KNIME Reviews

This solution is primarily used for various data analytics in an enterprise environment. 

The reality of any data analytics project including Data Science is that 90% of the effort goes into data sourcing and preparation. Data usually comes from multiple sources including data warehouses, web scraping, Excel input, free text, etc. KNIME allows you to do the 90% plus other predictive functionality.

It is a free open-source tool that performs very similarly to other expensive tools. KNIME has been great for me over the years. It allows me to connect to various sources including data warehouses, then put the processing logic together (ETL-like), which can be quite complex and produce the required output. Ultimately, it would go into Excel or Tableau for presentation.

The features that I find most valuable are:

1. The visual workflow tools for custom and complex tasks always beat raw coding languages with the agility, speed to deliver, and ease of subsequent changes.
2. Unlimited volume of data; you are only limited by the machine you run on.
3. Python and R integration.
4. Predictive functionality and text analytics. If it is not enough then you can use custom Python and R scripts.
5. Looping functionality.
6. Variables allow you to parameterize your flows.
7. Run one node at a time, which is something that Alteryx users dream of doing.
8. Managing (collapsing) sub-flows, which is another thing that Alteryx container users also dream of.

The areas that I feel need improvement are:

• It needs support for a joiner node to have three outputs (left unmatched, matched, right unmatched), as competitors do (have not checked 2019/20 releases).
• I need the ability to add additional comparison conditions to a join. For example, in SQL you can specify only rows with a date fitting within a date range from the joined file. At the moment in KNIME, you should allow a join explosion to take place and filter what you need later, but sometimes the output becomes too big.
• It would be helpful to have more examples of Java code for nodes, like Java Snippet.
• I would like to have this solution show row counts on canvas, as it would improve the control and speed to build the workflow.
• The pseudo-code types could be rationalised into one (e.g. only Java).
• I would like to see better web scraping because every time I tried, it was not up to par, although you can use Python script.

I have been using KNIME for between four and five years.

My system occasionally may crash like other similar tools, although autosave is available.

Scalability is limited to a desktop application.

Obviously, as an open-source application, your options are limited but I have found answers on forums when I needed help.

Recently I have been using Alteryx so I have collected a few points on differences in both tools. Both are good, I can conclusively say I could go back to KNIME and be as effective data professional as I am with Alteryx.

I have to use Alteryx due to my client's tool choice, but I know that what I am doing with Alteryx right now could be done better in KNIME. Of course, Alteryx has its own advantages for certain areas.

It is a relatively simple install. You can even avoid installing it and run from a directory.

KNIME is free as a stand-alone desktop-based platform but if you want to get a KNIME server then you can find the cost on their website. The fact that KNIME is open source may create challenges from an IT security view in an enterprise environment.

For this review, I would include Alteryx and Lavastorm (the latter is no longer available).

If you need a good Visualisation functionality, you should use Tableau or something of that caliber. However, the data prep can be done KNIME, which would give you extra confidence that what goes into your Visualisation layer is correct.

Overall, KNIME is definitely worth considering.

I encountered a problem that I managed to resolve effectively. I documented the issue in a paper and aimed to determine if the issue was due to normal network behavior or an anomaly. To investigate, I employed machine learning models and used the KNIME’s database. I gathered a significant amount of data and extensively applied machine learning models. Ultimately, I achieved improved data accuracy, especially in the context of network data.

I believe that some individuals may not be skilled programmers, and this is where the agenda comes in. It allows for a user-friendly approach where you can simply drag and drop elements to create your model, which is a convenient and effective idea.   

The pricing needs improvement. 

I have been using KNIME for the past six months.

It is stable solution.

It is scalable solution. 

The initial setup is straightforward.

It is expensive to procure the license.

I would rate the overall solution an eight out of ten. I would suggest this application to individuals involved in auditing. It's user-friendly and makes it easy to initiate model creation.

I am an intern. I am pursuing my master’s degree. I use this solution to propose a solution for accreditation review. I needed a tool to automate this task for my sources. This solution has helped me to do that.

The dynamic column name feature could be improved. When attempting to automate processes involving columns, such as with companies, it becomes difficult to achieve the same result when we make changes. So maybe it would be helpful to have a way to find similar column names automatically and execute a single approval, for instance.

In future releases, I can suggest having an API along with tools or services. This would allow for customization since the API is already available in other versions.

So, I suggest having an API for customization.

I have been using KNIME for six months.

I would rate the stability of KNIME a ten out of ten. 

I would rate the scalability of KNIME a six out of ten. 

I have used Alteryx. I prefer this solution over Alteryx because of the pricing point. KNIME is free and open source. 

The initial setup is easy. I will rate my experience with the initial setup a nine out of ten, where one means it's difficult to set up, while ten means it's very easy.

I deployed the solution myself. It took around one month to deploy it. 

KNIME is free and open source. I would rate the pricing model one out of ten, where one is low price, and ten is high price. 

It is a good tool and easy to learn. We do not need to know the codes before using the solution.

Overall, I would rate the solution a seven out of ten. 

We use KNIME for data and manipulation.

We have found KNIME valuable when it comes to its visualization.

We have been using KNIME for the past five years.

KNIME is stable for our needs after using it for five years.

KNIME is not scalable.

I have had no need to contact technical support.

I have used Python. The logic is the same, but the interface is totally different.

The setup for KNIME is simple. I would rate the setup a five on a scale of one to five.

I would rate KNIME a seven on a scale of one to ten.

KNIME is used for collecting data for data science.

KNIME has improved our organization because we are able to collect data in a way that we can interpret and it provides visuals.

Overall KNIME serves its purpose and does a good job.

KNIME can improve by adding more automation tools in the query, similar to UiPath or Blue Prism. It would make the data collection and cleanup duties more versatile.

I have been using KNIME for approximately four years.

KNIME is stable.

KNIME is always highly scalable, as new features come out and things that we learn from the new features can help us interpret data better.

We have approximately 12 people using the solution. There are three groups of users, the data entry team, data collection experts, and data interpreters. They use the solution for two months for each project we work on. We are planning on hiring more data scientists.

I rate the support from KNIME a three out of five.

I have not used other solutions other than KNIME.

The initial setup of KNIME was not challenging, but it took some practice.

The full deployment took us approximately one year. It took us a little while to adjust to the solution because many of the users did not have an analytics background, we had to teach them.

I rate the ease of setup for KNIME a four out of five.

We did evaluate other solutions. We decided to use KNIME because it is open source and was easier to start with.

My advice to others is to start out slow and gradually increase operations. 

I rate KNIME an eight out of ten.

There are other applications that I've used that make collecting the data and interpreting it a lot easier. If they could improve this my rating would increase.

I am a basic user, doing a data science course.

I am using Knime more from a study perspective, rather than a practical work application.

I am fairly competent with creating workflows and automating some basic things in Knime.

NA

From a user-friendliness perspective, it's a great tool.

I think some of the online training content could be better, although I have been able to find all of the information. At times they're quite lengthy, and for me to go through everything and then get a resolution takes a good amount of time.

They could have a more structured node-wise training model, where I can simply get into it. For example, if I need to understand a node to create pivot tables, I have to go through the training mode to understand what the functionality is.

If they had a more structured training model it would be very helpful.

It would be helpful to launch more certification programs online. 

There could be better marketing. The awareness of Knime is limited, especially for small organizations. When you compare with PowerBI, there is a lot of active marketing put into their product, also, having Microsoft associated with it is an advantage.

They have to step up on the marketing aspect and the ability to digitize using Knime. Many are aware of other tools such as PowerBI.

In the next release, I would like to see the certification available for active users.

Also the costing aspect of the certification, there could be more local impact time zone programs with a bit of costing dissension to encourage more active users in Knime who can then move to the server version in their organization.

I have been using Knime for approximately one year.

We are in the testing phase of this solution.

It is quite stable. I have not been faced with any issues since I have been using this solution.

Knime is a scalable product.

We have five power users who are test prototype users at the moment. We are trying to sell that prototype to the management so that we can deploy it on a larger scale.

I have never had the need to reach out to technical support.

At some point when I move on with the server versions, I might need some help.

The desktop version, it's more of an install and then just run it.

At this time, I am using the free version of Knime.

I did look at Tableau and was considering it to some extent. I felt Knime was more user-friendly and more versatile to automate tasks (most of them excel based).

I am quite supportive of this product. It has been helpful in automating a few of my accounting activities.

Digital groups such as Knime have great potential, but there needs to be more aggressiveness with marketing. There are many executives that do not know what Knime is.

My journey starts by explaining what Knime is and what the functionalities are.

I like Knime, and I would rate this solution a nine out of ten.

We use KNIME for two main reasons:

Automation: The main purpose of our utilization it to run scheduled workflows (such as CRM campaigns, business reports, etc.) on a recurrent basis. We have created ETLs to automate most of the recurrent tasks and we let it run via batch files.

Ad-hoc business cases: We leverage KNIME flexibility in order to query data from our database and manipulate them for any ad-hoc business case, before presenting results to stakeholders.

In addition to leveraging KNIME flexibility to query data from our database for ad-hoc business cases, the product is very easy to understand even for non-analytical stakeholders. Sometimes we provide them with KNIME workflows and teach them how to run it on their own machine. In some particular cases, my team builds the workflow and then we hand it over to the stakeholder, who can run it on his own by inserting a variable or changing a few settings in the workflows.

• Easy to connect with every database: We use queries from SQL, Redshift, Oracle.
• Easy to have a clear view of the data at every single step of the ETL process, with the consequent possibility of changing the flow according to your needs.

I think the data visualization part is the area most in need of improvement.

I’ve been using KNIME for more than four years now. I started using it in the company I was working for in Rome (Paddy Power Italy), then I moved to headquarters in Dublin (Paddy Power Ireland/UK) and started using it for their business. Eventually, I moved to the United States and started using it for my current company (TVG-Betfair) and it is currently the main analytics tool in both our offices (New Jersey and Los Angeles).

I would definitely rate it a nine out of 10. I am very happy with the product and it would be hard to find something better in the market.

We use this solution primarily for automation processing, source data, and for data lake or databases. 

I like the visual features and that we can connect using a pixel or an icon for the sources and controls. KNIME is easy to use, it's stable, powerful, and has a lot of features.

For now, the license is quite expensive for us and it would be helpful if that was reduced.

I've been using this solution for a few years. 

The solution is stable. 

We have five people using this solution so we haven't yet tested the scalability. 

We use the community for any questions we have. 

I think the deployment requires a specialist but once it's implemented it doesn't need any maintenance. 

We use the community version; the enterprise version is expensive for us. If we need better support or have other requirements we might need to move to the enterprise version. 

I rate this product nine out of 10.