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reviewer1453662 - PeerSpot reviewer
Linux Platform System Administrator at a healthcare company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Useful for large data, scalable, and high availability
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable aspect of this Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics is its consolidation of technical support from Microsoft, and its ability to securely host large quantities of data within the cloud environment. The overall ability to manage and maintain Big Data within the cloud provides a heightened level of efficiency, reliability, and support from Microsoft. This results in a superior user experience and an increased level of value for the end user."
  • "There may be some challenges in terms of connecting with Virtual Networks (VNETs) to Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics."

What is most valuable?

The most valuable aspect of this Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics is its consolidation of technical support from Microsoft, and its ability to securely host large quantities of data within the cloud environment. The overall ability to manage and maintain Big Data within the cloud provides a heightened level of efficiency, reliability, and support from Microsoft. This results in a superior user experience and an increased level of value for the end user.

What needs improvement?

There may be some challenges in terms of connecting with Virtual Networks (VNETs) to Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics for approximately one year.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability of Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics is great. It offers a high level of performance.

Buyer's Guide
Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics
January 2025
Learn what your peers think about Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: January 2025.
831,881 professionals have used our research since 2012.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability of Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics is good.

How are customer service and support?

The support from Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics is excellent.

How was the initial setup?

There is a steep learning curve to do the implementation.

I rate the initial setup of Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics a seven out of ten.

What other advice do I have?

The entire Microsoft Azure ecosystem is well connected and Microsoft has done well with the features.

My advice to others is to try out the solution, do your homework and research, and set up a POC environment.

I rate Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics an eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Erick Oliveira Da Silva - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Data Engineer at a tech company with 201-500 employees
Real User
Top 10
Is simple to understand and use, and is stable and scalable
Pros and Cons
  • "I like the keynotes and their simplicity. Like other Microsoft products, Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics is simple to understand and use."
  • "The linked services can be improved. We can create dynamic linked services to access a lot of databases but only those of the same type. For example, I can use the same linked services to access 11 SQL databases. However, if I have 11 SQL databases and five Oracle databases, I need two dynamic linked services. I cannot do it with only one linked service. The UI also needs to be improved. When I have used Azure Synapse for programming with PySpark, Scala, or .NET, for example, the UI has been unstable. If I open two notebooks for programming, one notebook will queue the session of the other."

What is our primary use case?

We use this solution to create data pipelines and to improve the self-service environment for end users. We use all the functions of Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics.

What is most valuable?

I like the keynotes and their simplicity. Like other Microsoft products, Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics is simple to understand and use.

What needs improvement?

The linked services can be improved. We can create dynamic linked services to access a lot of databases but only those of the same type. For example, I can use the same linked services to access 11 SQL databases. However, if I have 11 SQL databases and five Oracle databases, I need two dynamic linked services. I cannot do it with only one linked service.

The UI also needs to be improved. When I have used Azure Synapse for programming with PySpark, Scala, or .NET, for example, the UI has been unstable. If I open two notebooks for programming, one notebook will queue the session of the other.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using this solution for two years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I would rate the stability at eight out of ten because Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics is unstable during programming. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is simple to scale the service. I'd rate it at ten out of ten for scalability. We had 45 engineers who used the solution.

How are customer service and support?

Technical support staff are knowledgeable. Whenever we have needed support, they have had a good process and have always had the answers we needed. I'd give technical support a rating of ten out of ten.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is simple, and I would rate it at ten out of ten.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

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.

What other advice do I have?

On a scale from one to ten, I would rate Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics at eight.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics
January 2025
Learn what your peers think about Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: January 2025.
831,881 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Azure Data Specialist at a financial services firm with 5,001-10,000 employees
Real User
Provides a lot of design options, is very interactive and flexible
Pros and Cons
  • "Very interactive and provides flexibility."
  • "Documentation could be improved."

What is our primary use case?

We're using this solution for general data integration. We are customers of Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics and I'm a data specialist. 

What is most valuable?

I like the solution because it's very interactive and provides flexibility. It's mostly a drag-and-drop procedure. It also provides a lot of design choices.

What needs improvement?

We've only recently starting testing this solution and it would be helpful if the documentation was better or if the company could provide some kind of presentation to help us understand how the tool works and what's required to optimize use of the solution.

For how long have I used the solution?

We've been testing this solution for a couple of months. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I haven't seen any issues with stability or scalability. We have an infrastructure team of around 40 people. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The company chose Synapse Analytics because the price is fair and I understand it's cheaper than Snowflake.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We're also hoping to evaluate Snowflake which is an advanced version of both Azure and AWS together. Snowflake has advantages, especially in terms of scalability which can also be implemented separately at the storage level and also at the computer level. 

What other advice do I have?

I think Synapse Analytics is definitely better than the traditional high solution data solutions that we've previously used. It's definitely worth considering and I haven't come across anything negative, only advantages for now.

I would rate this solution an eight out of 10. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Hybrid Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
STI Data Leader at grupo gtd
Real User
Smoothly integrates data from diverse sources, but can be prone to bugs
Pros and Cons
  • "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."
  • "Unfortunately, we have had some issues with the dashboard reporting. Sometimes, the data for specific periods would just appear blank on the dashboard. To investigate this, we worked with a Microsoft incident agent and it turned out to be a result of bugs in the platform when dealing with specific types of queries in Azure Data Factory."

What is our primary use case?

I work with Azure Synapse Analytics, Power BI, and Premier as a data administrator, using Microsoft's Azure cloud infrastructure. Azure Synapse Analytics is the principal data administration tool for our internal data warehousing, but we also use it for our customers' data warehousing and analytics in different industries. For data entry, we use Microsoft Power BI.

Internally, we have about 200 personnel currently using Azure Synapse Analytics, including data specialists, service managers, and other tech workers. It is not extensively used by all, however, because we don't often use it for very large amounts of data, except where financial data is involved.

How has it helped my organization?

Azure Synapse Analytics helps us move quickly when it comes to finding data warehousing and analytics solutions for our customers.

What is most valuable?

We use Azure Synapse Analytics in many different areas and industries, so I like that you can administrate and create pipelines for different sources of data and later integrate and deploy it to other internal areas, such as separate dashboards for financials, and so on.

It is our main data warehouse solution, and the one big feature I appreciate is all its various analytics functions. The built-in analytics also makes it an attractive option for our customers, where we act as a service provider for them.

What needs improvement?

Unfortunately, we have had some issues with the dashboard reporting. Sometimes, the data for specific periods would just appear blank on the dashboard. To investigate this, we worked with a Microsoft incident agent and it turned out to be a result of bugs in the platform when dealing with specific types of queries in Azure Data Factory.

We have also encountered some bugs regarding incompatibility with certain versions of Power BI. In the past, Power BI used to integrate nicely with Azure Analysis Services which we used as a bridge between Power BI and Synapse Analytics, but they have since discontinued the features that worked so well for us.

Apart from fixing bugs, I would also suggest:

  • The learning features and documentation could be improved and expanded on.
  • The calculation and forecasting tools could be made more clear and easy to use.
  • The price could be lower.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics for one and a half years now. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

When it comes to stability, Synapse Analytics has suited us well, because it's very fast, i.e. it has good performance. Compared with the on-premises SQL solutions we've used, the results are two times as fast.

There are some bugs that we've encountered with the platform but we are able to work with Microsoft directly to resolve them as they come up.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I'm very impressed by the scalability of Synapse Analytics, even though we don't use it for huge amounts of data most of the time. Combined with the availability of machine learning and other features in the cloud, it has a lot of potential, especially in the area of finance.

How are customer service and technical support?

In our context as service provider, normally we have direct contact with the server. But in some cases, we have needed extra support which was very slow.

For technical issues, I often solve them myself using Microsoft's learning resources and support forum.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

For me, it's the fifth data warehouse I've used. Other specialists here also use other warehousing solutions based on SQL but for the moment Synapse Analytics is the best overall solution for us primarily because of its ease of implementation and flexibility.

How was the initial setup?

Because I was not familiar with the solution beforehand, the initial setup was quite complex. I had to learn a lot in the beginning stages. I'm grateful that there is help to be found in the Microsoft forums, however, and there are also options to study for certifications that help you learn how to use the platform properly.

What about the implementation team?

It took approximately six months to implement Azure Synapse Analytics in our organization. We set up the data warehouse features for internal use across 200 users, including data specialists, service managers, and tech workers who manage our own data and also our customers' data.

For the main deployment, we used a third-party support provider in Chile who helped us greatly.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

We normally pay between $300 and $500 per month, which is quite expensive for how much we actually use it, performance- and usage-wise. They have a cheap version and an expensive version, and our usage usually falls in the middle ground, which makes it not as cost-effective as it could be.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We evaluated on-premises SQL solutions for data warehousing, but our main motivation for using Synapse Analytics instead is that it lets us come up with and manage customer solutions very quickly. Some specialists are still using other SQL solutions as well, however.

What other advice do I have?

There is always room for improvement with Azure Synapse Analytics, but for our use cases it works very well. 

I would rate Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics a seven out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Microsoft Azure
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user

Correction: We normally pay between $2000 and $2500 per month

reviewer2007183 - PeerSpot reviewer
Data Engineer at a financial services firm with 1-10 employees
Real User
A very fast solution that supports monolayer data storage
Pros and Cons
  • "Data can be stored any way you want in the data warehouse."
  • "The solution should offer a serverless model like Snowflake."

What is our primary use case?

Our company uses the solution to provide data warehousing for customers. Most of our customers are mid-sized. 

What is most valuable?

Data can be stored any way you want in the data warehouse. Some customers want monolayers which we add with no issues.

The solution is very fast. 

It is reasonably easy to work within the solution. 

What needs improvement?

The solution should offer a serverless model like Snowflake so you don't have to manage the hyper or operating system layers. 

There are sometimes problems when connecting to the database. Most issues are solved by the community but Microsoft should act more quickly and participate in the process. They should not wait for the community to build a solution before embracing it. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the solution for one year. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is stable. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is scalable to a customer's needs. A few customers have written scripts to scale how they want, but most customers use the out-of-the-box database.  

How are customer service and support?

We have not used technical support in awhile but it was okay. 

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I previously used Redshift and Snowflake. 

How was the initial setup?

The setup was complex the first few times but we figured out the best way to do it for our mid-sized customers. The setup could be made easier. 

What about the implementation team?

We implement the solution for our customers. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The pricing is quite reasonable in comparison to other products. Of course, most companies would like the price to be even cheaper. 

Pricing depends on setup but generally ranges from 28,000 to 35,000 Euros per year for a mid-sized company. 

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

The solution's speed is better than Redshift and Snowflake. 

The solution does take some management. Mid-sized companies would like to work on data instead of hardware or operating system layers. 

What other advice do I have?

It is important to have skilled Azure data engineers to manage the solution. 

I rate the solution an eight out of ten. The solution could improve its rating with an easier setup and more readily-available data connectors. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Microsoft Azure
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Mithun Thirisseri - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Solutions Architect at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Useful interface, agile cloud environment, and reliable
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable features of Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics are the interface and the agility of the on-cloud platform."
  • "Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics's overall integration within the Azure ecosystem could improve. The native Microsoft solution versus another solution, such as Databricks, there are areas where there could be some improvements."

What is our primary use case?

Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics is used for analytics.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable features of Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics are the interface and the agility of the on-cloud platform.

What needs improvement?

Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics's overall integration within the Azure ecosystem could improve. The native Microsoft solution versus another solution, such as Databricks, there are areas where there could be some improvements.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics for approximately two years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics is stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability of Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics is very good.

We have hundreds of people using this solution.

What about the implementation team?

Compared to the traditional data center approach, the cloud has pushed forward well for maintenance reduction. There is a 60 to 80 percent reduction.

What other advice do I have?

My advice to others is this solution is not meant for small databases.

I rate Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics an eight out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Kundan Amin - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Consultant at Dynamic Elements AS
Real User
Captures a company's transactional data and provides great reporting
Pros and Cons
  • "Can capture all the transactional data throughout a company."
  • "Non-structured data is unavailable with this product."

What is our primary use case?

 I'm a senior consultant.

What is most valuable?

For those working in the retail sector, this product can capture all the transactional data throughout a company's stores, process them, and put them into the Azure Synapses. Once you have the data, you can clean and aggregate it. On top of that, it has a reporting tool so you can connect to those Data Warehouse Synapses and pull up your reports which can then be used to prepare the dashboards and enable more insight.

What needs improvement?

Non-structured data is unavailable with this product. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is stable. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Azure Synapse is serverless architecture, so you can scale as and when required. It makes no difference if there are 100 users or 1,000 users. We have around 50,000 end users.

How are customer service and support?

The customer support is generally quite good. They follow up relatively quickly although it can sometimes take more time if it requires an SOP to follow up. 

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is straightforward. It's a matter of connecting to your visual studio or management studio.

What other advice do I have?

It's important to understand your business needs and choose an appropriate solution based on the industry you work in and what needs to be achieved. There are a lot of tools available on the market, it's important to get the right one. 

I rate this solution eight out of 10.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Microsoft Azure
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Fabio Xavier - PeerSpot reviewer
Director of Systems of the TCESP at a government with 501-1,000 employees
Real User
Simple analytics, good interface, and multiple database comparability
Pros and Cons
  • "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."
  • "Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics can improve by increasing the size of the files that we can load on the platform. We have some files that are too large to be loaded and it would be a benefit to us if the limit was increased. Additionally, the way we use the tool for generating reports can be made better. They should add some drag-and-drop rules without the need of programming these rules using some programming language. It would be helpful if we did not need someone that was technically advanced to be able to do it with, such as someone with no IT background. Having a reporting tool without code would be great."

What is our primary use case?

We are using Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics to find some evidence or outlier in our analysis about the application of the public health service and public money in the sector in Brazil. We are a public institution that is responsible for auditing other public institutions. We use these kinds of tools to find some evidence and outliers to audit with a little bit more documents or evidence.

What is most valuable?

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.

The interface of the solution is good.

What needs improvement?

Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics can improve by increasing the size of the files that we can load on the platform. We have some files that are too large to be loaded and it would be a benefit to us if the limit was increased. Additionally, the way we use the tool for generating reports can be made better. They should add some drag-and-drop rules without the need of programming these rules using some programming language. It would be helpful if we did not need someone that was technically advanced to be able to do it with, such as someone with no IT background. Having a reporting tool without code would be great.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics for approximately six years.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Microsoft Azure
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: January 2025
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Buyer's Guide
Download our free Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.