Fabian Pieterse - PeerSpot reviewer
Lead Developer at HaynesPro
Real User
Top 10
Good backup and restore functionality but does not have great scalability
Pros and Cons
  • "The backup and restore functionality are the solution's most valuable aspects."
  • "The Microsoft license cost could be lower."

What is our primary use case?

We use it in our company. 

We use the product for data migration, production, and development. We deliver data sources to our customers using MDS. We are a data company.

What is most valuable?

The backup and restore functionality are the solution's most valuable aspects.

What needs improvement?

The Microsoft license cost could be lower.

We are a data company. We have loads of data and we are finding that, while it's working fine, if you're looking for reporting of big data, it has its limits.

We'd like to have a NoSQL solution in Microsoft MDS.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've used this solution for many years. 

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What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It's stable enough. That's not a problem. It's reliable. There are no bugs or glitches. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is not very scalable. It's limited in terms of what you can do.

We have ten people working with it in our company.

How are customer service and support?

I don't use technical support via Microsoft that often. We are developers so we can figure things out ourselves as well.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I've worked with Oracle, Redshift from AWS, and Postgres, among others. I used many things, however, that was for my former companies.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The solution is a bit expensive. We pay for it on a yearly basis. 

I'm not sure of the exact costs as I don't handle the payment processes. 

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We are looking around to see what we could do with different solutions, such as QuickSight and Babelfish.

Redshift, for example, is NoSQL, so that can actually be very powerful with big data. That's the type of solution we are looking for.

What other advice do I have?

We're a customer and end-user.

We have the solution deployed on-premises and on Amazon Cloud. 

It's Microsoft, so it's not always perfect, however, is a good step to start with. It's easy to start with MDS. You just have to be aware that you will have some issues.

I'd rate the solution seven out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Individual Contributor at a pharma/biotech company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Integrates well, scalable, and reliable
Pros and Cons
  • "One of the main features I have found useful is the integration with Azure active directory."
  • "I do not like using Silverlight and Internet Explorer. The new 2019 version gets rid of that, which is one of the reasons why we are looking to switch."

What is most valuable?

One of the main features I have found useful is the integration with Azure active directory.

What needs improvement?

I would like to separate the website from the database side. By default, you have the webserver running on the same server as it is the database. This forces us to make a bigger VM which means more costing for the VM. We tried to go with a less expensive route and every now and then we run out of memory, you have to reboot the machine. It is okay in DEV and QA, but ideally, we should not have this happening.

I do not like using Silverlight and Internet Explorer. The new 2019 version gets rid of that, which is one of the reasons why we are looking to switch.

Additionally, the overall performance could improve.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the solution for two years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution will work fine stability wise if you have the VM sized appropriately.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

If you have the environment then the solution can be scaled.

How are customer service and technical support?

I have not needed to call technical support but I almost did when I was trying to do a SQL server restore of a production database and converting it into a DEV and QA environment.

How was the initial setup?

I set it up on my own laptop and I did not think it was that difficult. The challenging part is making sure you are matched up with the right version and patch level of SQL Server and IE.

What about the implementation team?

I did the implementation myself and it took me two days because we had multiple versions of the documentation. They were all dated in their own unique ways and because of this, I created a new version of them all, that worked for me. We have three technicians that support the solution in my organization.

What was our ROI?

I believe my organization has had a return on investment using this solution.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The solution does require a license and we have enterprise licenses.

What other advice do I have?

I rate Microsoft MDS a nine out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Microsoft Azure
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Microsoft MDS
April 2024
Learn what your peers think about Microsoft MDS. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: April 2024.
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Senior Software Developer at a manufacturing company with 5,001-10,000 employees
Real User
Powerful with great customization; can sometimes be slow with synchronization issues
Pros and Cons
  • "Enables non-technical people to directly interact with the BI system."
  • "There are occasions when the solution maintains SD and we get duplications of MDS."

What is our primary use case?

I'm a distributor and developer of Microsoft MDS. 

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature of the solution is Excel because it enables even non-technical people to directly interact with the BI system which is important because most of our people are not from the IT sector. The second important feature is that while we are using Informatica and other SAP tools which are less customizable, MDS increases customization for us and that is very useful. MDS, SQL and SSIS make the solution much more powerful. The main reason we use this solution is because of its customization. 

What needs improvement?

I have faced data primary violation in MDS when the primary key was full and that is not good. There are occasions when the solution maintains SD and we get duplications of MDS. When I use the SIS package for batch activity and it's full, I have to delete the batch manually by going into the database. The solution can sometimes be slow. We are in a healthcare environment and I've faced some synchronizing issues with the test model. I've faced some issues as a consultant of this solution because of the above. It can be slow sometimes.

I rate the solution six out of 10. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using this solution for six years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

There can be some issues with stability depending on how you use the solution. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We can directly scale everything by coding and we can customize everything. 

How was the initial setup?

It's important to remember that when you're installing the SQL Server, you have to select MDS. Once that's done MDS has to be enabled and the MDS database has to be created. For that purpose, you have to open MDS configuration and create the MDS database. Finally you have to build a few services of Microsoft Windows - Windows 10, Windows Server or something else - to enable multiple services and open multiple ports to enable DevOps MDS service. You then need a Microsoft Silverlight for MDS use. Finally, the MDS developer must have the admin rights of the system as well as the database.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

MDS alone is a free product, but it comes with the complete package of Microsoft SQL Server. So while you are purchasing SQL Server Pro version or licensed version of SQL Server you also get SSIS, MDS and DQS. 

What other advice do I have?

The advantage of Microsoft MDS is that it's so handy, so customizable, and easy to use. It has all the basics and given that we are a directly integral system, everyone is able to use Excel. The advantage is that you can be working on bulk data and creating a batch, we can upload or deliver activities. If one system has reached capacity or has stopped, then the whole system stops and it is quite difficult to solve the problem. My advice is that if you want to use custom UI, then make sure you work on Internet Explorer. Without it you can't use a structured MDS UI. In place of Internet Explorer create your own custom UI by the .NET feature.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Senior system engineer for Microsoft, network and ICT systems at a manufacturing company with 5,001-10,000 employees
Real User
Top 20
Beneficial management and scales easily
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature of Microsoft MDS is its management."
  • "The stability could be improved."

What is our primary use case?

I'm using Microsoft MDS for configuring the storage for backups on the DPM server, and data protection manager.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature of Microsoft MDS is its management.

What needs improvement?

The stability could be improved.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Microsoft MDS for approximately two years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Microsoft MDS is stable.

I rate the stability of Microsoft MDS a nine out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability of Microsoft MDS is good.

We have three administrators using this solution in my company.

It has some disadvantages, in the data protection manager, but this is specifically for our environment. In general, it scales well. 

How are customer service and support?

I have contacted technical support because of our specific environment. It was not the fault of the solution.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup of Microsoft MDS is simple. After thoroughly planning and gathering all necessary information and instructions, the implementation took one day.

What other advice do I have?

I rate Microsoft MDS a nine out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Data Architect at a government with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Excellent dynamic data masking, but needs to integrate better with Microsoft's other products
Pros and Cons
  • "Technical support is very good."
  • "The solution could be better integrated into Microsoft's other products."

How has it helped my organization?

We have been able to have one true copy of data with Master Data Services. It's improved our organization by removing redundancies. It has reduced the duplication across a number of different databases.

What is most valuable?

The dynamic data masking, the row-level security, and the data quality business rules are the most valuable features of the solution.

What needs improvement?

The solution could be better integrated into Microsoft's other products.  

One of the key features that it doesn't have is a data modeling feature. Everyone uses Microsoft, but not for modeling. They use IBM, SAP PowerDesigner, etc. It would be really good to combine this solution with a modeler. For me, that's what is missing.

In a future release, I would like to see a better link to SSIS, Microsoft's business intelligence product. I would also like to see improvements in the user interface.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the solution for five years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is very stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I believe the solution is easiest to scale when housed by Azure. In previous installations, we housed 20-50 people, max.

How are customer service and technical support?

Technical support is very good.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

Every installation that I previously worked on had some form of Microsoft MDS.

How was the initial setup?

I didn't handle the initial setup; it's dealt with by a different team. I believe it's very straightforward in terms of an installer having a model object package which contains all of the entities, attributes, groups, hierarchies, business rules, etc. And this is deployed as a package via an XML file. That's the standard way of doing it. 

What other advice do I have?

We use the private cloud version of the solution.

The beauty with Master Data Services is that it's centralized in one place and the problem with other solutions is that most of them have been created in house. There is an overlap between them. 

The big advantage of this solution is with regards to a data warehouse. What you can do is cleanse the data and make it consistent throughout the warehouse before it gets into it, so it guarantees consistency.

I'd recommend Microsoft MDS. It's the best MDM tool out there.

I would rate the solution seven out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
PeerSpot user
Owner at PARA SYSTEMS LTD
Reseller
Has a huge database with many users
Pros and Cons
  • "What I like about Microsoft, is that it has a huge database with many users."

    What is our primary use case?

    Our primary use case of this solution is to develop solutions for our clients.

    What is most valuable?

    What I like about Microsoft, is that it has a huge database with many users.

    What needs improvement?

    I would like to see better pricing - a drop in price would be great. 

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I have been working on Microsoft MDS for the past three years now.

    How are customer service and technical support?

    The technical support is good. We are responsible for the maintenance of the program for our clients, and I believe that we've provided good support so far.

    What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

    The price of the program has gone up, so I would like to see better pricing. But I like it that there are no additional fees that we have to pay.

    What other advice do I have?

    If I have to rate this program from one to ten, I will give it an eight. My advice to others would be to use an activity log. They should have a user account and they should keep track of every user that logs on, and the platform should keep track of it.

    Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

    Public Cloud

    If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

    Microsoft Azure
    Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: reseller
    PeerSpot user
    System Engineer at a university with 1,001-5,000 employees
    Real User
    Easy to deploy and provision a machine, good analytics, but the pricing could be improved
    Pros and Cons
    • "It is very easy to deploy and provision a machine."
    • "Most of the Microsoft partners, especially digitally, are separate. Personnel are business people, and they do not have technical expertise, so you end up as a company spending a lot of money training your staff and your engineers."

    What is most valuable?

    I like the ease of deployment. It is very easy to deploy and provision a machine.

    I like the analytics and that I can run them. Until now, this was always something that was done on the business side. For me, this solution makes it easier to do analytics.

    With Oracle, they have to use an IBM business intelligence tool called Cognizer. But with Microsoft, the BI tool is better. So we are using Microsoft BI as it is quite good.

    What needs improvement?

    Most of the Microsoft partners, especially digitally, are separate. Personnel are business people, and they do not have technical expertise, so you end up as a company spending a lot of money training your staff and your engineers. This is something that Mircosoft needs to improve on. They must have personnel who have each shared capacity for their staff, so when it comes to implementation, it doesn't take a lot of time.

    The implementation takes months, and it could even take as long as a year. The implementation is a small issue because Microsoft does not come to the ground, it is the personnel.

    The only issue is pricing because technical support is there. Our engineers are well trained in Microsoft, and we have the Microsoft BI Office which is very helpful but pricing is a bit of a challenge.

    There is not much to be corrected other than just improve continuously on the business intelligence section. That is important for businesses.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    This solution was already in place when I arrived, and I have been working with it for more than ten years.

    How are customer service and technical support?

    Technical support is okay, we have not had any problems. In the future, we plan to move to Office 365. In the next financial year, we will be purchasing the license for Office 365.

    What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

    With Microsoft, we buy everything though an agreement, so we purchase volume licensing every year. That is how our licenses are managed.

    What other advice do I have?

    I am an information security analyst and I research to stay up on the trends and to see what is happing on the market now because we run our Firewalls.

    I would recommend getting the correct licenses. From the article, they should get to know which licenses, because there are different agents of licensing. 

    Ensure they get the right size servers.

    Ensure that they have the best technical expertise, to help with the implementation.

    Microsoft products are quite good. We run innovation Microsoft 2017 and it's pretty impressive.

    I would rate this solution a seven out of ten.

    Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

    Private Cloud
    Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
    PeerSpot user
    Decision Consultant at a consultancy with 1-10 employees
    Consultant
    Good administration console, but the merge function needs to be automated
    Pros and Cons
    • "The most valuable feature is the administration console."
    • "In the next version, I would like to see integration with Azure."

    What is our primary use case?

    Our primary use case is to have a database of customers. We also use it to manage accounts.

    We have an on-premises deployment.

    What is most valuable?

    The most valuable feature is the administration console.

    You can import data from Excel.

    What needs improvement?

    In the next version, I would like to see integration with Azure.

    The duplication feature is not so good.

    The merge function should be improved to include better automation. For example, if two people have the same name, address, or mobile number then the records should be automatically merged. As it is now, I have to merge these records manually.

    I would like to be able to generate a report of current operations.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I have been using this solution for between two and three years.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    I have had some errors that seem to be related to memory usage when there is a lot of data.

    How are customer service and technical support?

    I have not been in contact with technical support. When I encounter issues I search for solutions on the web.

    Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

    We did not use another solution prior to this one.

    How was the initial setup?

    The initial setup of this solution is not complex.

    The solution took us approximately one month to develop, and then one day to deploy.

    What about the implementation team?

    I performed the deployment myself.

    What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

    The pricing of this solution is good.

    Which other solutions did I evaluate?

    We did not evaluate other options before choosing this solution.

    What other advice do I have?

    I would rate this solution a seven out of ten.

    Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
    PeerSpot user
    Buyer's Guide
    Download our free Microsoft MDS Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
    Updated: April 2024
    Buyer's Guide
    Download our free Microsoft MDS Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.