Azure Data Factory Reviews

We are working on a data warehouse integration which means that I am working on some big data projects. I'm preparing data for the licensing. One of the projects is preparing data in Azure Data Lake, to run some transformation scripts, perform some ETL processing, and to fulfill the stage layer of the data warehouse. It means that I help with ETL use cases.

I like the feature that allows you to connect to different sources. You can go through forms and click on them and you don't have to provide the scripts. The solution has a good interface and the integration with GitHub is very useful.

There is also a self-service integration that allows you to run the BTS pages on the SQL server from an SIS. Users have an option to configure this self-service integration engine to run items as a part of a pipeline of the Azure data factory.

I think more integration with existing Azure platform services would be extremely beneficial.

In the next release, it's important that some sort of scheduler for running tasks is added.  A built-in scheduling mechanism for running the treasury will be a very helpful improvement.

I've never experienced any issues with the solution's stability.

The scalability of the connected engines makes this solution very scalable.

Although I've had to contact support for other Azure products, I haven't had to for this solution, so I can't speak to any experience with technical support directly.

The initial setup is straightforward. It's got a very nice welcome page where everything explained. Depending on the complexity, deployment takes only a few days. You only need one person for the deployment of the solution. This is dependent, however, on how many pipelines you are implementing. Afterward, you would probably only need one person to maintain it.

I'm an integrator, so I work with clients to help them implement the solution.

I'm not sure of the specific cost, but it is monthly and is somewhere in the ballpark of a few hundred Euros. You don't have to pay for extras. Everything is included in the cost.

I don't use Azure Data Factory for my own company; I help clients implement the solution for their companies.

In terms of advice that I would give to others looking to implement the solution, I would say you have to learn. You have to really understand the overall concept. It does not allow you to just click and go.

I would rate this solution ten out of ten.

The support for SAP services and databases, specifically SAP HANA, has been a game-changer for us.

It would be helpful if they could adjust the data capture feature so that when there are source-side changes ADF could automatically figure it out.  

The solution needs to integrate more with other providers and should have a closer integration with Oracle BI.

I've been working with the solution for just over a year.

From what we have seen so far, the solution seems very stable.

The solution is scalable. Right now, we have only three or four people on it. We may increase usage int eh future.

We have direct technical support in Israel. In India, we haven't used it yet. However, for other services, the help provided is fine. 

The initial setup was pretty fast and simple. I wouldn't say it was too complex. For deployment, it depends on your environment. In our POC, it didn't take more than two to three hours. In the production environment, however, it takes a bit more time for operations.

In general, we've been satisfied with the pricing. However, since it's a service based on usage, it's really hard to estimate the cost in advance for this product. This makes it hard to quote. It's not so easy to estimate the costs in advance when giving a quote. That makes it difficult to convince some customers because most would like to see a number in advance. 

We primarily use the solution in a hybrid environment. We're Azure partners.

I would suggest others start with a small POC and with a smaller dataset or simple pipeline to test the product before fully implementing it. Users shouldn't hesitate to try it, because there are not so many risks. Practice is the best way to start with this service, as opposed to planning. 

I'd rate the solution eight out of ten.