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SAP IQ Reviews

Vendor: SAP
4.0 out of 5
1,168 followers
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What is SAP IQ?

SAP® IQ software delivers speed and power for extreme-scale enterprise data warehousing and analytics. Its column-oriented, grid-based massively parallel processing (MPP) architecture and patented data compression and indexing technologies enable companies to exploit the value of huge amounts of data at the speed of business.

Get the SAP IQ Buyer's Guide and find out what your peers are saying about SAP IQ, SQL Server, Teradata and more!
SAP IQ is the #12 ranked solution in top Data Warehouse solutions and #19 ranked solution in top Relational Databases. PeerSpot users give SAP IQ an average rating of 8.0 out of 10. SAP IQ is most commonly compared to SQL Server: SAP IQ vs SQL Server. SAP IQ is popular among the large enterprise segment, accounting for 81% of users researching this solution on PeerSpot. The top industry researching this solution are professionals from a financial services firm, accounting for 46% of all views.
Buyer's Guide
SAP IQ
February 2025
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SAP IQ mindshare

Product category:
Relational Databases Tools
As of March 2025, the mindshare of SAP IQ in the Relational Databases Tools category stands at 0.7%, up from 0.3% compared to the previous year, according to calculations based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Relational Databases Tools

PeerAnalyst reports based on SAP IQ reviews

TypeTitleDate
CategoryRelational Databases ToolsMar 7, 2025Download
ProductReviews, tips, and advice from real usersMar 7, 2025Download
ComparisonSAP IQ vs SQL ServerMar 7, 2025Download
ComparisonSAP IQ vs Oracle DatabaseMar 7, 2025Download
ComparisonSAP IQ vs MySQLMar 7, 2025Download
Suggested products
TitleRatingMindshareRecommending
SQL Server4.219.3%93%268 interviewsAdd to research
Teradata4.15.5%87%76 interviewsAdd to research
 
 
Key learnings from peers

Valuable Features

SAP IQ offers high query speed, data compression, and performance scalability. Its columnar architecture allows efficient storage and quick retrieval, making it ideal for business intelligence and data warehousing. Users appreciate fast data loading, ease of use, and robust ad-hoc querying capabilities. Compression reduces storage requirements significantly, facilitating cost-effective data management. Partitioning and in-memory features enhance performance further, supporting large-scale operations and numerous concurrent users in a petabyte-scale environment.
  • "All data is compressed and indexed, allowing for fast execution of transactions."
  • "IQ is a very high-performance and high-transaction database."
  • "The initial setup is easy."

Room for Improvement

SAP IQ needs improvement in training, documentation, and marketing. Backup options are inadequate, causing high costs. Stability issues include database crashes and lack of a resource manager. Concurrency, error messaging, and data consistency present challenges. Integration with Hadoop could enhance functionality. Although SAP IQ offers superior performance, it is less supported and advertised, leading to a decline in usage. The cost is a significant concern, particularly in regions like Peru.
  • "The primary negative aspect is the cost, which can be a challenge due to the economic conditions in Peru."
  • "The only negative aspect of IQ is the cost, which can be challenging for companies in Peru."
  • "There is very little documentation available."

ROI

Users report SAP IQ offers a considerable return on investment with low implementation and maintenance costs, and significant hardware cost savings reaching tens of thousands of dollars. Many find it worth the investment. Some users have not calculated the return, citing a current estimation of about 60%. Others mention they lack authorization to discuss specific details about return on SAP IQ.

Pricing

SAP IQ is competitively priced, often lower than alternative RDBMS solutions, with diverse licensing models catering to various organizational needs. While some users suggest simplifying license classifications, others highlight the benefits of affordable cost implementations and modular enhancements. Additional expenses are typically linked to optional features like high-security encryption or partitioning for large databases. Recent pricing adjustments reflect market alignment, enhancing affordability and value, particularly for large-scale data management. Negotiation plays a crucial role in cost management.
  • "The cost of implementation is about $3,000."
  • "It's not that costly. So, the pricing is cheap."
  • "The only costs after standard licensing fees are for add-ons and upgrades."

Popular Use Cases

SAP IQ is used for data warehousing, business intelligence, and as a secondary storage for SAP systems. It assists military partners, such as a joint venture between Ministry of Defense of Egypt and TELUS Group, for reporting by efficiently handling extensive record volumes. Organizations utilize SAP IQ for securing databases, testing networking tools, implementing and migrating databases in both production and development environments, benefiting from its columnar and transactional capabilities.

Service and Support

Customer service for SAP IQ is generally good, with global support from Asia aiding round-the-clock assistance. However, there are reports of limited commercial response and regional specialists. Technical support quality varies, with some users indicating a lack of knowledgeable experts and delayed responses. Escalation processes may be slow and first-level assistance often falls short. Some users rely on systems integrators like Telus, but feedback suggests technical support could significantly improve.

Deployment

Many find SAP IQ's initial setup straightforward and easy, particularly with the simplex installation method. Multiplex setup can be more complex but manageable once learned. While documentation may be confusing and storage setup challenging, the actual installation process is quick. Users often experience simplicity once familiar with the system's architectural differences from other databases. Occasional complexity arises due to documentation issues, but knowledgeable teams streamline the process successfully.

Scalability

SAP IQ exhibits strong scalability, accommodating expansions by adding CPUs or nodes without needing data reorganization. Many users highlighted the absence of notable issues, while multiple applications benefit from its multiplex architecture. Some mention minor limitations with the multiplex setup; however, scalability is generally achieved by both hardware and software enhancements. SAP IQ is versatile, functioning seamlessly on PCs and servers for varying enterprise sizes, ranging from small to large data environments.

Stability

Users report mixed experiences with SAP IQ stability. While recent versions demonstrate high stability, earlier ones had issues like server crashes under specific circumstances. Some affirm SAP IQ has become highly stable, handling millions of data transactions effectively over the years. Others noted instability under high load or capacity. Frequent crashes were noted in the past, but updates seem to have resolved many issues. Many users have found SAP IQ dependable in demanding environments.
These insights are based on the in-depth reviews provided by peers to help you make a better buying decision.
Download our SAP IQ Buyer's Guide for additional reliable information.

Review data by company size

By reviewers
By visitors reading reviews

Top industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
46%
Computer Software Company
8%
Manufacturing Company
6%
Retailer
5%
Government
5%
Healthcare Company
4%
Non Profit
3%
Hospitality Company
3%
Logistics Company
3%
Legal Firm
2%
Energy/Utilities Company
2%
Comms Service Provider
2%
Educational Organization
2%
Wholesaler/Distributor
1%
Insurance Company
1%
Mining And Metals Company
1%
Outsourcing Company
1%
Pharma/Biotech Company
1%
Real Estate/Law Firm
1%
Performing Arts
1%
Media Company
1%

Compare SAP IQ with alternative products

Go!

Learn more about SAP IQ

SAP IQ was previously known as Sybase IQ.

SAP IQ customers

ASR Group, Citrix, State of Indiana, PocketCard Co. Ltd.

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Product Categories

Product Categories
Relational Databases Tools
Data Warehouse

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SAP IQ reviews

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Tejas Raj - PeerSpot user
Manager at Capgemini
Verified user of SAP IQ
May 16, 2024
Columnar database, so pulling records is easy but there isn't enough documentation for installation

Pros

"The initial setup is easy. "

Cons

"There is very little documentation available."

What is our primary use case?

It's used for reporting purposes. We can quickly pull in large volumes of records.

What is most valuable?

It's a columnar database, so pulling records is easy. This makes it simple to generate reports and analyze data, such as tracking the growth of records.

*Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Read full review (325 words)
Mani Velayudhan - PeerSpot user
Manager, SAP Basis at The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company
Verified user of SAP IQ
Mar 2, 2023
Easy to use, highly stable, but integration could improve

Pros

"The primary benefit of SAP IQ is its ability to limit the expansion of the costly SAP HANA database, which has limited storage capacity. This necessitates a form of data management that involves moving data from SAP HANA to SAP NLS, which is essentially archiving. This allows us to retain access to the data via a link whenever it is required."

Cons

"The solution works best when combined with other SAP solutions. If the environment has other systems other options might be better."

What is our primary use case?

We are using SAP IQ as secondary storage for our SAP systems.

What is most valuable?

The primary benefit of SAP IQ is its ability to limit the expansion of the costly SAP HANA database, which has limited storage capacity. This necessitates a form of data management that involves moving data from SAP HANA to SAP NLS, which is essentially archiving. This allows us to retain access to the data via a link whenever it is required.

*Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Read full review (559 words)
Buyer's Guide
SAP IQ
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Find out what your peers are saying about SAP IQ. Updated February 2025
841,099 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Fredy Alfaro - PeerSpot user
Systems Engineer at a tech services company with 1-10 employees
Verified user of SAP IQ
Oct 8, 2024
Product version discussed: sixteen
Transformative performance with high compression and memory options

Pros

"IQ is a very high-performance and high-transaction database. "

Cons

"The only negative aspect of IQ is the cost, which can be challenging for companies in Peru."

What is our primary use case?

I implemented the creation of new databases and migration of data in both production and development environments using IQ. It is a columnar database and a very transactional one. We also competed with Teradata Base. In IQ, this same transaction is executed in 30 seconds.

How has it helped my organization?

With IQ, a transaction that previously took three days to execute can now be completed in thirty seconds.

*Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Implementer
Read full review (394 words)
Fredy Alfaro - PeerSpot user
Systems Engineer at a tech services company with 1-10 employees
Verified user of SAP IQ
Nov 8, 2024
Product version discussed: Sixteen
Transforming days-long transactions into seconds with high transactional capabilities

Pros

"All data is compressed and indexed, allowing for fast execution of transactions. "

Cons

"The primary negative aspect is the cost, which can be a challenge due to the economic conditions in Peru."

What is our primary use case?

I worked on implementing new databases, migration data in production, and developer environments with SAP IQ.

How has it helped my organization?

Implementing IQ transformed a transaction that initially took three days to execute to completing in just thirty seconds.

*Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Implementer
Read full review (352 words)
Pavankumar Balusupati - PeerSpot user
Member of Technical Staff at HCL Technologies
Verified user of SAP IQ
May 15, 2024
Easy to learn and allows a high number of concurrent users, but gets stuck sometimes during testing

Pros

"The product is easy to learn."

Cons

"The tool gets stuck sometimes."

What is our primary use case?

We use the solution to secure and install databases and test networking tools.

What is most valuable?

The solution allows a high number of concurrent users. It enables Petabyte-Scale Data Warehousing. It's a column-oriented database management system. It can be used as a data mart. The product is easy to learn.

*Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Read full review (210 words)
PeerSpot user
VP at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
Verified user of SAP IQ
Jun 25, 2015
Product version discussed: 15.4 and 16.0
It allows us to centrally store data, but DR capabilities need improving.

What is most valuable?

  • Ability to load data from flat files very quickly
  • Data compression
  • Fast querying for aggregations

How has it helped my organization?

IQ has enabled our company to load data from our data vendors in under one hour and eliminated multiple copies and hours of processing time.

*Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Read full review (413 words)
ME
IT Manager at PCWORLD Egypt
Verified user of SAP IQ
Jan 16, 2024
Helps us with our customers and has an easy setup

What is our primary use case?

We have a military customer, a joint venture between the Ministry of Defense of Egypt and the TELUS Group, working with SAP IQ.

What is most valuable?

When a customer tries to change to business intelligence, they acquire a lot to orient the business with stakeholders, which is an important key and the decision maker in an entity.

*Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Reseller
Read full review (233 words)
PeerSpot user
Snr DBA at a insurance company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Verified user of SAP IQ
Aug 6, 2019
Product version discussed: IQ 16, on-premises
An excellent column-based, enterprise relational database solution with good speed and compression

Pros

"Unbeatable speed and compression with a colummn-structured relational database."

Cons

"The organization who owns the product does not support it well and appears not to be doing significant development for the future."

What is our primary use case?

We use SAP IQ primarily for data warehousing and business intelligence.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable features of the product are the column structure, speed, and compression. Partitioning is one of the most useful features with SAP IQ. It was something that they used to charge a lot for but it costs less now.

*Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Read full review (1235 words)