Informatica PowerCenter Reviews

Informatica PowerCenter is an ETL data integration platform.

It's all part of the data warehouse's extract, transform, and load process. Data is extracted from all source systems, transformed, and loaded into a data warehouse.

It is very robust, scalable, and simple to use.

It is very comprehensive in terms of connector and transformation capabilities from both a source and target perspective.

I believe that people are shifting to more agile, flexible platforms not only in this era but also in the last two or three years. This is happening not only on data management platforms but also on analytics platforms. Platforms for visualizing data dashboards. We used to have very rigid tools like Cognos and MicroStrategy, but Tableau and Power BI have recently taken over. The same can be said for data management. 

Informatica, in my opinion, is very rigid and not very flexible, whereas platforms like Alteryx or Matillion are very flexible and agile.

I have over 15 years of experience working with Informatica tools, and we have worked with Informatica PowerCenter in the last 12 months.

Informatica PowerCenter is stable. On a scale from 1 to 10, I would rate it a ten.

I haven't had any problems with jobs or projects failing or anything like that.

You can definitely scale it as the data volume increases. You have many options for scaling up.

The technical support is great.

They are responsive and simple to contact.

While I have not implemented it, I am familiar with Informatica PIM.

We have also used Informatica Cloud in the last 12 months.

The installation and configuration are both well-documented and straightforward.

I am not sure about the most recent price, but I think it should be $100,000 or more.

It's obviously the best.

I would rate Informatica PowerCenter a ten out of ten.

Informatica PowerCenter is a data extraction and data loading tool. We extract data from some sources and we load data to different source systems.

Improved the data integrity, data flow and data managment with consummption too made easy and ustainanble and scalable.

The most valuable feature of Informatica PowerCenter is the flow designer functionally. It is the best out of any ETL tool. Additionally, the solution is reliable and trustable in dealing with large data sources anytime. When we're using billions of data transactions, it's smooth. 

Informatica PowerCenter could improve on the documentation for the implementation. The documents provided are not very good for a new user.

In a future release of Informatica PowerCenter, they should add more flexibility on re-usability options. Reusing any setup developed on Informatica PowerCenter, more options to make it reusable, exporting the setup, or importing the setup to any project folder or anywhere in Informatica PowerCenter so that we can use it as a plug-and-play option.

I have used Informatica PowerCenter within the last 12 months.

Informatica PowerCenter is stable. We did not have any downtime.

Informatica PowerCenter could improve its re-usage strategies. There is a scope of improvement in the re-usability of their applications. They could make it more user-friendly for re-usage so that we can create plug-and-play options for different setups.

We have more than 100 people using this solution in my organization.

I have not used the support from Informatica PowerCenter.

Oracle data integrator to Informatica because of reliability and cloud benefits.

The initial setup of Informatica PowerCenter is of a moderate level of difficulty. The full implementation took approximately one day.

When evaluating other solutions we found Informatica PowerCenter to be the most stable.

We had a major banking client, and Informatica PowerCenter is the go-to option when we are dealing with any kind of banking client. It provides the stability and very trustability factor for any kind of banking client's requirements.

This solution has provided me with all functions that I need. I recommend others to use Informatica PowerCenter if they have a decent knowledge of how data migration and data integration works. If they have good knowledge about it and if they have used any other ETL tools previously, they will find it easier to use Informatica PowerCenter. 

If it is for a beginner, I would suggest they learn something about the basics of how data migration works, and then they can start using it.

I rate Informatica PowerCenter a nine out of ten.

We use this solution for regular ETL access. All our warehouses are built through Informatica. We also use Informatica to build data marts.

It's very easy to use it to develop mappings and workflows.

Informatica are very rigid when it comes to cloud migrations which discourages customers in moving their solution to the cloud. I cannot simply move my code from on-premise to the cloud. There is a conversion process and that conversion process has to be done by Informatica. They charge a huge amount for their professional service. 

Informatica is not as mature when it comes to cloud solutions and cloud connectors and still they want to charge for cloud IACS adoption. If I compare Informatica with Oracle, Oracle provide almost double the licenses when we move onto a cloud solution, regardless of what on-prem license we have. The migration is free of charge.

In a future release, we would like to have cloud connectors.

We have used this solution for more than 15 years.

This solution is not scalable.

This solution is stable.

The customer support is not great. I would rate them a six out of ten.

Neutral

We have not previously used a different solution. We chose Informatica because we needed an enterprise solution. The problem with Informatica data capture is that it is not an end-to-end solution. We have a different automation solution called Oracle GoldenGate. 

The setup is straightforward but we have been doing it for 15 years. A good feature they offer is the backward compatibility which makes the setup seamless.

We did it in-house. 

I would rate the pricing for this solution a six out of ten. The exact pricing depends on various products that you have. We have various Informatica products and it varies from automation to automation.

Informatica is so rigid and so we were trying to look for other partners for our entire ETL process. Modern data solutions are more cost effective and mature with the latest data basis or cloud awareness. We are going to decrease our usage of Informatica.

If you already have Informatica and plan to move to the cloud solution, then you have to evaluate other solutions based on compatibility and do a thorough cost analysis. They have been the market leaders for more than 15 to 20 years. They could use their experience to make better products for modern cloud adoption. 

I would rate this solution a five out of ten.

The solution is basically used for anything and everything that we process, for example, from the SQL Server, from other application sources like Oracle, from Flatfiles, or loading into these kinds of sources. We use it for pretty much everything.

It's the best ETL tool that one can have.

The initial setup is easy.

It's stable.

We can scale the product.

Support has been helpful in the past.

If we could have the option of performance improvement within Informatica, and if it could have more features, that would be ideal. For example, we have a DTM buffer, and sometimes we face issues where we are creating the cache in Informatica, and it keeps on adding onto that particular directory. Even though we deploy code to remove that cache, somehow Informatica DTM does not remove the cache, and it keeps on piling up, filling up the whole server unless we manually remove that.

There are some functionalities in Informatica, however, after some time, they stopped working. That has been an issue that has added up to operational costs. If we could have the consistent working of all the functionalities that Informatica offers, not just during the start of the project or for around six months, that would be ideal. We find that it stops working due to some issue, due to some process not getting started or getting in a hung state.  

From 10.1, to 10.1.1, to 10.5.1, there is a feature in the expression transformation where users have the option to evaluate the expression. It works only when you do not have variables in that, yet only some values (hard-coded values). For example, if you have column one and column two and put in column three, then when you evaluate the expression, and you only get column one plus column two, and it even does not work. It says you can't pass the variables, pass the values, and then that feature that was introduced is of no use. 

I've used the solution for almost 14 years. 

The solution is stable and reliable. I'd rate it 9.5 out of ten in terms of stability. There are no bugs or glitches.

The solution is scalable. However, it depends on the server. 

You can scale unless the server on which it is hosted does not have enough resources to handle the additional load.

In our organization, most developers are on the product. There are around 50 people at least using it. 

I have not used technical support yet in this organization. That said, in my prior organizations, I have. When we had a new tool, for example, we had OneConnect for an SAP Field Glass Connector and we were not sure how to connect to it. Therefore, we had some connectivity-related questions that we were not able to explore on our own since there wasn't much online expertise available. We had to reach out. All questions were addressed and answered by Informatica.

The level of assistance we received was as expected. We were happy with their response time and their answers provided solutions to our questions.

The initial setup takes time sometimes. It can take around two days if you have a prior code. That said, if you are starting it from scratch, then more than four hours, so it is easy - if someone has experience in it, of course, and the proper manual to follow.

I don't recall the exact cost o the solution. That said, it is one of the costliest products that one can have. They are costly ETL products. When it comes to Oracle, we have cheaper options since Oracle provides its ODI fee of cost if someone buys any of their modules for business intelligence. That is something that Informatica does not have.

Still, if you have large data volumes and you do not want to be at risk for your daily loads, then it is worth the money.

I'm an end-user.

I'd advise new users to go through proper training and get at least one to two years of proper work experience in it before they actually go to customers to suggest its implementation - especially if they will be the primary point of contact.

I would rate the solution nine out of ten.

I'm working for a casino, and we use this solution in our company to replicate different databases, such as from Oracle to Teradata. Most of the time, it is used for replication, but sometimes, it is also used for doing some calculations, additions, or unions for ETL.

It is currently deployed on-premises, but we will be moving to a cloud solution by the end of the year. We are currently doing a proof of concept and evaluating a cloud solution from Informatica.

The support is valuable. There are also open-source ETL products, which work very well, but there is no support. When we face a production problem, being able to get support is valuable, and it brings efficiency. With an open-source solution, we can't engage anyone to resolve the problem as quickly as possible.

Its stability is high, and it is also scalable.

Some of the conversions are done inside the product. We use work tables that are created by the engine itself, but the names of the work tables are very long, and they don't have any meaning, which makes it a bit difficult to understand and follow exactly what is happening inside.

We would like to be able to communicate with our Google Cloud platform. This feature probably exists, but I'm not sure if we tested it. 

It is very stable.

It is scalable. There are no problems. It is only a financial matter. You just need to have more machines. The price changes depending on the number of CPUs that are involved. 

We have 24/7 support because it belongs to the production environment. We just have to open a case, and somebody takes up the case and provides an answer. They also call back, and there is also a knowledge base.

We had Sybase ETL, but it was not exactly for the same use. We also had some homemade solutions between Db2 and Teradata. We switched because to deal with more databases, it was easiest to use a real ETL solution.

It isn't complex. In the beginning, we have to test and try different parameters. Once that is complete, it is done for all the processes. If we have some trouble, we can call support, and most of the time, we can find people to help us in choosing the right parameters from different parameters.

The complete implementation—which includes doing the proof of concept, understanding how it works and what work has to be done, migrating all existing workflows—took over six months.

We implemented it ourselves.

I would rate it an eight out of 10. It works.

One of my use cases is integrating personnel data from multiple systems.

Once you have learned Informatica, it is very easy to use.

The feedback that I have received from team members is that they found it easy to work with.

It is very difficult to learn.

The documentation could be improved. For example, if they were to create a system like SAS Books or IBM Redbooks that includes books on how to install, and how to troubleshoot problems, then it would be great.

I would like to see a centralized dashboard that can be used to access all of the Informatica products, rather than having a set of fragmented applications. A consolidated system with everything in a single platform would make it easier for technicians, as well as when it comes to purchasing it. That would be amazing.

I have been using Informatica PowerCenter for two years.

This is a stable product that has been around for a long time.

We have approximately eight people who use Informatica in the organization.

The customer service is good but they can't move you through the entire installation and troubleshooting process.

I also have experience with solutions from IBM, SAS, and other vendors.

My IT team was responsible for the deployment. Our team has approximately 12 people and they are responsible for installation and maintenance, including upgrades.

I consider this to be an expensive product.

In summary, Informatica is a good product that is very difficult to learn but once you learn it, it's very easy to use. It is a product that I can recommend using.

I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.

Informatica PowerCenter is basically used for data integration and ETL processing, data extraction from different heterogeneous sources, and putting that data into different relational databases.

PowerCenter has proven to be the most beneficial for our data integration tasks. Informatica PowerCenter provides multiple transformations in one particular toolset. You don't need to apply any coding. 

Those transformations are the most valuable thing in Informatica PowerCenter, which helps to do the data integration part easily.

Error handling capability:

Error handling capability is quite good in Informatica PowerCenter because it provides a very detailed session log, which is really helpful to identify the errors. 

In addition, there are KB articles, which are published by Informatica, that are really helpful. Even if you face any issues or errors, we can resolve that issue. 

If the error is not at all possible to solve with Informatica PowerCenter, we can raise a case with Informatica, and their support team helps us to address that particular issue. If it is not possible to solve with that particular version, they consider it and try to solve it with the next patch or hotfix.

AI Capabilities:

Informatica PowerCenter doesn't fit into AI-related things because it's an on-premise tool, which doesn't have any significant role in the field. It is just an ETL on-premise tool. 

Basically, in the AI field, Informatica PowerCenter is not going to be that impactful. Informatica has launched IICS and IDMC (Informatica Data Management Cloud). Their AI comes into the picture there, but for Informatica PowerCenter, AI doesn't come into the picture at all.

Instead of using SQL queries, Informatica PowerCenter is very helpful when extracting data from multiple sources. That is one of the valuable things. 

Other than that, we can do multiple transformations in Informatica PowerCenter.

For data integration tasks, Informatica PowerCenter provides multiple transformations in one toolset. You don't need to apply coding or other things. The transformations are the most valuable thing in Informatica PowerCenter, which helps to do the data integration part easily.

I have had performance issues with this product. When I deal with very large amounts of data, performance issues arise.

Improvement is needed in terms of some new transformation because API integration and all those things are very critical nowadays. Some level of transformation, new transformation, if they introduce that, would be helpful, other than that, the performance and scalability related things that they need to improve. 

If they are launching another Informatica PowerCenter with a new version, I'm not sure about it because they are promoting IDMC, they are not promoting Informatica PowerCenter.

I've been working in Informatica PowerCenter for around eight plus years.

It is an on-premise environment, so it's not as scalable as compared to Informatica Cloud.

There are around ten-plus developers and around four administrators using this product.

The approximate volume of data we process varies from project to project; on average, it is eight to nine gigabytes of data.

I have experience in Informatica Cloud, IDMC (Informatica Data Management Cloud), Azure Data Factory, and a little bit of Fivetran.

Informatica PowerCenter is a very robust tool. You can implement any kind of complex business logic with it. However, Informatica PowerCenter is a very traditional ETL tool that came into the market very early in the 2000s. They have a very good hold on the market and are able to handle all the complex data problems and business data integration use cases.

Whereas, other tools that came new into the market are less complicated to learn, execute, and create data pipelines. But sometimes, I feel that if some complex business problems arise, then we need to jump into the coding part. And there are not as many transformations available.

The initial setup is not at all easy. Setting up PowerCenter is not at all easy, especially when you are installing your server on Linux machines. It's very complicated, especially the upgrade part, if it is a multi-node cluster environment with high availability.

I would recommend using it. But currently all things are moving to the cloud. Informatica PowerCenter is a little bit lagging behind, and now everybody is moving to the cloud.

So, Informatica itself is promoting the use of IDMC and cloud instead of Informatica PowerCenter. But some clients, like banking and pharmaceutical clients, still prefer traditional on-premises ETL tools. So, in that case Informatica PowerCenter is definitely one of the best and unbeatable tools for enterprises.

Overall, I would rate the solution an eight out of ten.

Our company uses Informatica PowerCenter as an ETL tool for data warehouse purposes.

Informatica PowerCenter has good user feedback. The developers can easily make mappings in the solution.

Informatica PowerCenter can improve its unstructured data handling part. Unstructured data handling is an important area with a shortcoming that needs improvement in the solution.

I have been using Informatica PowerCenter for fourteen years. Also, I am using the solution's latest version. My company has a partnership with Informatica.

It is a stable solution. Stability-wise, I rate the solution around an eight out of ten.

In my team, around 15 people, that includes engineers and developers, use the solution.

Scalability-wise, I rate the solution around a seven out of ten.

Informatica PowerCenter's technical support is responsive. I rate the technical support a seven out of ten.

Neutral

I have previously used Datastage, an IBM product, the support for which was not proper. Informatica had the provision for moving to the cloud.

The solution is deployed on the public cloud by Azure.

The solution does not require any installation to be done at my end.

Since the solution's cost is higher, I rate the pricing as a five out of ten.

There are no extra expenses in addition to licensing costs.

Currently, we moved to IICS.

Two engineers are needed for the maintenance of the solution.

I would recommend the solution to those planning to use it.

Nowadays, better products are coming into the market. If you ask something from five years ago, I would say it was fine back then. Better products are available at a cheaper cost, so the competition is high for Informatica.

Overall, I rate the product a seven out of ten.