it easier for businesses to organize and manipulate data to get a clearer picture of what’s going on with their business. Notably, ETL tools have made managing huge amounts of data significantly easier and faster, boosting many organizations’ business intelligence operations There are many third-party vendors offering ETL solutions, but two of the most popular are PowerCenter Informatica and Microsoft SSIS (SQL Server Integration Services). Each technology has its advantages but there are also similarities on how they carry out the extract-transform-load processes and only differ in terminologies. If you’re in the process of choosing ETL tools and PowerCenter Informatica and Microsoft SSIS made it to your shortlist, here is a short comparative discussion detailing the differences between the two, as well as their benefits. Package Configuration Most enterprise data integration projects would require the capacity to develop a solution in one platform and test and deploy it in a separate environment without having to manually change the established workflow. In order to achieve this seamless movement between two environments, your ETL technology should allow the dynamic update of the project’s properties using the content or a parameter file or configuration. Both Informatica and SSIS support this functionality using different methodologies. In Informatica, every session can have more than one source and one or more destination connections. There are… Read more →
    Questions from the Community
    Top Answer:Azure Data Factory is flexible, modular, and works well. In terms of cost, it is not too pricey. It offers the stability… more »
    Top Answer:SSIS PowerPack is a group of drag and drop connectors for Microsoft SQL Server Integration Services, commonly called… more »
    Top Answer:Complex transformations can easily be achieved using PowerCenter, which has all the features and tools to establish a… more »
    Top Answer:The product's initial setup phase was not complex. The tool is easy to install onto any of the servers, and you can… more »
    Top Answer:Many users don't prefer to use the product, considering the high costs attached to the licensing part of the solution.
    Top Answer:The product's functionality attached to the logs is an area of concern where improvements are required. Sometimes, the… more »
    Top Answer:My company has a licensed version of SnapLogic, so we have to pay for the product when we use it in our organization… more »
    Top Answer:SnapLogic and Pentaho are tools I use collaboratively for data integration. I have good experience with Pentaho and… more »
    Ranking
    3rd
    out of 94 in Data Integration
    Views
    20,419
    Comparisons
    16,998
    Reviews
    30
    Average Words per Review
    472
    Rating
    7.6
    21st
    out of 94 in Data Integration
    Views
    2,856
    Comparisons
    2,156
    Reviews
    7
    Average Words per Review
    600
    Rating
    7.6
    Unranked
    In Data Integration
    Comparisons
    Also Known As
    PowerCenter
    PowerExchange, Connectors
    DataFlow
    Learn More
    Overview

    Informatica PowerCenter is a data integration and data visualization tool. The solution works as an enterprise data integration platform that helps organizations access, transform, and integrate data from various systems. The product is designed to support companies in the full cycle of a project, from its initial rollout to critical deployments. Informatica PowerCenter allows developers and analysts to collaborate while accelerating the work process to deploy projects within days instead of months.

    The Advanced edition of the product provides an additional real-time engine which allows companies to have always-on enterprise data integration. This ensures seamless collaboration and increment of data lineage visibility and impacts analysis.

    The Premium edition of the solution offers an early warning system that detects unexpected behaviors or incorrect utilization of resources in the workflows and alerts companies in the case that these occur. This version of the product also offers automatic data validation, which ensures data accuracy and reduces testing time and expenditure of resources for by up to 90%.

    Informatica PowerCenter Features

    The product provides users with various features which allow them to execute data integration initiatives such as analytics, data warehousing, data governance, consolidation, and application migration. The features of the solution include:

    • Collaboration: Informatica PowerCenter offers role-based tools and processes which enable business self-service while benefiting from high-quality IT resources.

    • Automation: Through various automations and easy-to-use software, users can utilize graphical and codeless tools and initiate effective data integration without additional knowledge.

    • Scalability: The tool provides high scalability to users, which ensures seamless performance and minimum downtime. PowerCenter also has adaptive load balancing, pushdown optimization, and dynamic partitioning.

    • Monitoring: Through the extensive monitoring feature, the operations and governance of the solution are easily overseen by users. The tool also provides alerts that can prevent damage to the system.

    • Real-time data: Through real-time data, users can monitor applications and analytics, ensuring their efficient operation.

    • Prototyping: Informatica lets its users collaborate with information technology to prototype, profile, and validate results in a timely manner.

    • Connectivity: Users can access and integrate data from different types of sources through high-performance connectors.

    • Automated data validation testing: The product offers script-free automated and repeatable audit and validation of data.

    • Data transformation: This feature allows users to use comprehensive parsing of JSON, PDF, XML, Microsoft Office, and the Internet of Things (IoT) for non-relation data.

    • Cloud applications connectivity: The product allows for seamless connection to cloud application sources and targets.

    Informatica PowerCenter Benefits

    The benefits of using Informatica PowerCenter include:

    • The tool can work over a wide range of systems and platforms and also allows for lean integration.

    • It enhances the quality and speed of performance and optimizes the cost of the process for your organization.

    • PowerCenter supports multiple databases, including TPump, Parallel Transporter Fastload, and Teradata MLoad.

    • The tool is very easy to monitor and maintain, which simplifies the data integration process for companies.

    • The centralized error logging system allows users to locate errors in a timely manner and correct them.

    • The tool can convert data from an application to another format, as it serves as one of the most powerful data transformation solutions.

    • PowerCenter can also serve as middleware between two applications.

    • The solution offers both parallel processing and load balancing.

    • PowerCenter is a tool with a high level of security, which also minimizes essential administration activities.

    • The solution ensures the quality of information, as it does not allow invalid or unwanted data to be uploaded to the source.

    Reviews from Real Users

    Yahya T., a developer and architect at L'Oreal, says the product is stable, provides good support, and integrating it with other systems is very fast.

    Mohamed E., a senior manager for Data management and data governance at a tech company, says PowerCenter is stable, mature, and offers flexibility in building the pipeline and has a drag-and-drop mode because it's GUI-based; technical support is brilliant.

    Informatica PowerExchange Connectors provides high performance, out-of-the-box connectivity without having to develop custom data access programs.

    The SnapLogic Intelligent Integration Platform uses AI-powered workflows to automate all stages of IT integration projects – design, development, deployment, and maintenance – whether on-premises, in the cloud, or in hybrid environments. The platform’s easy-to-use, self-service interface enables both expert and citizen integrators to manage all application integration, data integration, API management, B2B integration, and data engineering projects on a single, scalable platform. With SnapLogic, organizations can connect all of their enterprise systems quickly and easily to automate business processes, accelerate analytics, and drive transformation.

    Sample Customers
    University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, LexisNexis, Rabobank
    ACH Food, BNSF Railway Company, Illinois State University
    Adobe, ADP, BlackBerry, Bonobos, Box, Capital One, Dannon, Eero, Endo, Gensler, HCL, HP, Grovo, HIS, iRobot, Leica, Merck, Sans, Target, Verizon, Vodafone, Yelp, Yahoo!
    Top Industries
    REVIEWERS
    Computer Software Company22%
    Financial Services Firm20%
    Retailer7%
    Insurance Company7%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Financial Services Firm18%
    Computer Software Company12%
    Manufacturing Company8%
    Insurance Company7%
    REVIEWERS
    Computer Software Company25%
    Insurance Company25%
    Financial Services Firm13%
    University13%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Financial Services Firm26%
    Insurance Company12%
    Computer Software Company12%
    Government7%
    REVIEWERS
    Retailer22%
    Transportation Company22%
    Manufacturing Company11%
    Pharma/Biotech Company11%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Financial Services Firm20%
    Computer Software Company12%
    Manufacturing Company11%
    Retailer5%
    Company Size
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business15%
    Midsize Enterprise11%
    Large Enterprise74%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business15%
    Midsize Enterprise11%
    Large Enterprise74%
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business37%
    Midsize Enterprise11%
    Large Enterprise53%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business12%
    Midsize Enterprise8%
    Large Enterprise80%
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business48%
    Midsize Enterprise14%
    Large Enterprise38%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business14%
    Midsize Enterprise12%
    Large Enterprise74%
    Buyer's Guide
    Data Integration
    March 2024
    Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft, Informatica, Oracle and others in Data Integration. Updated: March 2024.
    765,234 professionals have used our research since 2012.