We use KNIME for a lot of predictive modeling. We use it to grab data, prepare it for modeling, do automated machine learning analysis, sometimes forecasting, and then try to deploy the models into production.
Solution Consulting, Growth, Analytics at Akinon
A no-code platform that can be used for a lot of predictive modeling
Pros and Cons
- "Since KNIME is a no-code platform, it is easy to work with."
- "KNIME is not good at visualization."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
Since KNIME is a no-code platform, it is easy to work with. You don't have to write any codes and try to fix all the bits and pieces of coding or the intricacies of the programming language. Instead, getting a quick data prep or big data and eventually running it through your hypothesis is pretty fast. It's not ideal for huge data sets worth gigabytes, but it's okay since very few people have big data sets.
What needs improvement?
KNIME is not good at visualization. I would like to see NLQ (Natural language query) and automated visualizations added to KNIME.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using KNIME for two to three years.
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Unless you are working with terabytes worth of data, KNIME is a stable solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is scalable and can be used up to terabytes of data. Around two to three people are using the solution in our organization.
How was the initial setup?
The solution’s initial setup is quick and easy.
What about the implementation team?
One person can deploy the solution within ten minutes.
What other advice do I have?
The solution is very essential when we require an explainable data modeling pipeline. We can show the workflows of KNIME to our customers and talk about it instead of showing the code and expecting them to read, which they can never do.
The process of providing KNIME to the client, how it works, where we get the data, what the initial data statistics were, and what we get in return are pretty explainable. We worked on multiple retail projects and insurance scoring projects.
KNIME is perfect for data pre-processing projects. The important thing is that when someone builds a KNIME workflow, we can quickly onboard and change it for something else. It means that we don't need to read and understand the code. It means that it's replicable and reusable.
If somebody does something, somebody else can quickly onboard and enhance, improve, or totally change the workflow from scratch. It's pretty hard and time-consuming for typical use cases where we utilize coding. KNIME's open-source nature has a good impact on our analytics work.
Recently, KNIME added something relevant to generative AI integration, which was a good move. Alteryx is slightly more powerful than KNIME, and Dataiku is more powerful than both KNIME and Alteryx. I sometimes work with the on-premises version of KNIME and sometimes the cloud version. The solution does not need any maintenance.
Users should quickly start using KNIME for whatever they want to do, and they'll learn it on the go easily. I would recommend the solution to other users.
Overall, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Professor of Digital Production at a educational organization with 1,001-5,000 employees
Stable, pretty straightforward to understand and offers drag-and-drop functionality
Pros and Cons
- "I've never had any problems with stability."
- "It's pretty straightforward to understand. So, if you understand what the pipeline is, you can use the drag-and-drop functionality without much training. Doing the same thing in Python requires so much more training. That's why I use KNIME."
- "In the last update, KNIME started hiding a lot of the nodes. It doesn't mean hiding, but you need to know what you're looking for. Before that, you had just a tree that you could click, and you could get an overview of what kind of nodes do I have. Right now, it's like you need to know which node you need, and then you can start typing, but it's actually more difficult to find them."
What is our primary use case?
I'm a professor at the local university. So, I used it to train virtual students in mechanical engineering.
I'm training a class for mechanical engineers on factory utilization and the basics of data science. That's what I use it for.
What is most valuable?
It's pretty straightforward to understand. So, if you understand what the pipeline is, you can use the drag-and-drop functionality without much training. Doing the same thing in Python requires so much more training. That's why I use KNIME.
What needs improvement?
In the last update, KNIME started hiding a lot of the nodes. It doesn't mean hiding, but you need to know what you're looking for. Before that, you had just a tree that you could click, and you could get an overview of what kind of nodes do I have.
Right now, it's like you need to know which node you need, and then you can start typing, but it's actually more difficult to find them.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using it for four years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I've never had any problems with it, so it's a ten out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I would rate the scalability a nine out of ten. For a basic training course, it's still fine. But I'm not a professional in using KNIME.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I used RapidMiner. I have not been using it in six years. I used to use it six years ago. Then I switched to KNIME because a lot of my colleagues are using KNIME, so it felt like the right way to do it.
Moreover, I switched from one university to another, and at my new university, other colleagues are using KNIME as well. So, for the students, it's easier to go just with one product.
How was the initial setup?
Overall, it's still easier than using Python, so it's still fine. But, actually, they made it more complex by switching from the last version to the one before.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We're using the free academic license just locally. I went for KNIME because they have a free academic license. And to be honest, I never bothered to check the prices.
What other advice do I have?
I like it a lot. I would advise that you shouldn't be afraid of data science. It's actually straightforward.
Overall, I would rate the solution a nine out of ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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KNIME
January 2025
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Senior Manager, Global Internal Audit at BACARDI CANADA, INC.
Brings efficiency and allows me to automatically download information from different sources
Pros and Cons
- "Automation is most valuable. It allows me to automatically download information from different sources, and once I create a workflow, I can apply it anytime I want. So, there is efficiency at the same time."
- "It's difficult to provide input on the improvement area because it's more of self-learning. However, there are times when I am not able to do certain things. I don't know if it's because the solution doesn't allow me or if it's because of the lack of knowledge."
What is our primary use case?
It's for big data or descriptive analytics involving data manipulation, formatting, and formulas.
What is most valuable?
Automation is most valuable. It allows me to automatically download information from different sources, and once I create a workflow, I can apply it anytime I want. So, there is efficiency at the same time.
It's like an Excel on drugs. It's more powerful than Excel, and it allows me to do macros easily.
What needs improvement?
I downloaded KNIME myself, and it's for self-learning. It's difficult to provide input on the improvement area because it's more of self-learning. However, there are times when I am not able to do certain things. I don't know if it's because the solution doesn't allow me or if it's because of the lack of knowledge.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using this solution for about three years. I last used it in my previous company about two months ago. We are not using it in my current company, but I'm using it for self-learning.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It's stable. I'd rate it a nine out of ten in terms of stability because when I load huge data, it sometimes takes a while and crashes. If I don't load it much, it works fine, but if I overload it, it crashes.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It seems scalable.
How was the initial setup?
It involved just downloading the app from the web. I didn't have any interaction with them. I just downloaded the free version.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
They have different versions, but I am using the open-source one.
What other advice do I have?
I'd recommend it, but it comes with a trade-off that you need to spend a lot of time on your own to understand how it works. It's user-friendly, but the fact is that I downloaded it by myself, so I didn't have any formal support on how to use it. It was used in my previous company. They had the license and they encouraged us to use it. That's how I know it.
I'd rate it an eight out of ten because I am not able to do some of the things, which could be because of my lack of knowledge, but it's a very good product. I see the benefit in terms of efficiency.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Asst Professor at Women's christian college
User-friendly, and you don't need coding knowledge to make it work; scalable and easy to set up
Pros and Cons
- "What I like most about KNIME is that it's user-friendly. It's a low-code, no-code tool, so students don't need coding knowledge. You can make use of different kinds of nodes. KNIME even has a good description of each node."
- "Though I can use KNIME in a 64-bit platform in the lab, it's missing some features. For example, from my laptop, I can use the image reader feature of KNIME. However, in the lab, the image reader node is missing."
What is our primary use case?
I'm a professor, and I learned about KNIME from a data science course. I use KNIME for data visualization, manipulation, and generation.
What is most valuable?
What I like most about KNIME is that it's user-friendly. It's a low-code, no-code tool, so students don't need coding knowledge. You can make use of different kinds of nodes. KNIME even has a good description of each node.
It's also helpful to learn more about the different concepts in KNIME, such as data mining, neural networks, and other visualization nodes for generation. You can gain a lot of insight from the tool as a data scientist.
What needs improvement?
Though I can use KNIME in a 64-bit platform in the lab, it's missing some features. For example, from my laptop, I can use the image reader feature of KNIME. However, in the lab, the image reader node is missing. This is an area for improvement because not all nodes appear in the 64-bit system. In other systems, you get to use all nodes or features. It should be uniform in all systems, though I have no idea if it's a software problem or a corruption in the system that's in the college lab. At home, I can see and access the image reader node, but in school, that node is missing.
What I want to be added to KNIME is the feature of extracting data from social media platforms, whether structured or unstructured and for that data to be automatically converted into a CSV file that I can use. I want a data cleaning and collection process from KNIME that works for social media platforms because datasets in social media can serve as business intelligence or can aid businesses. Social media is the trend nowadays, so I want a KNIME node to analyze data from social media platforms.
For how long have I used the solution?
I'd been using KNIME for three months now.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
In my three months of using KNIME, its stability has been okay, but I want to explore the tool more. Stability-wise, it's a seven out of ten. When the network is stable, then KNIME is okay to use.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
KNIME is a scalable product, so I'm rating it as nine in terms of scalability.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I've not used any other tool besides KNIME, but I'm planning to try RapidMiner, which I've not yet installed.
How was the initial setup?
KNIME was easy to set up, so it's a ten out of ten, setup-wise.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
KNIME is an open-source tool, so it's free to use.
What other advice do I have?
At the moment, only ten students use KNIME. The course just started.
In my three months of experience with KNIME, it's an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Student at a performing arts with 201-500 employees
Simplifies data modeling but needs to add longer training videos
Pros and Cons
- "The tool's analytic capabilities are good."
- "I wish there were more video training resources for KNIME. The current videos are very short, and most learning is text-based. Longer training sessions would be helpful, especially for complex flowchart use cases. Webinars focusing on starting projects and analyzing data would also be beneficial."
What is our primary use case?
I use KNIME to simplify the modeling process.
What is most valuable?
The tool's analytic capabilities are good.
What needs improvement?
I wish there were more video training resources for KNIME. The current videos are very short, and most learning is text-based. Longer training sessions would be helpful, especially for complex flowchart use cases. Webinars focusing on starting projects and analyzing data would also be beneficial.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is scalable.
How are customer service and support?
I haven't contacted the tool's support yet.
How was the initial setup?
The tool's deployment is easy.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I use the tool's free version.
What other advice do I have?
It takes some time to get familiar with it. I'm not sure how long it will take in the meantime. If one person learns it but the whole institution doesn't use it, that's a problem. Some people in our department use QuickSight, I use Tableau. We speak different languages, and it's hard for us to work together. Some use KNIME. We use it and then stop. We switched to Tableau, but it's expensive, so they're trying QuickSight. I don't know which platform we'll end up using.
We're still exploring KNIME for data manipulation, though Tableau or Power BI might be more convenient. I've used Alteryx before, and KNIME seems similar. I mainly use KNIME for machine learning, not as much for data manipulation.
I rate the overall product a seven out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Last updated: Jun 17, 2024
Flag as inappropriateStudent at ISCTE - INSTITUTO UNIVERSITÁRIO DE LISBOA
Intuitive design and helps with academic work while graphic features need clarity
Pros and Cons
- "KNIME is more intuitive and easier to use, which is the principal advantage."
- "KNIME is more intuitive and easier to use, which is the principal advantage."
- "For graphics, the interface is a little confusing."
- "For graphics, the interface is a little confusing. So, this is a point that could be improved."
What is our primary use case?
I use KNIME for my academic works.
What is most valuable?
KNIME is more intuitive and easier to use, which is the principal advantage.
What needs improvement?
For graphics, the interface is a little confusing. So, this is a point that could be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using KNIME for six months.
What other advice do I have?
I'd rate the solution seven out of ten.
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Other
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Last updated: Dec 18, 2024
Flag as inappropriateSenior Data Analyst at a comms service provider with 1,001-5,000 employees
An easy-to-learn solution that can be used for analyzing data and machine learning
Pros and Cons
- "KNIME is easy to learn."
- "The main issue with KNIME is that it sometimes uses too much CPU and RAM when working with large amounts of data."
What is our primary use case?
We use KNIME for analyzing data, for ETLs, and analyzing for machine learning.
What is most valuable?
KNIME is easy to learn. You can code with KNIME using the visual coding platform if you know how to code. If you're working in an account management or financial department, you can use KNIME to work with a huge amount of data quickly. You can use KNIME to schedule your workflows, send emails, and write codes.
What needs improvement?
The main issue with KNIME is that it sometimes uses too much CPU and RAM when working with large amounts of data.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using KNIME for eight years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
KNIME is a stable solution. In the previous version, sometimes KNIME would get stuck, and we had to restart the server too many times. Sometimes, we faced a lack of memory issues with the solution.
I rate KNIME an eight out of ten for stability.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Less than ten users are using KNIME in our organization.
I rate KNIME an eight out of ten for scalability.
How are customer service and support?
KNIME’s technical support team responds quickly. You can write your problems in the solution's forum, and they will answer you.
How was the initial setup?
KNIME's initial setup is not easy and needs someone who knows Linux to do it.
What about the implementation team?
A Linux engineer can deploy KNIME quickly, whereas someone who doesn't know Linux will take longer.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
There is no cost for using KNIME because it is an open-source solution, but you have to pay if you need a server.
What other advice do I have?
KNIME is a perfect solution for small and big companies, especially people who are using Excel. KNIME is very easy to learn and implement, and doctors and lab personnel can use it. Lots of companies are supporting KNIME and writing their own extensions. Data analysts and data scientists are using the solution for ETI processes.
Overall, I rate KNIME an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Professor of Health Services Research (now Emeritus) at a university with 1,001-5,000 employees
Simple to learn, useful no code platform, and quick and efficient
Pros and Cons
- "It's a very powerful and simple tool to use."
- "One area that could be improved is increasing awareness and adoption of KNIME among organizations. Despite its capabilities, it is not as well-known as other tools. The advertising and marketing efforts to reach out to companies and universities have not been very successful."
What is our primary use case?
I am promoting the use of KNIME because of my background as a computer scientist and my experience programming in languages, such as Pascal, Python, and R. Many of my junior colleagues at the university lack proficiency in computing, and KNIME is an effective tool for introducing beginners to programming. The platform is user-friendly and does not require coding, making it accessible for those who can learn the basics in just an hour through video tutorials.
How has it helped my organization?
One way KNIME has improved our organization is by allowing us to perform analyses that we previously couldn't. We often start with data in Excel or CSV format, and the process of importing data from other software, such as SPSS or STATA can be challenging. With KNIME, the process is simplified, as we can easily import the data with a single node, making it quick and efficient.
What is most valuable?
There are many valuable features in KNIME. One of the most useful aspects is that it can read a wide variety of data file types. Additionally, the ability to manipulate data, such as deleting rows or columns, is very helpful. I also use many of the nodes for analyzing data, such as doing frequencies and cross tabs. I have used it for machine learning tasks, like decision trees and random forests. It also has neural network capabilities, but I am not an expert in that area, so I cannot comment on it.
It's a very powerful and simple tool to use.
KNIME has met all of my needs so far. It has excellent data visualization capabilities. Additionally, it has a text analysis package, which I haven't used. However, I am satisfied with the features currently available and it has a strong support community.
What needs improvement?
One area that could be improved is increasing awareness and adoption of KNIME among organizations. Despite its capabilities, it is not as well-known as other tools. The advertising and marketing efforts to reach out to companies and universities have not been very successful.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using KNIME for approximately two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
KNIME is highly stable, it's been working for over 10 years.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
In terms of scalability, I haven't personally pushed KNIME to its limits. I have used it to work with tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of cases and it has performed well on my own Microsoft Windows 10 PC. It has completed everything I wanted to do within a maximum of 10 seconds, but usually much less, often taking only a second or two. It sometimes seems immediate, but I have not tested it with hundreds of thousands or millions of cases.
The server version is certainly scalable. However, I am not using that version. I am using the desktop version, known as the Workbench. The server version can handle large datasets, such as those found in genomics, proteomics, and chemistry databases that are in the millions, so it is clearly capable of scaling. I am not able to comment on the performance of the server version as I have not personally used it.
How are customer service and support?
I have not contacted the company for technical support. They have a community hub where many users contribute and I have used that for assistance and it has worked well for me. I am not commenting on the company's specific support services, but rather on the facility provided by the company for users to communicate with each other. Often, you can't distinguish whether the person providing the advice is an official representative of the company or a fellow user.
The support provided by the community hub is excellent. You can post questions and usually receive a reply within 24 hours. Sometimes you even receive workflow that can be easily integrated into your own work, saving you the time and effort of retyping it.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of KNIME is trivial. I only needed to download and it run.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
For beginners, the free desktop version is very attractive, but the full server version can be more expensive. I have only used the free version and it offers a fair pricing system. I have been promoting it to others without any compensation or request from the company, simply because I am enthusiastic about it. I am not aware of the pricing for the server version, but it seems to be widely used.
What other advice do I have?
My advice to others starting out with the solution is for them to look up videos on the solution because there are hundreds of them, but start with the small ones.
You can begin using KNIME with a one-hour introduction, which provides enough knowledge to complete most research tasks, but it does not cover all the fine details of the platform. KNIME offers tens of thousands of packages, or nodes, that are available for download to perform various tasks such as text processing or regression. It is not possible to learn all of it at once, it's best to start with analyzing data that interests you and then expanding your knowledge as you go along. The platform is reliable, as new features are thoroughly tested and it has never failed me in the many times that I have used it.
I rate KNIME a nine out of ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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