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Alation Data Catalog pros and cons

Vendor: Alation
3.8 out of 5
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1,167 followers
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Pros & Cons summary

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Prominent pros & cons

PROS

Alation Data Catalog significantly reduces the time data scientists spend on addressing common user inquiries by centralizing data documentation, thereby increasing overall productivity and speeding up data product adoption.
Alation Data Catalog's SQL query publication enhances user data interaction and analysis capabilities.
It excels in onboarding data sources easily, ensuring secure data management and facilitating effective communication among users with integrated messaging features.
Metadata cataloging in Alation Data Catalog is a critically acclaimed feature that enhances organizational data governance.
Alation Data Catalog supports extensive customization options, allowing adaptation to specific use cases and integration with data quality tools for improved data management and workflow automation.

CONS

Alation Data Catalog lacks support for end-to-end data lineage, which involves tracing data from its initial entry to consumption.
The tool's data governance features require significant development and improvement.
A built-in interactive data quality solution would enhance Alation Data Catalog's functionality.
Issues exist with setting up connectors and obtaining timely support from Alation's team.
Enhancing data observability within Alation Data Catalog would address several existing data challenges.
 

Alation Data Catalog Pros review quotes

JG
Oct 28, 2021
Given the relatively low level of maturity, Alation's most relevant feature at the moment is a user interface that's easy to navigate, which helps us find and understand the data. So while Alation has a lot more functionality, our pain point right now is being able to easily find, understand, and trust the information to use it.
reviewer1693698 - PeerSpot reviewer
Oct 14, 2021
We had some of our data science engineers, who had built out some cloud-based data and data products for users. They were spending a lot of their time, up to 30 to 35% of their time, answering questions about the data and helping people understand how to use it. Once they were able to document that information within Alation, they were only focusing on around 5% of the high-value questions that really couldn't be solved through the catalog itself. It freed them up to be more productive, it made their end-users more productive, and it made the adoption rate of their data products rise more quickly because people were able to get to using them.
reviewer2349747 - PeerSpot reviewer
Sep 12, 2024
The most valuable feature is cloud integration.
Learn what your peers think about Alation Data Catalog. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: November 2024.
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AS
Jun 22, 2023
The most valuable features of Alation Data Catalog are the simplicity in onboarding data sources, the security in securing the data sources, and the way the various users of Alation Data Catalog communicate with each other through a messenger.
PS
Jul 1, 2024
The solution's most valuable feature is the ALLIE AI feature.
reviewer2266875 - PeerSpot reviewer
Feb 6, 2024
The platform's most valuable features are workflow automation, automated business metadata tagging, technical metadata tagging, and data integration with data quality tools or platforms.
reviewer2281572 - PeerSpot reviewer
Oct 30, 2023
We can customize templates based on our use cases.
Hariprasath Thiyagaraj - PeerSpot reviewer
Jul 21, 2022
Alation Data Catalog's best feature is the SQL query publication.
GV
Jun 13, 2024
The solution is used to query MySQL clients and store data and documentation.
SR
Jul 23, 2024
Alation Data Catalog provides a nice interface for connecting to the database, querying the data, and working on it.
 

Alation Data Catalog Cons review quotes

JG
Oct 28, 2021
Alation Data Catalog doesn't support end-to-end lineage. By that, I mean the ability to trace the movement of data from when it first comes into our organization to where it's consumed.
reviewer1693698 - PeerSpot reviewer
Oct 14, 2021
I know that this has been on their roadmap and they're working on it, but as a whole, there's an untapped reservoir of capabilities within their article features that could be used and built upon.
reviewer2349747 - PeerSpot reviewer
Sep 12, 2024
Data observability within Alation would be incredibly helpful for addressing these challenges
Learn what your peers think about Alation Data Catalog. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: November 2024.
816,406 professionals have used our research since 2012.
AS
Jun 22, 2023
Alation Data Catalog does not provide end-to-end data lineage.
PS
Jul 1, 2024
We have had issues setting up the connectors and getting Alation's support team to resolve issues.
reviewer2266875 - PeerSpot reviewer
Feb 6, 2024
The product's data governance features need improvement.
reviewer2281572 - PeerSpot reviewer
Oct 30, 2023
The interface is not user-friendly.
Hariprasath Thiyagaraj - PeerSpot reviewer
Jul 21, 2022
Alation Data Catalog needs to develop a lot in terms of data governance and would be improved with a built-in interactive data quality solution.
GV
Jun 13, 2024
It would be good if the tool could show the output from the records while querying.
SR
Jul 23, 2024
Although the solution performs far better in terms of data cataloging, its data governance capabilities need improvement.