Azure Data Factory vs Informatica PowerExchange comparison

Microsoft and Informatica are both solutions in the Data Integration category. Microsoft is ranked #1 with an average rating of 8.1, while Informatica is ranked #20 with an average rating of 7.9. Microsoft holds a 11.0% mindshare in DI, compared to Informatica’s 1.2% mindshare. Additionally, 92% of Microsoft users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 89% of Informatica users who would recommend it.

Azure Data Factory

Read 86 Azure Data Factory reviews

21,615 Views
17,232 Comparison Views

92% willing to recommend

Informatica PowerExchange

Read 20 Informatica PowerExchange reviews

1,928 Views
1,425 Comparison Views

89% willing to recommend

Azure Data Factory

Informatica PowerExchange

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 19, 2024

Informatica PowerExchange and Azure Data Factory are competitors in the data integration and transformation market. Based on various aspects, Azure Data Factory appears to have an edge due to its cloud integration capabilities and user-friendly experience, catering to a modern cloud-centric approach.

Features: Informatica PowerExchange offers robust data transformation, real-time capabilities, and extensive connectivity with diverse systems, making it highly valuable for handling large data volumes and complex environments. Azure Data Factory stands out with ease of integration, scalability, a wide range of connectors, and seamless compatibility with Microsoft's ecosystem, enhancing its application for cloud-oriented data transformations.

Room for Improvement: Informatica PowerExchange users point out integration challenges, seeking improvements in real-time processing and pricing structures. Enhanced support for newer data types is also desired. Azure Data Factory could benefit from better integration with Azure Machine Learning, broader API support, improvements in real-time processing, pricing transparency, and user interface enhancements.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Informatica PowerExchange, primarily on-premises, focuses on legacy support and reliability but involves complex management. It receives mixed feedback on customer support regarding response times. Azure Data Factory operates in the cloud, offering deployment flexibility, especially in Azure-centric conditions, and garners positive user feedback though some improvement in support response times is noted.

Pricing and ROI: Informatica PowerExchange uses a capacity-based pricing model, perceived as high but justified by its extensive features, offering significant ROI through process efficiency. Azure Data Factory employs a usage-based pricing model, aligning costs with demand. It is seen as more cost-effective for scalable use cases, providing flexibility for dynamic projects.

To learn more, read our detailed Azure Data Factory vs. Informatica PowerExchange Report (Updated: December 2024).

Buyer's Guide

Azure Data Factory vs. Informatica PowerExchange

December 2024

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Categories and Ranking

Azure Data Factory

Ranking in Data Integration

1st

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Cloud Data Warehouse (3rd)

Informatica PowerExchange

Ranking in Data Integration

20th

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of December 2024, in the Data Integration category, the mindshare of Azure Data Factory is 11.0%, down from 13.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Informatica PowerExchange is 1.2%, up from 1.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Data Integration

Featured Reviews

Thulani David Mngadi

Data architect at Old Mutual

Data flow feature is valuable for data transformation tasks

The workflow automation features in GitLab, particularly its low code/no code approach, are highly beneficial for accelerating development speed. This feature allows for quick creation of pipelines and offers customization options for integration needs, making it versatile for various use cases. GitLab supports a wide range of connectors, catering to a majority of integration needs. Azure Data Factory's virtual enterprise and monitoring capabilities, the visual interface of GitLab makes it user-friendly and easy to teach, facilitating adoption within teams. While the monitoring capabilities are sufficient out of the box, they may not be as comprehensive as dedicated enterprise monitoring tools. GitLab's monitoring features are manageable for production use, with the option to integrate log analytics or create custom dashboards if needed. The data flow feature in Azure Data Factory within GitLab is valuable for data transformation tasks, especially for those who may not have expertise in writing complex code. It simplifies the process of data manipulation and is particularly useful for individuals unfamiliar with Spark coding. While there could be improvements for more flexibility, overall, the data flow feature effectively accomplishes its purpose within GitLab's ecosystem.

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Mohammad Faizan Ahmad

Sr. Technical Engineer at Investcorp Bank BSC

Helpful in handling areas like complex data sources and data processing but needs improved support services

The major challenge with the tool stems from the fact that if you are implementing it in the cloud, then it has to be within the framework. Another challenge is the large volume of data. Informatica PowerExchange is a product through which we enable connectivity, so it is not an application product or a stand-alone tool, but Informatica's core systems or IICS uses it to connect to multiple systems. The major challenge associated with the tool is on the infrastructure side. The tool's features could be something faster with more connectors. A number of connectors can help connect to a wide variety of applications. The tool should focus on reducing the resilient time, like, if any network disconnectivity happens, then auto-reconnection and the retry method should be more robust so that manual intervention is not required. We communicate with the tool's support team as we need to raise our issues with them. I have already worked with Informatica and have a total experience of around eight to nine years; the one problem with the tool is its support team since they take a lot of time to address a particular issue. If one time you schedule a call and explain the situation to them about the issue, the support team will raise tickets and take notes. They will ask you to share the logs or screenshots of the errors, and you will get no resolution. The support team will randomly give you some documents and expect you to go through them, and if you get back to them with questions, a new person will be allocated, and you will have to start explaining everything again. I would not say it is a pleasant experience.

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Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"One of the most valuable features of Azure Data Factory is the drag-and-drop interface. This helps with workflow management because we can just drag any tables or data sources we need. Because of how easy it is to drag and drop, we can deliver things very quickly. It's more customizable through visual effect."

"The overall performance is quite good."

"The most valuable feature of Azure Data Factory is the core features that help you through the whole Azure pipeline or value chain."

"It is easy to integrate."

"This solution will allow the organisation to improve its existing data offerings over time by adding predictive analytics, data sharing via APIs and other enhancements readily."

"I like the basic features like the data-based pipelines."

"I like that it's a monolithic data platform. This is why we propose these solutions."

"The two most valuable features of Azure Data Factory are that it's very scalable and that it's also highly reliable."

More Azure Data Factory pros

"The product’s flexibility is valuable."

"The main benefit of PowerExchange is its native real-time capabilities. Competing tools are counting on third-party packages or Oracle to offer real-time capabilities. However, Informatica has a native ability to scan the data on the file system level and capture the changes almost instantly when I push it to the consumers. The solution has a powerful built-in replication engine."

"Overall, it's a good tool. It's currently number one on the market. It pretty much has all the necessary capabilities to pull the incremental data from the source system, technically speaking."

"From the product feature or product capability perspective, the aspects around integration, transformation, and standardization are valuable. It's fairly easy to use. It has a GUI-based interface."

"The solution can connect to different systems i.e. mainframe, IMS or AS/400 Legacy Systems."

"The product's initial setup phase was not complex. The tool is easy to install onto any of the servers, and you can integrate it."

"The scalability is excellent."

"Provides a significant amount of control over the landscape and overall implementation."

More Informatica PowerExchange pros

Cons

"Areas for improvement in Azure Data Factory include connectivity and integration. When you use integration runtime, whenever there's a failure, the backup process in Azure Data Factory takes time, so this is another area for improvement."

"The user interface could use improvement. It's not a major issue but it's something that can be improved."

"The tool’s workflow is not user-friendly. It should also improve its orchestration monitoring."

"The Microsoft documentation is too complicated."

"Data Factory's performance during heavy data processing isn't great."

"The performance could be better. It would be better if Azure Data Factory could handle a higher load. I have heard that it can get overloaded, and it can't handle it."

"Data Factory could be improved in terms of data transformations by adding more metadata extractions."

"DataStage is easier to learn than Data Factory because it's more visual. Data Factory has some drag-and-drop options, but it's not as intuitive as DataStage. It would be better if they added more drag-and-drop features. You can start using DataStage without knowing the code. You don't need to learn how the code works before using the solution."

More Azure Data Factory cons

"The one place where it could be improved is definitely pricing. That's a very big problem. It depends product to product, but pricing is an issue."

"V10.2 is very stable, but we are still struggling to make V10.5 stable. We found services that were down, and PowerExchange stopped working."

"Real-time has not been enhanced that much over the past few years. There has not been as many features added like they did before."

"The product is not suitable for application integration."

"They should make it quick and easy for use of citizen data integration or for people or integrators developing at the customer side. They could be development teams within the business team. For them, the product owners can consider making it a little bit more seamless and a little bit more democratized."

"The product's high costs can be an area of concern where improvements are required."

"Integration with the largest number of databases and other systems would be important."

"The major challenge associated with the tool is on the infrastructure side."

More Informatica PowerExchange cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"There's no licensing for Azure Data Factory, they have a consumption payment model. How often you are running the service and how long that service takes to run. The price can be approximately $500 to $1,000 per month but depends on the scaling."

"For our use case, it is not expensive. We take into the picture everything: resources, learning curve, and maintenance."

"I would rate Data Factory's pricing nine out of ten."

"I don't see a cost; it appears to be included in general support."

"Azure products generally offer competitive pricing, suitable for diverse budget considerations."

"The licensing cost is included in the Synapse."

"ADF is cheaper compared to AWS."

"The licensing model for Azure Data Factory is good because you won't have to overpay. Pricing-wise, the solution is a five out of ten. It was not expensive, and it was not cheap."

More Azure Data Factory pricing and cost advice

"The product is not very expensive."

"It's expensive. In fact, nobody would buy any product of Informatica if the price was the only consideration. It costs money, and it doesn't come cheap, but it provides value for money in many ways."

"An annual package license fee is required."

"There are licensing and connector costs. Basically, Informatica is pay-as-you-use."

"There is a need to pay towards the licensing cost of the product. It is an expensive product."

"Many users don't prefer to use the product, considering the high costs attached to the licensing part of the solution."

"The cost of PowerExchange is reasonable. It does not rely on complicated formulas or unrealistic equations. The pricing model is straightforward. There is one component, and real-time integration is included. Some other solutions require purchasing additional modules or third-party plugins for this capability."

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824,053 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

13%

Computer Software Company

12%

Manufacturing Company

Healthcare Company

Financial Services Firm

27%

Computer Software Company

13%

Insurance Company

11%

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

How do you select the right cloud ETL tool?

AWS Glue and Azure Data factory for ELT best performance cloud services.

See all answers

How does Azure Data Factory compare with Informatica PowerCenter?

Azure Data Factory is flexible, modular, and works well. In terms of cost, it is not too pricey. It offers the stability and reliability I am looking for, good scalability, and is easy to set up an...

See all answers

How does Azure Data Factory compare with Informatica Cloud Data Integration?

Azure Data Factory is a solid product offering many transformation functions; It has pre-load and post-load transformations, allowing users to apply transformations either in code by using Power Q...

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What do you like most about Informatica PowerExchange?

The product’s flexibility is valuable.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Informatica PowerExchange?

There are licensing and connector costs. Basically, Informatica is pay-as-you-use. There is one product cost and then the additional number of connectors or applications to which you are connecting...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Informatica PowerExchange?

See all answers

Comparisons

Informatica PowerCenter vs Azure Data Factory

Compared 13% of the time

Snowflake vs Azure Data Factory

Compared 10% of the time

Informatica Intelligent Data Management Cloud (IDMC) vs Azure Data Factory

Compared 8% of the time

Alteryx Designer vs Azure Data Factory

Compared 7% of the time

IBM InfoSphere DataStage vs Azure Data Factory

Compared 4% of the time

More Azure Data Factory Competitors

Informatica PowerCenter vs Informatica PowerExchange

Compared 78% of the time

Oracle GoldenGate vs Informatica PowerExchange

Compared 11% of the time

Informatica Intelligent Data Management Cloud (IDMC) vs Informatica PowerExchange

Compared 4% of the time

AWS Database Migration Service vs Informatica PowerExchange

Compared 3% of the time

More Informatica PowerExchange Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Azure Data Factory

December 2024

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Buyer's Guide

Informatica PowerExchange

December 2024

Download Informatica PowerExchange product report

Also Known As

No data available

PowerExchange, Connectors

Learn More

Microsoft

Informatica

Overview

Azure Data Factory efficiently manages and integrates data from various sources, enabling seamless movement and transformation across platforms. Its valuable features include seamless integration with Azure services, handling large data volumes, flexible transformation, user-friendly interface, extensive connectors, and scalability. Users have experienced improved team performance, workflow simplification, enhanced collaboration, streamlined processes, and boosted productivity.

Informatica PowerExchange Connectors provides high performance, out-of-the-box connectivity without having to develop custom data access programs.

Sample Customers

1. Adobe 2. BMW 3. Coca-Cola 4. General Electric 5. Johnson & Johnson 6. LinkedIn 7. Mastercard 8. Nestle 9. Pfizer 10. Samsung 11. Siemens 12. Toyota 13. Unilever 14. Verizon 15. Walmart 16. Accenture 17. American Express 18. AT&T 19. Bank of America 20. Cisco 21. Deloitte 22. ExxonMobil 23. Ford 24. General Motors 25. IBM 26. JPMorgan Chase 27. Microsoft (Azure Data Factory is developed by Microsoft) 28. Oracle 29. Procter & Gamble 30. Salesforce 31. Shell 32. Visa

ACH Food, BNSF Railway Company, Illinois State University

Buyer's Guide

Azure Data Factory vs. Informatica PowerExchange

December 2024

Free Report: Azure Data Factory vs. Informatica PowerExchange

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