Informatica PowerCenter vs Quest SharePlex vs webMethods Integration Server comparison

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Informatica PowerCenter, Quest SharePlex, and webMethods Integration Server based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

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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 technical support is excellent.""The setup is straightforward.""It is very comprehensive in terms of connector and transformation capabilities from both a source and target perspective.""Good interface, reasonable documentation.""I like the completeness of the way I can build ETL workflows.""PowerCenter performs well during data transformation and optimization.""We can scale the product.""It's a complete package, which is why we use this solution."

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"I like SharePlex's Compare and Repair tool.""The core replication and its performance. Performance is crucial, and SharePlex is by far the fastest. The way it handles replication to multiple targets along with basic filtering, as well as from multiple sources to a single target, is very efficient.""The core features of the solution we like are the reliability of the data transfer and the accuracy of data read and write. The stability of the solution is also excellent.""Because of the volume of the transactions, we heavily use a feature that allows SharePlex to replicate thousands of transactions. It's called PEP, Post Enhancement Performance, and that has helped us scale tremendously.""There are some capabilities within SharePlex where you can see how the data is migrating and if it still maintains good data integrity. For example, if there are some tables that get out of sync, there are ways to find them and fix the problem on the spot. Since these are very common issues, we can easily fix these types of problems using utilities, like compare and repair. So, if you find something is out of sync, then you can just repair that table. It basically syncs that table from source to target to see if there are any differences. It will then replicate those differences to the target."

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"The stability is good.""The messaging part is the most valuable feature.""Ease of implementation and flexibility to hold the business logic are the most valuable features.""It is a bundled product stack for A2A and B2B usage. It is one of the best products which I have used during my integration career.""It frankly fills the gap between IT and business by having approval and policy enforcement on each state and cycle of the asset from the moment it gets created until it is retired.""The main assets are its flow language, debugging, and Broker. Flow language is far better and more flexible for debugging.""I feel comfortable using this product with its ease of building interfaces for developers. This is a better integration tool for integrating with various applications like Oracle, Salesforce, mainframes, etc. It works fine in the integration of legacy software as well.""The tool supports gRPC."

More webMethods Integration Server Pros →

Cons
"Compared to solutions offering similar functionalities, Informatica PowerCenter is not very flexible regarding customized integrations.""Informatica PowerCenter could improve on the documentation for the implementation. The documents provided are not very good for a new user.""Lacks ability to calculate cost of the product.""Areas for improvement in Informatica PowerCenter include scalability and high availability or the clustering configuration because that's still very basic. The elasticity or scaling of the platform needs a lot of improvement. For example, when it comes to DR handling or building an active-active or active-passive cluster, Informatica PowerCenter is still not that powerful. Automation also needs improvement in the solution. Improving automation leads to some improvement in the stability of Informatica PowerCenter and other aspects related to it. What I'd like to see in the next release of Informatica PowerCenter is real-time capability because the solution is mainly for patches, and to have real-time integration, you need to count on some additional components from Informatica. I would expect more integration and a complete platform in terms of real-time capability or patching with minimal interventions or minimal components to be aligned together.""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.""PowerCenter could integrate better with cloud applications. We had to do a lot of configuration work using API integrations to connect with cloud applications. Informatica Cloud Data Integration has a generic connector that you can use directly, so it's much easier.""Integrating new tools can be tricky and challenging.""Informatica PowerCenter could improve the data threshold for large sets of data. Additionally, they should add real-time integration."

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"For its function in relation to replication (i.e. filtering), I'd give it a six or seven out of 10. GoldenGate has much more functionality by comparison.""I would like more ability to automate installation and configuration in line with some of the DevOps processes that are more mature in the market. That would be a considerable improvement.""The reporting features need improvement. It would be very good for users to have a clear understanding of the status of replication.""I don't know how easy it would be to change the architecture in an already implemented replication. For example, if we have a certain way of architecting for a particular database migration and want to change that during a period of time, is that an easy or difficult change? There was a need for us to change the architecture in-between the migration, but we didn't do it. We thought, "This is possibly complicated. Let's not change it in the middle because we were approaching our cutover date." That was one thing that we should have checked with support about for training.""I would like the solution to have some kind of machine learning and AI capabilities. Often, if we want to improve the performance of posting, we have to bump up a parameter. That means we need to stop the process, come up with a figure that we want to bump the parameter up to, and then start SharePlex. Machine learning and AI capabilities for these kinds of improvement would tremendously help boost productivity for us."

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"​Large file handling is pretty hard comparatively to other middleware tools.""For code version control, you need to use some external software.""It is quite expensive.""Documentation needs tuning. There is a lot of dependency with SoftwareAG. Even with the documentation at hand, you can struggle to implement scenarios without SAG’s help. By contrast, IBM’s documentation is self-explanatory, in my opinion.""Forced migration from MessageBroker to Universal Messaging requires large scale reimplementation for JMS.""We got the product via a reseller, and the support from the reseller has been less than desirable.""The certifications and learning resources are not exposed openly enough. For instance, they have a trial version which comes with only a few basic features, and I think that community-wise they need to offer more free or open spaces where developers can feel encouraged to experiment.""I'd like to see the admin portal for managing the integration server go up a level, to have more capabilities and to be given a more modern web interface."

More webMethods Integration Server Cons →

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 →

  • "It is not as expensive as Oracle GoldenGate and has worked really well within our budgets."
  • "It's really good value for the money. There are some things they could improve on, but in terms of the pricing, features, and support, as a holistic package, we are not thinking of anything else at this point in time."
  • More Quest SharePlex Pricing and Cost Advice →

  • "Initialy good pricing and good, if it comes to Enterprise license agreements."
  • "It is worth the cost."
  • "Always plan five years ahead and don’t jeopardize the quality of your project by dropping items from the bill of materials."
  • "Pricing has to be negotiated with the local Software AG representative. SAG can always prepare an appropriate pricing model for every client."
  • "Some of the licensing is "component-ized," which is confusing to new users/customers."
  • "It is expensive, but we reached a good agreement with the company. It is still a little bit expensive, but we got a better deal than the previous one."
  • "The pricing and licensing costs for webMethods are very high, which is the only reason that we might switch to another product."
  • "The vendor is flexible with respect to pricing."
  • More webMethods Integration Server 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:I like SharePlex's Compare and Repair tool.
    Top Answer:I would like more ability to automate installation and configuration in line with some of the DevOps processes that are… more »
    Top Answer:We use SharePlex to migrate and update from one data center to another. It's helpful for DR and broadcasting solutions… more »
    Top Answer:The synchronous and asynchronous messaging system the solution provides is very good.
    Top Answer:Other products have been using AI and cloud enhancements, but webMethods Integration Server is still lagging in that key… more »
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    Also Known As
    PowerCenter
    Dell SharePlex, SharePlex
    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.

    SharePlex database replication empowers your organization to achieve its database goals now and into the future. Make use of built-in monitoring, conflict resolution, data comparison and synchronization capabilities backed by award-winning support.

    webMethods Integration Server is widely considered to be the best integration server available in the marketplace today. The solution can help users integrate everything and anything.

    webMethods Integration Server allows organizations to display and integrate existing and new business activities. The solution offers components that help users create, test, and install new services. webMethods Integration Server can automate, organize, and construct various gathered services and traditional legacy systems into productive value-added processes. webMethods Integration Server works as a secure platform for distributing and running services. The solution obtains and translates user requests, recognizes and records the requested service, translates and moves the data in the necessary format, receives the information back, and returns the information to the user in the appropriate original format. webMethods is the primary solution used by enterprise organizations for integrating functional coordination with application servers, custom applications, and databases. webMethods makes it easy for enterprise organizations to share electronic documents seamlessly.

    Users have several options to audit webMethods Integration Server processes using some of the component metrics below:

    • Adapters: Using the SOA extension for webMethods, users can easily monitor the performance of every adapter users have deployed. Available metrics include Adapter Services, Adapter Connection Pools, and Adapter Notifications nodes.

    • Business Processes: A business process is a process that uses a specific set of rules to perform tasks in a prescribed order. Many business processes depend on the successful integration of numerous systems, involving many people in varying roles. With the SOA extension for webMethods, users can easily monitor that workflow, ensuring that processes are being performed as defined.

    • Java Services: This includes services created in Java or in languages coordinated with Java.

    • WebServices: This includes services regarding webserver endpoints and performance.

    • XSLT Services: This service will allow users to transform XML data into other formats and includes the transformation to other services.

    • Thread Pools: This metric uses threads to conduct services, gather documents from the webMethods Broker, and initiate triggers. Documents can be published locally on the server or to the broker that will send the document out. A JMS trigger receives inbound messages and then processes those messages accordingly.

    Reviews from Real Users:

    “There are a few things about this product that we definitely like. It is very robust. If you build it nicely, you can't go wrong with it. It's rock solid. The development is very fast. If you know what you're doing, you can develop something very easy and very fast.” - Rohit S., Integration Lead at a wellness & fitness company

    “One of the most important features is that it gives you the possibility to do low-level integration. We can meet any requirements through customizations, transformations, or the logic that needs to be put in. When clients come to me with any problem, in about 99% of cases, I say, "Yes, it is feasible to do through webMethods." It has reached such a level of flexibility and maturity. Most of the things are available out of the box, and even if something is not available out of the box, we can customize it and deliver it for a client's requirements.” - Sushant D., IT specialist at Accenture

    Sample Customers
    University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, LexisNexis, Rabobank
    Bodybuilding.com, Priceline.com, Ameco Beijing, Viasat, SK Broadband
    Fujitsu, Coca Cola, ING, Credit Suisse, Electrolux, GTA, CosmosDirekt
    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%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Financial Services Firm17%
    Computer Software Company16%
    Manufacturing Company7%
    Insurance Company6%
    REVIEWERS
    Computer Software Company28%
    Manufacturing Company18%
    Financial Services Firm10%
    Energy/Utilities Company8%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Financial Services Firm16%
    Computer Software Company14%
    Manufacturing Company10%
    Retailer7%
    Company Size
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business15%
    Midsize Enterprise11%
    Large Enterprise74%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business15%
    Midsize Enterprise11%
    Large Enterprise74%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business23%
    Midsize Enterprise13%
    Large Enterprise64%
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business21%
    Midsize Enterprise9%
    Large Enterprise70%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business19%
    Midsize Enterprise11%
    Large Enterprise69%
    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.