Azure Data Factory vs SAP Data Services comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide
Executive Summary
Updated on Sep 6, 2022

We performed a comparison between Azure Data Factory and SAP Data Services based on our users’ reviews in four categories. After reading all of the collected data, you can find our conclusion below.

  • Ease of Deployment: Azure Data Factory users feel the solution is easy and straightforward to deploy. SAP Data Service users feel the solution can be complex and advise that a SAP technician is needed.
  • Features: Azure Data Factory allows users to create ETL pipelines easily. The visual drag-and-drop feature saves users time and makes things easy to customize. They can move data from on-premise to cloud solutions seamlessly. Users feel that machine learning capabilities and other connectors for other third-party solutions are recommended.

    SAP Data Services has good integration and data migration capabilities. Users can extract data from the table level, ETL level, and ODP level. Many users feel that managing the source code becomes cumbersome when the source code gets too large. Some users feel SAP Data Services is lacking in sources and target databases and should have more connectivity.
  • Pricing: For the most part, users of both solutions feel the pricing is reasonable.
  • Service and Support: Overall, users tell us support for both solutions is satisfactory.

Comparison Results: Users prefer Azure Data Factory, as it is mature, robust, and consistent. The built-in connectors of more than 100 sources and onboarding data from many different sources to the cloud environment make it easier for users to understand the data flow better. An experienced data engineer is recommended to ensure proper speed and functionality when using SAP Data Services; it is not recommended for the novice user.

To learn more, read our detailed Azure Data Factory vs. SAP Data Services Report (Updated: March 2024).
763,955 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Featured Review
Quotes From Members
We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use.
Here are some excerpts of what they said:
Pros
"We have been using drivers to connect to various data sets and consume data.""Data Factory's best feature is the ease of setting up pipelines for data and cloud integrations.""Powerful but easy-to-use and intuitive.""Azure Data Factory's most valuable features are the packages and the data transformation that it allows us to do, which is more drag and drop, or a visual interface. So, that eases the entire process.""It is easy to integrate.""We use the solution to move data from on-premises to the cloud.""I think it makes it very easy to understand what data flow is and so on. You can leverage the user interface to do the different data flows, and it's great. I like it a lot.""We have found the bulk load feature very valuable."

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"The product's most valuable features are data validation and rules.""We can extract data at a table level, extract data at the ETL level, and we can extract data at an ODP level.""The reporting on the data, even from third-party software, is very good.""You can always manipulate a lot of things as long as you have the skill level.""The fact that it's built on SQL, it makes it easy to write code. The database and the connection are quite smooth.""The HANA database, which is very fast, is a valuable feature.""Its integration capabilities and the data migration capabilities are the most valuable. It is very good for SAP and non-SAP tools. It has very good integration with SAP, but it also has the capabilities to connect to other systems. We find it very helpful and stable.""The maintenance of data services is the solution's most valuable feature."

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Cons
"DataStage is easier to learn than Data Factory because it's more visual. Data Factory has some drag-and-drop options, but it's not as intuitive as DataStage. It would be better if they added more drag-and-drop features. You can start using DataStage without knowing the code. You don't need to learn how the code works before using the solution.""There are limitations when processing more than one GD file.""The Microsoft documentation is too complicated.""There is always room to improve. There should be good examples of use that, of course, customers aren't always willing to share. It is Catch-22. It would help the user base if everybody had really good examples of deployments that worked, but when you ask people to put out their good deployments, which also includes me, you usually got, "No, I'm not going to do that." They don't have enough good examples. Microsoft probably just needs to pay one of their partners to build 20 or 30 examples of functional Data Factories and then share them as a user base.""When the record fails, it's tough to identify and log.""In the next release, it's important that some sort of scheduler for running tasks is added.""I would like to see this time travel feature in Snowflake added to Azure Data Factory.""Snowflake connectivity was recently added and if the vendor provided some videos on how to create data then that would be helpful."

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"They could make it easier to work with web services.""With SAP Data Services, the problem arises when I try to connect to Azure Databricks.""Integration with other products could be improved.""We encounter challenges while exporting implemented rules, such as those applied to objects like the material master, into a format like Excel for documentation and further analysis.""I want some more business intelligence applications. People need to know more and more about data, including the transformation rules, etc. Informatica is a better product for data cataloging. SAP should update the data catalog.""In the future, Data Services should offer a cloud version.""It's an ETL that is very good with relational databases but not as good with files and semi-structured files.""It will work fine only in an SAP environment. It could be said that the integration with other vendors could be better."

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Pricing and Cost Advice
  • "In terms of licensing costs, we pay somewhere around S14,000 USD per month. There are some additional costs. For example, we would have to subscribe to some additional computing and for elasticity, but they are minimal."
  • "This is a cost-effective solution."
  • "The price you pay is determined by how much you use it."
  • "Understanding the pricing model for Data Factory is quite complex."
  • "I would not say that this product is overly expensive."
  • "The licensing is a pay-as-you-go model, where you pay for what you consume."
  • "Our licensing fees are approximately 15,000 ($150 USD) per month."
  • "The licensing cost is included in the Synapse."
  • More Azure Data Factory Pricing and Cost Advice →

  • "Pricing is good, there is no problem."
  • "The pricing is a little high to make the product more competetive in the marketplace."
  • "Its pricing is as per the enterprise agreement and not a concern for us."
  • "The price is very reasonable."
  • "There is a one time purchase fee plus annual maintenance."
  • "The price of SAP Data Services is a little high when compared to other solutions. Due to the pricing and capabilities, many clients are switching to other solutions."
  • "At the entry level, if you're using it only for data integration, it is a little bit cheap. However, for large organizations it can be expensive. There are additional costs apart from the license."
  • "The license price is expensive but medium to large-scale companies, should be able to afford it. Other solutions, such as Talend are easier to afford for smaller companies. Depending on the sources of the data where you are receiving your data you could be paying for more than one license."
  • More SAP Data Services Pricing and Cost Advice →

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    Questions from the Community
    Top Answer:AWS Glue and Azure Data factory for ELT best performance cloud services.
    Top Answer:Azure Data Factory is flexible, modular, and works well. In terms of cost, it is not too pricey. It offers the stability and reliability I am looking for, good scalability, and is easy to set up and… more »
    Top Answer:Azure Data Factory is a solid product offering many transformation functions; It has pre-load and post-load transformations, allowing users to apply transformations either in code by using Power… more »
    Top Answer: I believe the license for the product is fair, even though some competitors offer similar services at lower prices. The difference between the Edge edition and the next one up is significant in price… more »
    Top Answer: I think after some preparation, a beginner will be able to use SAP Data Services, however, if you are completely unprepared, you may have some issues. I think that in particular you will need a more… more »
    Top Answer:SAP Data Services has helped our whole staff understand the data across various sources and systems within the company. Not everyone who works at my organization is an IT expert - most just have… more »
    Ranking
    1st
    out of 94 in Data Integration
    Views
    26,364
    Comparisons
    20,689
    Reviews
    40
    Average Words per Review
    495
    Rating
    8.0
    10th
    out of 94 in Data Integration
    Views
    7,236
    Comparisons
    5,716
    Reviews
    14
    Average Words per Review
    514
    Rating
    8.2
    Comparisons
    Also Known As
    SAP BusinessObjects Data Services, SAP BusinessObjects Data Integrator, BusinessObjects Data Integrator
    Learn More
    Overview

    Azure Data Factory efficiently manages and integrates data from various sources, enabling seamless movement and transformation across platforms. Its valuable features include seamless integration with Azure services, handling large data volumes, flexible transformation, user-friendly interface, extensive connectors, and scalability. Users have experienced improved team performance, workflow simplification, enhanced collaboration, streamlined processes, and boosted productivity.

    SAP Data Services is a top-ranking data integration and data quality tool. This is a product that aims to provide its users with effective access to their data in order to transform it and connect it to various business processes. SAP Data Services offers companies detailed data insights which improve decision-making and make company operations more effective.

    Organizations can increase the value of their structured and unstructured data with the functionalities of this product regarding data integration, quality, and cleansing. Through various components such as:

    • Simplified maintenance
    • On-premises deployment
    • Data quality and integration
    • Intuitive user interfaces

    the product transforms data into a ready-to-use resource for business insights.

    Some of the key components of SAP Data Services include:

    • Universal data access
    • Native-text data processing
    • Intuitive user interfaces
    • Data quality dashboards
    • Simplified data governance
    • Scalability and high performance

    Through these components, the product allows its clients to access and integrate data sources and targets with native connectors. Users can derive meaning from unstructured text data, match data to reduce duplicates, and see the impact of data quality issues. The tool also offers the option to enable parallel processing, bulk data loading, and grid computing for high-volume data loads.

    SAP Data Services Features

    The solution has different features for data integration, data quality, data profiling, and processing of text data. Using these features, clients can manage their company's data easily and achieve excellent results by optimizing it. Some of the product’s features include:

    • Data integration capabilities: The features regarding data integration provide a wide variety of opportunities. The product is available in 31 languages and connects to many data sources, providing its clients with access to their data anywhere at any time. It is also integrated with the SAP Business Suite applications, allowing users the full experience that the company has to offer. The tool is interconnected with SAP Data Hub, orchestrating data flows through the SAP Data Intelligence solution. Additionally, it supports a large number of third-party data sources, it is optimized for SAP HANA, and provides fine-tuned data replication and transformation through unique mechanisms.

    • Data quality capabilities: Clients can use a single interface to access designing, testing, debugging, editing, running, maintaining, and monitoring of data integration and data quality. It allows for the delivery of ready-to-use transformations and exposes hidden problems in users' data. With this feature, clients can build a single version of their data that is most efficient for them.

    • Data profiling capabilities: Companies that work with high-volume data can employ parallel processing, bulk data loading, and grid computing to be able to operate with the data more efficiently. This feature enables unlimited scalability and high availability by various automations. It also provides excellent security for the treated data through encryption and other services.

    • Processing of text data capabilities: This feature allows users to extract data from unstructured texts and understand it better. It works with 220 different file and text formats and 31 languages.

    SAP Data Services Benefits

    This solution offers various benefits to its clients regarding the efficient operation of their data. The key benefits of SAP Data Services include:

    • Broad access to data which can build a better perspective for companies of their information.

    • Improved decision-making and information management due to efficient data operations.

    • Ability to utilize various tools to help unify data on premises, in the cloud, or within big data.

    • The software provides efficient insight for reporting and data analytics.

    • The tool allows for easy integration with a large number of different databases.

    • The product provides the opportunity to seamlessly connect with other SAP solutions.

    • The solution simplifies extract, transform, and load (ETL) construction processes through intuitive graphic software.

    Reviews from Real Users

    According to Michael Lutz, senior data warehouse developer at Fox Chase Cancer Center, SAP Data Services is a powerful tool that does a lot.

    An associate consultant at a consultancy says the tool is easy to use, simple to implement, and offers very good mapping capabilities.

    Sample Customers
    1. Adobe 2. BMW 3. Coca-Cola 4. General Electric 5. Johnson & Johnson 6. LinkedIn 7. Mastercard 8. Nestle 9. Pfizer 10. Samsung 11. Siemens 12. Toyota 13. Unilever 14. Verizon 15. Walmart 16. Accenture 17. American Express 18. AT&T 19. Bank of America 20. Cisco 21. Deloitte 22. ExxonMobil 23. Ford 24. General Motors 25. IBM 26. JPMorgan Chase 27. Microsoft (Azure Data Factory is developed by Microsoft) 28. Oracle 29. Procter & Gamble 30. Salesforce 31. Shell 32. Visa
    EMC Corporation, LivePerson, Eldorado, Mozzart, The VELUX Group, AOK Bundesverband, Hilti Group, Nissha Printing Company Ltd., Asian Paints, Aareal Bank Group, Migros Group
    Top Industries
    REVIEWERS
    Computer Software Company33%
    Insurance Company12%
    Manufacturing Company8%
    Financial Services Firm8%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company13%
    Financial Services Firm13%
    Manufacturing Company8%
    Healthcare Company7%
    REVIEWERS
    Computer Software Company17%
    Manufacturing Company13%
    Pharma/Biotech Company8%
    Transportation Company8%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Manufacturing Company13%
    Computer Software Company13%
    Financial Services Firm9%
    Energy/Utilities Company8%
    Company Size
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business28%
    Midsize Enterprise20%
    Large Enterprise52%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business18%
    Midsize Enterprise13%
    Large Enterprise70%
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business23%
    Midsize Enterprise9%
    Large Enterprise68%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business18%
    Midsize Enterprise11%
    Large Enterprise71%
    Buyer's Guide
    Azure Data Factory vs. SAP Data Services
    March 2024
    Find out what your peers are saying about Azure Data Factory vs. SAP Data Services and other solutions. Updated: March 2024.
    763,955 professionals have used our research since 2012.

    Azure Data Factory is ranked 1st in Data Integration with 40 reviews while SAP Data Services is ranked 10th in Data Integration with 15 reviews. Azure Data Factory is rated 8.0, while SAP Data Services is rated 8.0. The top reviewer of Azure Data Factory writes "The good, the bad and the lots of ugly". On the other hand, the top reviewer of SAP Data Services writes "Easy to use, simple to implement, and offers very good mapping capabilities". Azure Data Factory is most compared with Informatica PowerCenter, Alteryx Designer, Informatica Cloud Data Integration, Snowflake and AWS Lake Formation, whereas SAP Data Services is most compared with Syniti Data Quality, Informatica PowerCenter, SSIS, Palantir Foundry and SAP Process Orchestration. See our Azure Data Factory vs. SAP Data Services report.

    See our list of best Data Integration vendors.

    We monitor all Data Integration 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.