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.

We are generally using it for ETL systems. 

We have different sources of files coming, sometimes from the mainframe, and Informatica is very useful for accepting different sources, such as spreadsheets and databases, and doing the transformation. Libraries are also helpful. I also managed to go into the database and create my own transformations for mapping automatically.

The greatest feature is that it is very easy to have someone come in and jump right in. It is one of the nicest tools in terms of getting a person acquainted quickly.

What I didn't like about it is that the platform itself is not great at distributed processing. When you need high parallel processing, it has some inherent issues. We had to use Java transformation, and it did not go very well. I have heard that it is going to the cloud, but we haven't tried that. We have Informatica in-house, and we thought it would go with ADF. Microsoft is leaning on us to do that because we're working with Azure. So, I don't know much about cloud features.

The pricing model is a little bit difficult for development tools versus running the system in production. So, it has some shortcomings, but in general, it is not bad.

We worked with PowerCenter for a long time, and we have a site license for it.

We haven't had major problems. The issues that we had were more around libraries linking to other places. It was not so flexible there. For example, we used a Java transformation that needed a separate set of libraries, but they collided if a library was used by Informatica. So, we had to stay a version earlier. Although it seemed a little bit rigid on what it can provide in terms of the ability to go into the database and create your own stuff, I wrote a makefile that actually went into the database, and based on the parameters that people put in the makefile, created transformation for them.

I wasn't impressed with its ability to process in parallel. Some of it is inherited in the tool, and there is nothing you can do about it. For example, if you have aggregation, then everything stops, which is okay and I understand that, but for the other things also, I didn't see it scalable. I have heard that it is better in new releases.

I work with Azure Data Factory and Informatica PowerCenter, and we are now considering taking either of them. We did work with PowerCenter for a long time, and we have a site license for it. With ADF, we're just starting.

We have a site license, but we do pay by the division.

I would rate it an eight out of 10.

I use this solution for everything from real-time processing to complex, high-volume batch workflows. 

In terms of performance improvement and tuning, there should be a bit more guidance and documentation. I would also like to see improvement on some of the installation, especially to the adapters. The setup for the SAP adapters is a bit complex.

I have been using this solution for the past eight years.

The solution is stable. 

The solution is scalable. Around 50 employees are using the solution every day at our company. We would like to continue using it and also evaluate using the cloud version.

I would rate the technical support as a four out of five. 

Positive

The initial set up was easy. It wasn't cumbersome. 

Deployment took about a day, and we handled it ourselves. 

I would recommend that others considering the solution go ahead and use it for any batch and high volume loads with complex transactions. Informatica performs very well. I would rate it as an eight out of ten. 

My experience is in the semiconductor industry with our customers using the Azure supply chain. We have built-in the AIS system, IBM and Db2. We transfer data from SQL Server to MongoDB and transfer the data to Db2.

Security is very important, the solution is deployed to the private cloud. We assigned five people to build the project.

Informatica PowerCenter is built into the technology supply system. I use the solution to transfer the MS data system to the supply chain system.

We use Informatica PowerCenter to transfer the transitional database to and from the data warehouse. This is very efficient as it enables us to quickly find our data reports and the data, so we can build AI models.

In the future, I would like to see Informatica PowerCenter integrate a more powerful dashboard.

I have been using Informatica PowerCenter for 3 years.

In my experience Informatica is stable, however, it depends on our customer's environment.

This solution is scalable. For example, we have set two data warehouses for one of my customers, we use Informatica PowerCenter to join several PV tables separate to data warehousing. This allows us to divide, separate and exchange our data warehousing to the schema and the people in the schema.

In my last job, I used Pentaho. 

The initial setup of the solution is easier than Pentaho. Informatica was set up by me with the help of two supply chain consultants, in one day. 

To implement Informatica PowerCenter you need to understand your customer's systems first and what their requirements are. It is important to understand their existing system and find the data. By understanding their logic, you can know how to extract the data and transfer the data to the data warehouse.

Informatica PowerCenter is reasonably priced. It is less expensive than Pentaho.

There is a standard version fee in Taiwan. It is a one-time yearly subscription price that is approximately $3,010 US dollars for three users.

This is my first experience with this kind of tool, I would rate Informatica PowerCenter a nine out of ten.

• Able to access heterogeneous databases: It can work with any kind of database available in the market. In fact, it can be applied to NoSQL databases as well.
• SQL override allows users to write simple to complex queries inside mapping for performance tuning the load process, pre and post SQL can help control the load process to get desired outputs.
• Error handling techniques: Informatica provide a suite of options to handle errors. From logging error in database tables to e-mail notifications with log files, to decision/assignment tasks for data control, it can handle error at every stage of workflow. Restart options for batched work-flows.
• Debugging, is one other feature I found extremely useful. Before running a full load, you can run a subset of data from source-target and check for values generated from logic at every transformation.
• While in debugger mode Target tables do not load any physical data. The best part of debugging in Informatica is that, in the debugger mode, you can alter logic in expression transformation and check for the value generated from the logic. This will allow you to change logic if it's needed later.
• Transformations - the types of transformations (SQL Logics) provided are unmatched to any other ETL tool out there. When it comes to using transformations, even a beginner can understand with minimal effort, how to use them or what the expected output will be using that particular transformation. Most of them are self-explanatory, and provide the desired output. Especially Expression Transformation (which is the heart of any mapping).
• Can be used to build any type of logic with flexibility giving the number of logical functions (date/time/string etc...). Functions have a syntax that is very easy to understand.
• Informatica provides all the functions indexed in a proper fashion in expressions editor with syntax to allow users to build logic with ease.
• Version control, as check-in and check-out are easy and allow space for adding comments. These comments can come in handy during deployment when writing queries.

Our organization had to import data from AS400, implement a sales cost analysis and load data into Data Mart, which was further consumed by QlikView. This was done with data from five different countries in different time zones. From the point of developing mapping, replicating them for other countries given their respective databases to loading the data, everything was automated and scheduled with notification about the loads. It changed the way we did business. Customers orders, modification, and tracking was all smooth. Every morning, we would receive one e-mail with consolidated load statistics and it all starts with one e-mail.

There are three areas where they can make a significant improvement:

1. Live feeds, where if a database object changes then object definitions should automatically get refreshed as well. This would avoid re-import of objects. Auto refresh will effect all the short-cut objects, but ultimately if the object in the database has changed, then the mapping will fail or provide incorrect data given the position of the column or name of the column doesn't exist anymore.
2. The GUI Interface. Instead of having to open a separate window for Designer, WF Manager and WF Monitor. If these three windows could be merged into three separate tabs or built into the hierarchy of building sub-tasks, for example, workflow opens a session, and the session opens a mapping unlike opening only mapping properties currently, that would be nice. SAP BODS has that structure and I would like to see something along those lines, where I don't have to refresh the mapping and session every time something changes
3. Version rollback, where version control is a blessing and boon. While the version control is a good feature, sometimes it becomes a huge burden of the database and the Repository should have a way to rollback keeping most current object and purge all other versions.

Starting with version 7.1, I have been using Informatica for 7+ years.

Deployment can get complicated depending on Queries. Adding proper labels and comments during version control can make Deployment very smooth. I did not come across any technical issues using deployment. Rollback feature adds a lot of value to deployment. With a single click, you can rollback all the objects if you notice any discrepancy with objects between environments.

Informatica is very stable tool. Only a few times, where Informatica server is remotely based, connectivity can be slow at times. I have had a few instances when expression editors gets grayed out when using RDP or Docking Laptop but editing "regedit" file resolved this issue. Otherwise this is a very stable, powerful and robust tool.

Informatica can handle extremely large volumes of data very well. With features like CDC, Incremental Load, Mapping Parameters and variables, dynamic look-up, pre and post SQL, Informatica provides flexibility in handling huge volumes of data with ease. Certainly a lot depends on optimized mappings and work-flows (batching and performance tuning).

We've only had to contact customer service twice in 6+ years, and they were very good with their responses and were very professional.

I would say 9/10. For what I needed, technical support was able to resolve it in timely fashion. I also appreciate their follow-ups.

We were using a conventional RPG programming tool to do analysis, but every time you add more tables for data analysis, profiling, quality, manipulation, it was turning into pages and pages of code. A user friendly GUI interface like Informatica solution, provided the right kind of solution and was easy to migrate from programming to Informatica.

The initial setup was a conventional data warehouse pattern. Later on, when we started implementing CRM, SCM and ERP it started getting a bit complex. However breaking down projects into multiple data models and organizing

We had a boot-camp training and an Informatica expert onsite for a few months. Later, we picked up a fair amount of technology and started implementing it in-house.

Informatica is 100% value for money. The kind of flexibility and stability it offers in dealing with heterogeneous data is amazing.

It is not an economical software, but if you are planing for a long term robust end-to-end enterprise level tool that can handle any kind of data, and any type of task relating to BI or data warehousing, it does not require a lot of thinking. You can bank on Informatica for your solutions.

• Data Stage

• Ab Initio

• MicroStrategy

Informatica is a great product. If you can spend a good amount of time researching what you want,have a proper SDLC in place, and work with the technicality of Informatica, I am sure most of the projects can roll out into production in a timely fashion and produce results. In my experience, not having proper road-map in place, and not auditing change requests, business analysts will struggle with their requirements. This causes more bottlenecks and rework than an actual development. Having said that, no project is a walk in the park, but Informatica can be the icing on the cake if the foundation is good.

Informatica PowerCenter is purely an ETL tool used for data integration.

Informatica PowerCenter has many features compared to Talend, DataStage, and Airflow. Among all the solutions I have used, I found Informatica PowerCenter to be much more stable in terms of application. Also, one won't face issues related to bugs when using Informatica PowerCenter.

Compared to solutions offering similar functionalities, Informatica PowerCenter is not very flexible regarding customized integrations. It's not a very customizable solution.

I have been using Informatica PowerCenter for approximately nine years. So, I work for different consulting companies, and their customers use it. My job role is of a consultant and architect.

Since one does not have to face sudden issues while using the solution, I would say that it is a stable solution compared to similar solutions in the market.

It is not a very scalable solution. It is usually used in enterprise-sized organizations.

The solution is easy to deploy and manage. I also usually help my customers to implement and configure the product. The time taken for the implementation process depends upon how big of an implementation process has to be carried out. So, for a single customer, it took around three days to deploy the solution. However, three months were required for the customization part. The solution gets deployed on-premises and on the private cloud.

I rate the overall product a seven out of ten.

The product is primarily used for building the data warehouse as an ETL tool for our hospital.

In general, it is a great tool. 

The initial setup is not very complex. 

There are many features available. It has very rich transformation tools. You can have union integration. There are many kinds of set operators, aggregators, and plate operators. 

Graphically you can define a lot, and you can also inject variables too. If you define one transformation, you can replicate it with several sources. 

It has very good monitoring and process monitoring. 

There is an excellent scheduler. 

The integration capabilities are pretty good. 

We've found the solution to be very stable. 

It's a product that scales well.

It doesn't have the change data capture feature. That's why we have been exploring some alternatives.

The licensing is difficult. It prevents us from accessing all of the features.

Since I haven't used the latest version, it's hard to comment on what needs to be added. 

I've been using the solution for more than ten years. 

It's a stable product. I'd rate the stability at five out of five. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. 

You can easily scale the solution if you need to.

I'd rate the ability to scale 4.5 out of five. 

We have around 100 or more sources using the solution. 

We don't really use technical support. However, we did initially find it quite good. 

We did not previously use another solution. 

The solution is pretty straightforward to set up. It is not complex.

We got some training on the transformations and the ETL process itself; however, the implementation of the things was done by then. The strategy was to have teamwork on the building and accumulating data from the hospitals and then build a data warehouse around it. 

The full deployment took two months for us. We had two engineers working on the implementation. 

Our team handles the maintenance. One or two people are handling it. Other than running some interim tasks, everything is scheduled, and then some operational monitoring is required. Otherwise, there are no other maintenance jobs to worry about.

The deployment was handled in-house. We did not need any installation help from integrators or consultants. 

Licensing is frustrating as you have to pay for some additional features. It would be ideal if it were all under one cost.

We usually have a license that lasts a year or two.

We do not pay for technical support. You have to pay for it separately every year.

At the time, around ten years ago, we compared the product with the Oracle Data Warehouse builder, however, PowerCenter was a much better tool.

Many of its current competitors came into the picture after we installed this tool.

We're end-users.

We are not using the latest version of the solution. We are using one of the previous versions. It's around version 10. I don't know the EMEA number.

I'd rate the solution nine out of ten. 

We primarily use the solution for the ETL.

They know what they're doing, and it's a more mature tool compared to Talend. They really think about every scenario. For example, if you want to write a data cleansing algorithm and all that is probably rules. It's just easier. There are a lot of provisions in PowerCenter. In terms of the transformation algorithms and all that, there are a lot of operations. It's great.

The solution is stable.

It's a scalable product.

PowerCenter seems to be a little bit higher side of cost. Customers are thinking about alternatives. Talend seems to be a pure Java-based thing, however, there are some technical hiccups there. There are a few finance companies are probably started using Talend as a competition tool for Informatica. Most of the smaller companies are trying to build open-source-based ETL tools.

It should be more cloud-centric than on-prem-centric. That is where the problem with Informatica.

We've used the solution for a couple of years. 

It's a stable product. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. It's reliable.

The solution is scalable. 

We have three or four clients we are working with in terms of Informatica.

In terms of technical support, there is plenty of information is available online, however, their tech support is okay.

Snowflake is something that is surfacing. Every customer is now started asking about Snowflake. They're thinking of it being a viable option. When it comes to data warehousing, it's the kind of a solution that you want to deal with huge among this data processing. 

Most startups and probably smaller companies thinking of building a custom open-source pipeline. It could be Pulsar-based, or Kafka-based. And that is what they're looking at. In enterprises, they don't want to go with a hundred percent, the open-source solutions. They like Informatica or probably Talend or probably some of the ETL tools that are available.

It's not a simple setup. It requires a bit of a learning curve, no doubt about it. For example, if you want an index, a three or four-year engineer would need to handle that. If you want to make them as a utility engineer, there is a learning curve involved. 

It took us three to four months to deploy the solution. 

We have 12 to 14 people working on the deployment and maintenance of the solution. 

The pricing could be a bit better. 

For example, if you look at Snowflake, companies are thinking of innovative ways of reducing the price and then transferring the benefit to their customers. 

In terms of innovation, creativity is not there in this solution. It is still an on-prem ETL tool. Informatica is one of the best options today and no doubt about it. However, is it cloud-ready? I don't think so. Therefore, I'd rate the solution a five out of ten.

Beyond cloud readiness (or lack thereof), pricing is an issue. It's relatively high compared to other products on the market. We all have to move from IBM thinking. You sell the customer and then penalize them with the pricing, pricing, pricing. That is where IBM has today become a dead man walking underneath, has become two different companies now. This company should learn from IBM. Pricing cannot be the only way of making money and probably comes with innovation, creativity, making it cloud-ready, and then transferring those benefits in order to sell more licenses.