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KNIME vs Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary
 

Categories and Ranking

IBM SPSS Statistics
Sponsored
Average Rating
8.0
Number of Reviews
37
Ranking in other categories
Data Mining (3rd), Data Science Platforms (10th)
KNIME
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
58
Ranking in other categories
Data Mining (1st), Data Science Platforms (2nd)
Microsoft Azure Synapse Ana...
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
90
Ranking in other categories
Cloud Data Warehouse (2nd)
 

Mindshare comparison

Data Mining
Cloud Data Warehouse
 

Q&A Highlights

PS
Aug 03, 2023
 

Featured Reviews

AbakarAhmat - PeerSpot reviewer
Enhancing survey analysis that provides valued insightfulness
I used traditional tools where I would prepare data, click through menus, and use SQL Server for data visualization. We switched to IBM SPSS because it offers strong certification and aligns well with the standards we prioritize in our surveys. In terms of popularity, it stands out as the top choice in the market, especially in the research and university domains. Many different organizations and institutions use SPSS for statistical analytics. While there are other tools like MCLab and similar options available, SPSS is the most renowned and widely used among them.
Hansong Choi - PeerSpot reviewer
A low-code platform that reduces data mining time by linking script
The solution allows for sharing model designs and model operations with other data analysts. Other solutions such as SAS, R, and Python consist of just the script which is difficult to share. The solution is a low-code platform which reduces data mining time and its platform includes a clickable icon for linking script.
Sunil Gidwani - PeerSpot reviewer
No competitors provide the entire solution to one place
I rate Azure Synapse Analytics eight out of 10. No competitors provide the entire solution to one place like Synapse. For example, a database just focuses moving and manipulating data, etc. But Synapse is like an all-inclusive workspace. I advise other people to go with Databricks Notebook if you need a computation engine. It has a solid SQL storage procedure. Suppose you are dealing with complex transformation logic and manipulation of run-time data flows. In that case, it's better to use Databricks than any Microsoft ADF. DataBricks looks more promising in terms of computing in memory, so we integrated Databricks in Synapse.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Some of the most valuable features that we are using with some business models are machine learning algorithms, statistical models given to us by the business, and getting data from the database or text files."
"The software offers consistency across multiple research projects helping us with predictive analytics capabilities."
"The most valuable feature of IBM SPSS Statistics is all the functionality it provides. Additionally, it is simple to do the five-way analysis that you can into multidimensional setup space. It's the multidimensional space facility that is most useful."
"I've found the descriptive statistics and cross-tabs valuable. The very simple correlations and regressions are as well."
"In terms of the features I've found most valuable, I'd say the duration, the correlation, and of course the nonparametric statistics. I use it for reliability and survival analysis, time series, regression models in different solutions, and different types of solutions."
"SPSS is quite robust and quicker in terms of providing you the output."
"It offers very good visualization."
"The most valuable features are the small learning curve and its ability to hold a lot of data."
"Usability, and organising workflows in very neat manner. Controlling workflow through variables is something amazing."
"The ETL which helps me to collect, reformat, and load the data from multiple sources into one destination, a storage database."
"Overall KNIME serves its purpose and does a good job."
"The solution allows for sharing model designs and model operations with other data analysts."
"It allows for a user-friendly approach where you can simply drag and drop elements to create your model, which is a convenient and effective idea."
"Easy to use, stable, and powerful."
"KNIME is quite scalable, which is one of the most important features that we found."
"Key features include: very easy-to-use visual interface; Help functions and clear explanations of the functionalities and the used algorithms; Data Wrangling and data manipulation functionalities are certainly sufficient, as well as the looping possibilities which help you to automate parts of the analysis."
"We use Azure Synapse Analytics in many different areas and industries, so I like that you can administrate and create pipelines for difference sources of data and later integrate and deploy it to other internal areas, such as separate dashboards for financials, and so on."
"The most valuable features of Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics are the interface and the agility of the on-cloud platform."
"The most valuable features of Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics are the user experience because it is easy to make analyses, load different databases, and different resources. Our end users can do the analysis by themselves without IT supervising. This is a great aspect of the solution, it's better for our environment."
"Very interactive and provides flexibility."
"The most valuable feature of Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics is its integration with the new legacy systems. Whatever application we want to integrate, we receive the reports based on the objects. The solution is easy to purchase from the cloud."
"It's user-friendly and has a good dashboard."
"The solution offers strong scalability opportunities."
"Synapse Analytics' best features are notebooks, pipelines, and monitoring."
 

Cons

"IBM SPSS Statistics does not keep you close to your data like KNIME."
"In some cases, the product takes time to load a large dataset. They could improve this particular area."
"The design of the experience can be improved."
"One of the areas that should be similar to Minitabs is the use of blogs. The Minitabs blog helps users understand the tools and gives lots of practical examples. Following the SPSS manual is cumbersome. It's a good, exhaustive manual, but it's not practical to use. With Minitabs, you can go to the blogs and find specific articles written about various components and it's very helpful. Without blogs, we find SPSS more complicated."
"Perhaps in terms of visualization. It's not really easy to do some data visualization, just simple, descriptive analysis in SPSS. I think that could be an area for improvement."
"I know that SPSS is a statistical tool but it should also include a little bit of analytical behavior. You can call it augmented analysis or predictive analysis. The bottom line is it should have more graphical and analytical capabilities."
"This solution is not suitable for use with Big Data."
"It would be helpful if there was better documentation on how to properly use the solution. A beginner's guide on how to use the various programming functions within the product would be so useful to a lot of people. I found that everything was very confusing at first. Having clear documentation would help alleviate that."
"​The data visualization part is the area most in need of improvement."
"I would like it to have data visualitation capabilities. Today I'm still creating my own data visualtions tools to present my reports."
"The main issue with KNIME is that it sometimes uses too much CPU and RAM when working with large amounts of data."
"KNIME is not scalable."
"The license is quite expensive for us."
"KNIME's licensing and data management aren't as straightforward relative to Alteryx. Alteryx's tools are more sophisticated, so you need fewer to use it compared to KNIME. I think tab implementation could be easier, too."
"It's difficult to pinpoint one single feature because KNIME has so many. For starters, it's very easy to learn. You can get started with just a one-hour video. The drag-and-drop interface makes it user-friendly. For example, if you want to read an Excel file, drag the "read Excel file" node from the repository, configure it by specifying the file location, and run it. This gives you a table with all your data."
"KNIME doesn't handle large datasets or a high number of records well."
"I'd like to see part of the service de-coupled."
"The performance needs to improve in future releases."
"The platform is not flexible, and the graphical user interface needs to be improved because the interface makes it hard for the end user to use it."
"The initial setup is complex."
"From an infrastructure standpoint, I believe it can be more secure in terms of availability."
"It's stable, but its stability could be better. However, we understand that it's in production, and new features are getting added and upgraded, so you do get hiccups sometimes."
"I am a researcher. For people to be able to research a solution, there should be at least a free trial. Just advertising a product or saying that this product is better doesn't work. I would strongly recommend providing a lot of free trials and trainings. This will also help Microsoft in having more users or customers. Oracle provides some free trials. You can just go for a free trial and use your database online, which is very good."
"In the future, Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics has the potential to enhance its capabilities by expanding its connectors, specifically with regard to Oracle solutions, such as operating systems. This would involve a comprehensive approach to adding more connectors for both data input and consumption purposes. By doing so, Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics would be better equipped to meet the diverse needs of its users and achieve greater efficiency in its performance. The provision of more connectors is definitely a crucial area that needs improvement."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"More affordable training for new staff members."
"It's quite expensive, but they do a special deal for universities."
"SPSS is an expensive piece of software because it's incredibly complex and has been refined over decades, but I would say it's fairly priced."
"Our licence is on a yearly renewal basis. While pricing is not the primary concern in our evaluation, as products are assessed by whether they can meet our user needs and expertise, the cost can be a limiting factor in the number of licences we procure."
"While the pricing of the product may be higher, the accompanying service and features justify the investment."
"If it requires lot of data processing, maybe switching to IBM SPSS Clementine would be better for the buyer."
"We think that IBM SPSS is expensive for this function."
"I rate the tool's pricing a five out of ten."
"I use the open-source version."
"The price of KNIME is quite reasonable and the designer tool can be used free of charge."
"It is free of cost. It is GNU licensed."
"This is an open-source solution that is free to use."
"There is a Community Edition and paid versions available."
"KNIME is a cost-effective solution because it’s free of cost."
"This is a free open-source solution."
"KNIME offers a free version"
"I think Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics is priced well, and I would rate the price at eight out of ten."
"The costs are billed such that we pay for what we use, which is a good thing."
"Microsoft's pricing is relatively high, and it varies according to the extent of our usage. The pricing is directly tied to our consumption. This decision is ultimately a business choice."
"The pricing is competitive, but only when you pay upfront. If you pay as you go, it's not as competitive. I'd give pricing a rating of seven out of ten."
"It's very difficult to price unless you know exactly how the customer is using it."
"The price of this solution could be improved."
"I would rate the ROI a nine out of ten, where one is zero value and ten is 100% value."
"Price varies by use-case. You pay for the database itself in addition to any consumed data within Serverless plus other fees if you use the Data Factory that is inside."
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Answers from the Community

PS
Aug 3, 2023
Aug 3, 2023
I know you're looking for someone who's done research for you but realize that's actually something people get paid to do. That said, what you're asking about is a mix of quite different tools when you throw KNIME in the mix. I don't know that tool but sounds like its for specific purpose and it's not an Azure tool. Realize there's endless ETL tools out there. I've used about 1/2 dozen in ...
2 out of 4 answers
reviewer2009835 - PeerSpot reviewer
Apr 27, 2023
A couple of questions before starting the feature comparison:  i. Are you fine with an open-source solution? ii. Any specific reason you have listed ADF? iii. Who will be using these tools and how much learning curve is involved within the team? iv. What kind of data you are dealing with? v. Is data privacy an important factor? vi. Are you looking for only a cloud-based solution or open to a hybrid solution also? vii. What is the maturity level of the team when it comes to working on the cloud ........ These are just a few of the many questions basis which we do self-assessment or measure our preparedness. Let me know if you need more insights. Happy to help!!
BA
Apr 27, 2023
I believe Synapse is not an ETL tool.  ADF is one optional ETL tool for a Synapse Data warehouse.. What Are the Top ETL Tools for Azure Data Warehouse? | Integrate.ioI'd like to step back and pose a bigger option. You see, ETL means making a copy of data you have already. Have you considered a data fabric or mesh, where the data is used where it lies now?  Consider this if your data is already used by some systems, but you need to do a more comprehensive analysis of it.I always want to reduce the replication of databases. The concept of build yet another database to "replace" all the others rarely works out that way.  I'd rather beef up the origination system, or use a replica than build a huge portfolio of ETL programs and an army of ops, data governance, and system support to keep them in sync. Finally, if you really need an ETL tool, i.e. copies of all that data... look for existing talent in your staff. Otherwise, expect to hire some people experienced with the new tool that can advise on design and development and mentor existing staff.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
17%
University
9%
Computer Software Company
9%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Manufacturing Company
13%
Financial Services Firm
13%
Computer Software Company
9%
Educational Organization
8%
Educational Organization
44%
Computer Software Company
7%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Manufacturing Company
5%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about IBM SPSS Statistics?
The software offers consistency across multiple research projects helping us with predictive analytics capabilities.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM SPSS Statistics?
The cost of IBM SPSS Statistics is managed by organizations, not individual researchers. It is a very expensive produ...
What needs improvement with IBM SPSS Statistics?
IBM SPSS Statistics does not keep you close to your data like KNIME. In KNIME, at every stage, you can see the result...
What do you like most about KNIME?
Since KNIME is a no-code platform, it is easy to work with.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for KNIME?
I rate the product’s pricing a seven out of ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive.
What needs improvement with KNIME?
The current UI is primarily in English. Analyzing data in local languages might present challenges or issues.
How does Amazon Redshift compare with Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics?
Amazon Redshift is very fast, has a very good response time, and is very user-friendly. The initial setup is very str...
What do you like most about Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics?
The product is easy to use, and anybody can easily migrate to advanced DB.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics?
The cost is reasonable for our company. There is no license cost; we pay only for Azure Compute's costs. It is import...
 

Also Known As

SPSS Statistics
KNIME Analytics Platform
Azure Synapse Analytics, Microsoft Azure SQL Data Warehouse, Microsoft Azure SQL DW, Azure SQL Data Warehouse, MS Azure Synapse Analytics
 

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Overview

 

Sample Customers

LDB Group, RightShip, Tennessee Highway Patrol, Capgemini Consulting, TEAC Corporation, Ironside, nViso SA, Razorsight, Si.mobil, University Hospitals of Leicester, CROOZ Inc., GFS Fundraising Solutions, Nedbank Ltd., IDS-TILDA
Infocom Corporation, Dymatrix Consulting Group, Soluzione Informatiche, MMI Agency, Estanislao Training and Solutions, Vialis AG
Toshiba, Carnival, LG Electronics, Jet.com, Adobe, 
Find out what your peers are saying about Knime, Weka, IBM and others in Data Mining. Updated: October 2024.
816,406 professionals have used our research since 2012.