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Microsoft MDS vs SAS MDM comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

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
5th
Average Rating
7.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
24
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
SAS MDM
Ranking in Master Data Management (MDM) Software
13th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
8.2
Number of Reviews
1
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2026, in the Master Data Management (MDM) Software category, the mindshare of Microsoft MDS is 8.1%, down from 11.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SAS MDM is 2.4%, up from 2.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Master Data Management (MDM) Software Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Microsoft MDS8.1%
SAS MDM2.4%
Other89.5%
Master Data Management (MDM) Software
 

Featured Reviews

NA
Data Management Consultant at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Centralized master data has improved data quality but now requires a clearer future roadmap
An area where Microsoft MDS can be improved is that Microsoft has announced Microsoft MDS is being removed from SQL Server two thousand twenty-five. The future of the product is genuinely uncertain, and that's something any organization evaluating it needs to factor in seriously. Microsoft MDS is still supported on SQL Server two thousand twenty-two and earlier, but the trajectory is clear that Microsoft is not investing in Microsoft MDS going forward. I would also say that the cloud story is a gap because there's no native cloud version of Microsoft MDS. For clients who are moving workloads to Azure, that's an increasingly awkward conversation. Microsoft's direction for MDM in the cloud is through other capabilities like Azure Purview and Dataverse, but those are different products with different feature sets.
reviewer1320117 - PeerSpot reviewer
SAS Practice Lead at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
When a client wants an analytics tool plus BI, that is when we look to this solution
Having used SAS in the past, in the role that I play, I always push for SAS and all the analytics. But without having done a full comparison with other tools, I do not feel I'm in a position to say that there are capabilities available with SAS that are not in the other tools. But from a practical perspective, I would definitely recommend this solution. I rate it at eight out of 10 because I still want to explore it a bit more. I have only used it for three clients, and not as a full-blown MDM asset. If you are running a complex use case, I may or may not be in a position to justify the use of this product at this point in time. I would be 80 percent comfortable doing so and that's why I'm giving it a score of eight.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Technical support is very good."
"The most valuable feature is the administration console."
"More generic related things can be included in the services."
"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 most valuable feature of Microsoft MDS is its management."
"One of the main features I have found useful is the integration with Azure active directory."
"It has been a long-standing tool in our organization since it was free."
"I would recommend Microsoft MDS to companies that need a simple solution at no cost."
"One good feature is that SAS MDM comes bundled with the entire stack so we are in a position to place it with the client. So when a client wants an analytics tool plus BI, and they want to bring in other elements, that is when we look to MDM, because it is a single vendor."
 

Cons

"The program's navigation tools could be improved."
"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."
"From my understanding, MS, as of 2021, will not maintain the product going forward."
"Microsoft MDS isn't getting strong support because Microsoft is focusing more on cloud solutions."
"Microsoft MDS is outdated and lacks modern capabilities."
"The duplication feature is not so good."
"It would be a better option to have an on-cloud version."
"The price of the program has gone up, so I would like to see better pricing."
"The initial setup was slightly complex. We did face a couple of issues such as the SAML integration not being very smooth. And linking communication with the metadata server was a bit of a challenge. Eventually, we were able to configure it properly."
"Only having SAS and MDM is not the right choice of tools because the likes of Informatica and Talend have better capabilities as far as I've seen."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Microsoft MDS is an expensive solution."
"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."
"With Microsoft, we buy everything though an agreement, so we purchase volume licensing every year."
"The pricing of this solution is good."
"Product licensing is very complicated. It would be helpful to have an online calculator to estimate the cost of a license."
"The solution does require a license and we have enterprise licenses."
"SAP is more expensive than Microsoft."
Information not available
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Top Industries

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

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business10
Midsize Enterprise2
Large Enterprise15
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

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...
What is your primary use case for Microsoft MDS?
I used only those two products within one year when I was still working with other products. I used to work with Windows Autopilot or Microsoft MDS in the past. For mobile devices, I could use Micr...
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Also Known As

Microsoft Master Data Services, Microsoft MDM, Microsoft SQL Server Master Data Services, MS MDS
SAS Master Data Management, DataFlux qMDM
 

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
Aegon, Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty, Ausgrid, Bank of Queensland, Florida Department of Corrections, Generali Hellas, Gitanjali Group, Gloucestershire Constabulary, GS Home Shopping, HealthPartners, The Travel Corporation, Transitions Optical, Triad Analytic Solutions
Find out what your peers are saying about TIBCO, SAP, Qlik and others in Master Data Management (MDM) Software. Updated: June 2026.
900,644 professionals have used our research since 2012.