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Microsoft MDS vs Riversand MDMCenter comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 4, 2025

Review summaries and opinions

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

Categories and Ranking

Microsoft MDS
Ranking in Master Data Management (MDM) Software
4th
Average Rating
7.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
23
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Riversand MDMCenter
Ranking in Master Data Management (MDM) Software
10th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
3
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2026, in the Master Data Management (MDM) Software category, the mindshare of Microsoft MDS is 8.2%, down from 11.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Riversand MDMCenter is 3.3%, up from 1.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Master Data Management (MDM) Software Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Microsoft MDS8.2%
Riversand MDMCenter3.3%
Other88.5%
Master Data Management (MDM) Software
 

Featured Reviews

reviewer1524357 - PeerSpot reviewer
Solution Architect at a computer software company with 51-200 employees
Has supported endpoint management while revealing areas where usability and latency can improve
The couple of times we found issues with technical support from Microsoft for Microsoft MDS, they resolved them. The response time and understanding were adequate, though there was always a language barrier between the teams. The teams we worked with were in Korea, and it was sometimes a language issue.
CR
Architect at Wipro
A stable solution with multiple workflow capabilities, but lightweight DAM capabilities and lacking a good search and match feature
The solution does not have a good match and search capability. It only has a basic, exact match search. Any upgrades to the search and match capability, seeing non-exact or fuzzy matches for example, would be good improvements. Also, the DAM solution provided by Riversand is comparatively lightweight, so you are still dependent on a third-party DAM solution provider, like Team Seven, to make it a complete solution. Some improvement in the DAM area would be a major help. From a data quality perspective, there are not a lot of data quality rules that can be enabled. Also, there is no specific data quality engine available, unlike Informatica, where you have the option of leveraging the PIM tool for data quality capabilities. Plus, you can leverage apps out of IDQ and make them available in PIM. If these kinds of options were made available in Riversand, they would definitely be welcome features.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"What I like about Microsoft is that it has a huge database with many users."
"The advantage of Microsoft MDS is that it's so handy, so customizable, and easy to use."
"It has a very good feature called Excel plug-in. You just have to install the plug-in, and then it directly connects to the MDS instance where you can maintain and manage your data and publish it right through Excel. You don't need to go to the front end to make any changes. It has easy integration with SQL Server, and you can use SSIS to do the ETLs. It is a part of the Microsoft stack. It works with most of the Microsoft stuff."
"The best thing about it is that it comes with the Microsoft package."
"The most valuable feature of Microsoft MDS is its compatibility with ETL tools like SSIS, which simplifies operations for end-users."
"More generic related things can be included in the services."
"One of the main features I have found useful is the integration with Azure active directory."
"Enables non-technical people to directly interact with the BI system."
"I like their matching feature, and the survivorship rules are very strong. I also like their out-of-box reports, data quality dashboards, and more. Those are also very handy and helpful. Internally, I like the kind of configurations that we can create, validations, and enhancements. Those configurations are pretty straightforward and useful. It's a user-friendly tool that is very cool."
"I like their matching feature, and the survivorship rules are very strong; I also like their out-of-box reports, data quality dashboards, and more, which are very handy and helpful, and the configurations we can create, validations, and enhancements are pretty straightforward and useful, making it a user-friendly tool that is very cool."
"There are a lot of workflow-related capabilities in Riversand, such as packaging-related AI-based algorithms that automatically assign specific packaging for a given product within the workflow."
"It's a stable solution. I have no complaints."
"This solution provides a good user interface and the ability to update large sets of products quickly, along with providing good off-the-shelf functionality."
"Has a good user interface and the ability to update large sets of products quickly."
 

Cons

"I do not like using Silverlight and Internet Explorer. The new 2019 version gets rid of that, which is one of the reasons why we are looking to switch."
"The only drawback is that it does not have the matching, merging, and all true MDM components. For these, you have to use another competent called Data Quality Services (DQS). You need to plug it in and use it along with MDS for true MDM. Both of these are integrated together, but you have to do them separately, whereas, in Profisee, there are a couple of screens where you can configure the matching process, create matching rules, and other things, and everything is in one product, which is not the case with MDS. In order to implement a true MDM, you need MDS, DQS, and SSIS. You have to use MDS to store your golden records, DQS to configure and standardize all your rules and matching percentages, and SSIS to load the data to DQS and MDS. At the same time, you also need Melissa Data to clean up your addresses to validate and standardize the addresses. That's the main component of true MDM. It would be good if they can create a true matching component inside MDS and merge MDS and DQS."
"I would like to separate the website from the database side. By default, you have the webserver running on the same server as it is the database."
"The business rules definition interface could be improved."
"The only drawback is that it does not have the matching, merging, and all true MDM components."
"More generic related things can be included in the services."
"Most of the Microsoft partners, especially digitally, are separate. Personnel are business people, and they do not have technical expertise, so you end up as a company spending a lot of money training your staff and your engineers."
"Microsoft MDS is outdated and lacks modern capabilities."
"Integration could be better. Riversand is majorly focusing on only the MDM hub part. They don't have their own integration platform. We have to rely on a third-party integration partner. They say this is the format, and it's the client's responsibility to bring the data into their required format. They have to have an integration partner and develop their integration capabilities. It's not so flexible to read any data format or system, for example, SAP. They don't have a connector."
"The ability to create bespoke workflows could be improved."
"The technical support for partners is not so good. It takes a long time to get a response."
"The solution does not have a good match and search capability."
"Integration could be better. Riversand is majorly focusing on only the MDM hub part."
"The ability to create bespoke workflows could be improved."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The solution does require a license and we have enterprise licenses."
"MDS is a part of the SQL Server enterprise license. I am not aware of any additional costs."
"I would like to see better pricing."
"Product licensing is very complicated. It would be helpful to have an online calculator to estimate the cost of a license."
"SAP is more expensive than Microsoft."
"Microsoft MDS is an expensive solution."
"With Microsoft, we buy everything though an agreement, so we purchase volume licensing every year."
"The pricing of this solution is good."
"Riversand MDMCenter isn't expensive. I believe their price is in the mid-range."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
14%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Computer Software Company
8%
Media Company
8%
No data available
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business9
Midsize Enterprise2
Large Enterprise15
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Microsoft MDS?
More generic related things can be included in the services.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft MDS?
Microsoft MDS was pretty affordable. We implemented the solution without a problem.
What needs improvement with Microsoft MDS?
I cannot really give specifics about disadvantages. From what we have seen, speaking to customers, Microsoft MDS was sometimes a bit slow. The frustration they had was just around usability and use...
Ask a question
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Also Known As

Microsoft Master Data Services, Microsoft MDM, Microsoft SQL Server Master Data Services, MS MDS
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

ETA a.s., Apeejay Surrendra Group, Blue Star Infotech, Rotherham Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation, The Sydney Children's Hospitals Network, New Belgium Brewing
Topco, PC Connection, Balsam Brands, Nivea, Eucerin, Tine, Schneider Electric, Miller, ExxonMobil, Baxter, ConocoPhillips, Cameron International, Chevron, Husky Energy, Saint-Gobain, Fingerhut
Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft MDS vs. Riversand MDMCenter and other solutions. Updated: April 2026.
895,151 professionals have used our research since 2012.