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Microsoft Parallel Data Warehouse Reviews

Vendor: Microsoft
3.9 out of 5
1,464 followers
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What is Microsoft Parallel Data Warehouse?

The traditional structured relational data warehouse was never designed to handle the volume of exponential data growth, the variety of semi-structured and unstructured data types, or the velocity of real time data processing. Microsoft's SQL Server data warehouse solution integrates your traditional data warehouse with non-relational data and it can handle data of all sizes and types, with real-time performance.

Get the Microsoft Parallel Data Warehouse Buyer's Guide and find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft Parallel Data Warehouse, Teradata, Snowflake and more!
Microsoft Parallel Data Warehouse is the #10 ranked solution in top Data Warehouse solutions. PeerSpot users give Microsoft Parallel Data Warehouse an average rating of 7.8 out of 10. Microsoft Parallel Data Warehouse is most commonly compared to Teradata: Microsoft Parallel Data Warehouse vs Teradata. Microsoft Parallel Data Warehouse is popular among the large enterprise segment, accounting for 58% of users researching this solution on PeerSpot. The top industry researching this solution are professionals from a computer software company, accounting for 31% of all views.
Buyer's Guide
Microsoft Parallel Data Warehouse
April 2025
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Microsoft Parallel Data Warehouse mindshare

As of April 2025, the mindshare of Microsoft Parallel Data Warehouse in the Data Warehouse category stands at 0.8%, down from 1.1% compared to the previous year, according to calculations based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Data Warehouse

PeerResearch reports based on Microsoft Parallel Data Warehouse reviews

TypeTitleDate
CategoryData WarehouseApr 24, 2025Download
ProductReviews, tips, and advice from real usersApr 24, 2025Download
ComparisonMicrosoft Parallel Data Warehouse vs SnowflakeApr 24, 2025Download
ComparisonMicrosoft Parallel Data Warehouse vs Oracle ExadataApr 24, 2025Download
ComparisonMicrosoft Parallel Data Warehouse vs TeradataApr 24, 2025Download
Suggested products
TitleRatingMindshareRecommending
Teradata4.116.3%87%76 interviewsAdd to research
Snowflake4.215.2%97%100 interviewsAdd to research
 
 
Key learnings from peers

Valuable Features

Microsoft Parallel Data Warehouse excels in performance, boosting data processing speed significantly and handling high volumes effectively. Users appreciate its integration with other Microsoft products, intuitive user interface, and ability to manage large datasets across nodes. Features like bulk data loading, data integrity, BI compatibility, and scalability are highlighted. Its cost-effectiveness, data management capabilities, and seamless integration with Power BI and Azure are noted as major advantages. Users value querying efficiency, data collection, and reporting functions.
  • "The stability and ease of use of Microsoft Parallel Data Warehouse are valuable features."
  • "Overall, I rate Microsoft Parallel Data Warehouse a nine out of ten."
  • "The interface is very user-friendly."

Room for Improvement

Microsoft Parallel Data Warehouse requires significant infrastructure and SQL Server expertise. Planning is crucial to avoid resource misallocation. It lacks compatibility with some BI and ETL tools. Query performance might degrade with too many partitions. Error messages are often unclear, and initial setup is complex. Performance, scalability, and integration with other Microsoft products can be enhanced. High cost is a concern, and frequent updates are desired. Compatibility issues persist with older packages.
  • "The ETL designing process could be optimized for better efficiency."
  • "Microsoft Parallel Data Warehouse is excellent but very expensive. Working on the pricing could make it a better solution."
  • "When there are many users or many expensive queries, it can be very slow."

ROI

Users report satisfaction with ROI from Microsoft Parallel Data Warehouse. They highlight its ability to manage large data volumes efficiently and integrate with existing tools. One entity mentions it is crucial for their back-end activities, noting a full return on investment. Although there is an area of improvement, others mention that tracking ROI might be handled by separate organizational divisions. Overall, it is valued for offering a quick solution to customer needs.

Pricing

Microsoft Parallel Data Warehouse offers competitive pricing with variations based on data size and infrastructure needs, making it suitable for large enterprises. Licensing agreements can provide cost benefits, particularly for government collaborations. Users often find pricing well-aligned with market standards, although some view it as expensive, especially for high-performance or on-premises requirements. Annual subscriptions and Microsoft SQL licenses are common, with additional technical support fees. Costs often reflect the substantial data and performance capabilities required by users.
  • "The solution is cost-effective."
  • "They offer an annual subscription. The pricing depends on the size of the environments."
  • "The tool could be expensive if we need to manage a lot of data."

Popular Use Cases

Microsoft Parallel Data Warehouse is used for large-scale data analysis, enterprise data warehouse solutions, and business intelligence. Organizations implement it for data analytics, reporting, and integration across sectors like finance, banking, and logistics. It powers dashboards, KPIs, and real-time data management. Businesses utilize it to collect, transform, and serve data to platforms like Qlik, handling historical and real-time information, often coordinating with tools like SQL Server, Power BI, and Azure SQL.

Service and Support

Users generally rate Microsoft Parallel Data Warehouse customer service and technical support as satisfactory, typically scoring 7 out of 10. Many users utilize online resources like Google or YouTube for problem-solving, highlighting the ecosystem’s support. Direct contact with technical support is often unnecessary, though when accessed, it is efficient and knowledgeable. A license is necessary for full technical support access, which some clients utilize successfully. Experiences with customer service vary; some desire more expertise from representatives.

Deployment

Many participants found Microsoft Parallel Data Warehouse's initial setup straightforward, often aided by documentation and knowledgeable teams. Some encountered complexity, especially during data migration or integration. The deployment duration varied from minutes to several years, depending on data size and international reach. Assistance from Microsoft support and collaboration with vendor teams was frequently mentioned. Essential variables included the availability of resources and understanding SQL. Maintenance was generally manageable with a small team.

Scalability

Microsoft Parallel Data Warehouse scales effectively with varying user numbers and diverse locations. Some consider it easy to scale, although others note limitations with large data sets. Expertise in SQL is beneficial, and scalability is contingent on design and data volume, with cloud alternatives potentially offering more ease. Users indicate growth is manageable, yet comparisons to other tools suggest room for improvement.

Stability

Users indicate Microsoft Parallel Data Warehouse is stable, handling large volumes and complex queries effectively. Many report quick recovery from power outages, while others mention rare instabilities related to network or external conflicts. Microsoft quickly resolves occasional issues. Performance is praised, with no significant bugs or crashes noted. Some mention challenges when data configurations change or with ETL processes, but stability is maintained with proper setup and management by outsourcing teams. Ratings range high, up to ten out of ten.
These insights are based on the in-depth reviews provided by peers to help you make a better buying decision.
Download our Microsoft Parallel Data Warehouse Buyer's Guide for additional reliable information.

Review data by company size

By reviewers
By visitors reading reviews

Top industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
31%
Financial Services Firm
16%
Insurance Company
9%
Retailer
7%
Government
7%
Educational Organization
5%
University
5%
Real Estate/Law Firm
3%
Wellness & Fitness Company
3%
Healthcare Company
3%
Construction Company
2%
Manufacturing Company
2%
Pharma/Biotech Company
2%
Recreational Facilities/Services Company
2%
Non Profit
1%
Media Company
1%
Sports Company
1%
Logistics Company
1%
Energy/Utilities Company
1%

Compare Microsoft Parallel Data Warehouse with alternative products

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Learn more about Microsoft Parallel Data Warehouse

Microsoft Parallel Data Warehouse was previously known as Microsoft PDW, SQL Server Data Warehouse, Microsoft SQL Server Parallel Data Warehouse, MS Parallel Data Warehouse.

Microsoft Parallel Data Warehouse customers

Auckland Transport, Erste Bank Group, Urban Software Institute, NJVC, Sheraton Hotels and Resorts, Tata Steel Europe

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Microsoft Parallel Data Warehouse reviews

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AS
Architecture at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees
Verified user of Microsoft Parallel Data Warehouse
Mar 13, 2025
Optimizing logistics SQL queries for efficient truck loading and unloading

Pros

"Overall, I rate Microsoft Parallel Data Warehouse a nine out of ten."

Cons

"Microsoft Parallel Data Warehouse is excellent but very expensive. Working on the pricing could make it a better solution."

What is our primary use case?

I use Microsoft Parallel Data Warehouse for the logistics area related to the transportation of the company.

What is most valuable?

Microsoft Parallel Data Warehouse is used in the logistics area for optimizing SQL queries related to the loading and unloading of trucks. This is my biggest use case in my professional area. I use the solution alongside BI platforms, mobile app solutions for warehouses, and IoT solutions.
*Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Read full review (337 words)
StevenLai - PeerSpot user
Sr. Data Engineer at Amrock
Verified user of Microsoft Parallel Data Warehouse
Sep 23, 2024
Strong scalable solution with streamlined metadata warehousing

Pros

" It is very strong, scalable, and has tons of features."

Cons

"A major issue is with table statistics. Sometimes the statistics are not refreshed correctly, which causes issues for us. "

What is our primary use case?

We use it to build our data warehouse and databases, and everything in the back end.

How has it helped my organization?

It helps streamline our metadata warehousing process. As it is our only type of data warehouse and database, it serves as our source, destination, and staging area.

*Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Read full review (431 words)
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Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft Parallel Data Warehouse. Updated April 2025
848,716 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Tcheupi Jonathan - PeerSpot user
Computer engineer at a engineering company with 5,001-10,000 employees
Verified user of Microsoft Parallel Data Warehouse
Dec 20, 2024
Efficient management of data warehouse with a user-friendly interface

Pros

"The interface is very user-friendly."

Cons

"When there are many users or many expensive queries, it can be very slow."

What is our primary use case?

I use Microsoft Parallel Data Warehouse to construct and manage a data warehouse. I mainly write SQL queries to manage the data.

What is most valuable?

The interface is very user-friendly. It's great for managing the data warehouse efficiently when well-managed.

*Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Read full review (230 words)
PALAK SURI - PeerSpot user
Senior Software Engineer at Eurofins
Verified user of Microsoft Parallel Data Warehouse
Aug 1, 2023
An easy to setup tool that allows its users to write stored procedure, making it a scalable product

Pros

"It is a stable solution...It is a scalable solution."

Cons

"The only issue with the product is that the process is very slow when we have a huge amount of data."

What is our primary use case?

In my company, we use Microsoft Parallel Data Warehouse in some of our projects, including loading the data of multiple data locations in France to employed data warehouses.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature of the solution is SQL Server commands that we use in our company since it allows us to write stored procedures or different stored procedures, which we can call from Visual Studio where it is stored. SQL is faster compared to SSIS, so we can use stored procedures from there.

*Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Read full review (544 words)
VJ
BI/Data Warehouse Analyst at a healthcare company with 501-1,000 employees
Verified user of Microsoft Parallel Data Warehouse
Mar 18, 2025
Building data warehouses effectively with strong stability and performance for large volumes

Pros

"The stability and ease of use of Microsoft Parallel Data Warehouse are valuable features."

Cons

"The ETL designing process could be optimized for better efficiency."

What is our primary use case?

Our primary use case for Microsoft Parallel Data Warehouse is within Microsoft products such as SQL Server and Visual Studio integrated with tools like SSIS and SSRS. It is mainly used in the health industry for medium-sized business enterprises.

What is most valuable?

The stability and ease of use of Microsoft Parallel Data Warehouse are valuable features. We can build a data warehouse and use ETL to populate data weekly. This setup works well with large volumes of data, ensuring everything functions smoothly. Additionally, the columnstore index enhances data query performance by using less space and achieving faster performance than general indexing.
*Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Read full review (314 words)
PeterMaier - PeerSpot user
Chief Financial Officer at a retailer with 5,001-10,000 employees
Verified user of Microsoft Parallel Data Warehouse
Nov 11, 2022
I like the data integrity features

Pros

"I like Data Warehouse's data integrity features. Data integrity is what databases are made for as opposed to spreadsheets. "

Cons

"I would like the ability to do more real-time type updates instead of batch-oriented updates. "

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use Data Warehouse for our business intelligence platform Qlik, which sits on top of it. Data Warehouse is a middleware product. Our users work with Qlik, and our data architects are using SQL Server. It mostly feeds the data to the Qlik cloud product. 

Very few people are directly using the Data Warehouse. It takes data from other source systems, transforms it, and serves it up to be analyzed in Qlik. Depending on how you look at it, we have around 120-130 indirect Data Warehouse users, but maybe only three or four.

What is most valuable?

I like Data Warehouse's data integrity features. Data integrity is what databases are made for as opposed to spreadsheets. 

*Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Read full review (330 words)
Sunil_Shah - PeerSpot user
Senior software developer at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Verified user of Microsoft Parallel Data Warehouse
Aug 30, 2023
A scalable solution that is easy to integrate and build upon, while offering personable customer support

Pros

"The solution's integration is good."

Cons

"Some compatibility issues occur during deployment, so we need to build the product from scratch for some features."

What is our primary use case?

I use it at the office to access data.

What is most valuable?

The solution's integration is good, and visualization happens in Power BI, making it convenient. Likewise, the solution has free features. It is not that expensive when we try to make it public on our portal.

*Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
Read full review (443 words)
SG
Application Designer at LMKR
Verified user of Microsoft Parallel Data Warehouse
Sep 6, 2022
The admission tools, BI tools, and data warehousing tools are great

Pros

"The solution has been reliable. "

Cons

"We'd like to see it be a bit more compatible with other solutions. "

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use the solution for data. 

What is most valuable?

Everything about the solution is great. The admission tools, their BI tools, and data warehousing tools are all good.

The solution has been reliable. It's stable. 

You can scale the product well. 

The implementation process is great.

Its interface is good. 

The tools are very good, efficient, and easy to work with.

*Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
Read full review (503 words)