Microsoft MDS Reviews

My main use case for Microsoft MDS is as a central master data repository for clients running SQL Server-based data environments. The typical scenario is a mid-sized organization that has product data, customer data, or employee data spread across multiple systems with no single source of truth. Microsoft MDS gives them a governed central repository where that master data lives, business rules are enforced and changes are tracked with a full audit trail. Everything downstream by reports, ERP systems, and operational tools subscribes to the master data from Microsoft MDS.

A specific example of how I've set this up for a client is a manufacturing client we worked with who had product master data spread across their ERP, their e-commerce platform, and their warehouse management system. Each had slightly different product records, different descriptions, different categorization, and conflicting attributes.

Microsoft MDS helped solve those conflicts and bring everything together for them through the Excel add-in, which is something I always lead with when introducing Microsoft MDS to business users. The ability for non-technical people to manage master data directly through a familiar Excel interface by adding records, editing attributes, and publishing changes back to Microsoft MDS without having to use a web UI or write SQL is genuinely valuable.

The best features Microsoft MDS offers include a genuinely useful business rules engine, where you can define validation rules, required field logic, attribute value constraints, and apply them consistently across all data entry. When a rule is violated, the user gets immediate feedback rather than finding out downstream that the data was wrong.

Microsoft MDS has positively impacted my organization and my client's organizations by providing consistent data quality improvements and the operational benefits that flow from that. Organizations that previously had no single source of truth for their master data start making better decisions faster because they're not spending time reconciling conflicting data from different systems.

For the manufacturing client I mentioned, the order error rate dropped by around thirty percent in the first year after Microsoft MDS went live because product data inconsistencies across systems were the root cause of most of those errors. Report preparation time for their data governance team dropped significantly because they were no longer manually reconciling data from multiple sources.

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.

I have been using Microsoft MDS for six years.

Microsoft MDS is stable in my experience.

Before implementing Microsoft MDS, most of our clients were managing master data in spreadsheets, SharePoint lists, or inside their ERP systems.

I have seen a return on investment with Microsoft MDS, and for clients where it's a use case, the answer is clear. The zero incremental license cost plus the operational improvements from having clean, consistent master data, reduced errors, faster reporting, and cleaner compliance provide a solid ROI.

My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing shows that the licensing is one of Microsoft MDS's genuine advantages, as it's included in SQL Server Enterprise Edition at no additional cost. For clients already running SQL Server Enterprise, that means the MDM capability has effectively no incremental license cost, which is a significant commercial advantage over dedicated MDM platforms that can run into hundreds of thousands of dollars annually.

Before choosing Microsoft MDS, the typical comparison against other options includes Informatica MDM, SAP Master Data Governance, and sometimes Ataccama or Profisee.

I rate Microsoft MDS overall as a six out of ten.

I chose a six because for organizations already in the SQL Server ecosystem with straightforward master data management needs, it delivers real value at a reasonable cost. It's included in SQL Server Enterprise Edition, so for those clients, the incremental cost is essentially zero. The Excel integration and SSIS compatibility are genuine strengths, but the product is at an end-of-life trajectory. The matching and merging capabilities are limited, the web interface is dated, and there's no cloud-native path. For new implementations, I'm increasingly recommending alternatives. That combination of real strengths and significant limitations lands it at a six.

Microsoft MDS doesn't have meaningful AI capabilities built in because it's not that kind of product. The accuracy and reliability of output is not applicable in the traditional sense for Microsoft MDS.

Microsoft MDS is deployed in my organization or my client's organizations as part of SQL Server infrastructure.

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 Microsoft MDS and my clients.

The ease of use and the integration are some advantages of the product.

Microsoft MDS was good regarding versioning and workflow features. It was pretty stable, and the versioning, formatting, and data generation features were fine.

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 user experience with latency issues.

I stopped working with Azure about four months ago.

I did not use Microsoft MDS to harmonize data across systems.

The couple of times we found issues with technical support from Microsoft for Microsoft MDS, they resolved them. The response time and understanding were adequate, though there was always a language barrier between the teams. The teams we worked with were in Korea, and it was sometimes a language issue.

Positive

I did not work with any other solutions similar to Microsoft MDS from other vendors. We were predominantly Microsoft.

From memory, the installation for Microsoft MDS was pretty simple to implement and deploy. The integration was easy. I was not involved hands-on day-to-day, but speaking from the experience of other teams, they found the installation quite simple.

Microsoft MDS was pretty affordable. We implemented the solution without a problem.

I prefer to stay anonymous. You can leave the company name, but hide my name.

Everything via email would be great for Microsoft if they have questions or comments about my review. This is going to be a private number soon.

I do not want to become a reference for them.

On a scale of 1-10, I rate Microsoft MDS a seven out of ten.

We use Microsoft MDS to standardize a lot of variations of the same type of data. For instance, with something called policy type, where someone might say it's a commercial and someone else might say it’s COMM. In such free typing scenarios, people enter what they want, and in the data warehouse, we need a standardized value that represents them as the same. MDS maps all these variations to a standardized value that we then use in the data warehouse.

The mapping features of Microsoft MDS are primarily what we use. It has been a long-standing tool in our organization since it was free. Even though it is something we want to move away from, the tool is in use for standardizing data variations.

Microsoft MDS is outdated and lacks modern capabilities. It is too slow and does not support automated mapping or AI-based functionalities. Although I created Python scripts for some machine learning libraries, we seek tools that offer AI-enabled automated mapping without custom coding. Microsoft support for MDS is also going away.

I have been using Microsoft MDS for almost three years now.

I wouldn’t rate Microsoft's customer service as highly as Informatica's. I have worked for over a decade with Informatica, and their support is better.

Negative

It is very straightforward to set up Microsoft MDS on the master server. The initial configuration of the software can be managed by one person in a couple of hours.

Microsoft MDS is free. Currently, there is no pricing concern with the tool.

We are looking at Prophecy as an alternative solution to MDS. Although we have not started using Prophecy, we had a couple of demos and need to assess its benefits since it comes with a cost.

I would recommend Microsoft MDS to companies that need a simple solution at no cost. However, it is not suitable for those who require master data management with automated mapping or AI-enabled capabilities. 

Overall, I would rate Microsoft MDS four out of ten.

We are using Microsoft MDS for our master data management, specifically within a project that requires identifying individuals. The use case involves handling multiple mobile numbers, changing addresses, and variations in how names are recorded, which is essential for our client, who requires accurate identification across different locations and name formats.

Microsoft MDS has helped our organization by allowing us to create a complete data governance package. By incorporating SSIS, SQL Server, and data quality services, we can ensure data cleansing and data management that meets our organizational needs. This flexibility and integration with other tools have made our data processing more efficient and allowed us to provide real-time information to our users.

The most valuable feature of Microsoft MDS is its compatibility with ETL tools like SSIS, which simplifies operations for end-users. The ability to tightly couple it with SQL Server allows developers to control and manipulate data using SQL queries. This flexibility and power to modulate data operations are highly appreciated by both developers and business users.

If Microsoft MDS were part of Azure, it would be significantly more helpful. Additionally, integrating fuzzy duplication within MDS itself, rather than relying on SSIS, would streamline operations. The current requirement to store data in Azure tables after processing it in MDS, due to its lack of direct Azure integration, is a drawback.

I have been working with Microsoft MDS for around ten years, which has provided me with extensive experience in using the product.

I would rate the stability of Microsoft MDS as eight to eight and a half out of ten. It is reliable, but not without its challenges, especially in scenarios that demand high performance.

For scalability, I would rate Microsoft MDS at seven point five. While it is generally effective, it does depend a lot on SSIS and SQL capabilities. Handling scalability from an end-user perspective, particularly when users are inserting data via Excel, can be complex.

I would rate Microsoft’s technical support at five out of ten. We had issues in the past where Microsoft's support was unable to provide effective solutions, which led us to consider other options like SAP and Informatica.

Neutral

The initial setup of Microsoft MDS is easy and manageable.

Microsoft MDS is cost-effective because it comes free with SQL Server.

If requirements are not clear or if you need a flexible solution that allows for innovation and non-typical master data management, Microsoft MDS is an excellent tool. It is also suitable for projects where you need to implement a solution without strict predefined formats. However, for clients with very specific needs and predefined structures, other tools like SAP or Oracle might be more appropriate.

I'd rate the solution eight out of ten.

I use this solution to simplify master data management which makes it easy to create and maintain consistent master data without manual work. It supports data modeling, change tracking, and validation rules, all on the SQL Server platform. Unlike specialized tools, MDS is adaptable for various industries, making it a versatile choice for master data management.

MDS has helped our organization by speeding up the creation of metadata, especially in cases where we need to integrate and clean data from various sources for business intelligence. It speeds up our business intelligence platform development.

The most valuable features are the quick creation of data models, strong access control, data-sharing capabilities, and comprehensive workflows. It's a cost-effective solution, especially if you have SQL Server Enterprise Edition, as it's included with it.

Microsoft MDS isn't getting strong support because Microsoft is focusing more on cloud solutions. Profisee initially made MDS, which Microsoft bought. Profisee now handles the cloud version. There are changes because MDS is the source for master data, and other tools like Dynamics 365 could replace it but aren't promoted for that purpose. I don't have any specific feature requests for MDS when it comes to the next release because Microsoft isn't actively supporting it. Any improvements would probably come from Profisee, the company that acquired MDS. Microsoft still owns MDS but isn't adding new features. Master data management is moving to the cloud or handled on-premises by Profisee MDS.

I have been using Microsoft MDS for 12 years.

The solution is stable.

Microsoft MDS' scalability varies based on your needs. It's like SQL Server, and you can scale it by using separate databases for different areas. Its scalability depends on your unique requirements.

Technical support for Microsoft MDS used to be reliable when Microsoft owned it. But lately, Microsoft's support has decreased, and they are not adding new features. 

The initial setup is straightforward. It is not a difficult product to install. 

Microsoft MDS is cost-effective because it comes with SQL Server Enterprise Edition at no extra software cost. The main expenses are for deployment, but it saves money by reducing the need for custom data forms. It includes an Excel add-on for easy data import and offers valuable features like business rules and approval processes for data. It is a valuable tool with low additional costs.

My advice to people who are considering using Microsoft MDS is to examine what your specific needs are. If you are starting from scratch or working in a cloud-based environment, you might explore other options like Dynamics 365. But if you have existing data and need to clean, manage, or enhance it before using it in a data warehouse or for business intelligence, MDS can be useful. It depends on where you are in your data journey and your destination. Overall, I would rate the product a ten out of ten. If used properly, it is a great tool.

Microsoft MDS helps to record and save data to tables. 

The solution is easy to install. 

Microsoft MDS' language should be simple so everyone can use it easily. 

I have been using the solution for five years. 

Microsoft MDS is a scalable tool. My company has more than 200 users for the product. 

The tool's deployment is straightforward and takes only half an hour to complete. 

Microsoft MDS is an expensive solution. 

I rate the product an eight out of ten. 

We primarily use this solution to process external repos and MDS. The data model is useful to us and is created within our company by our data modelling team. The Microsoft MDS tool uploads the data into the schema from the JMD repository and then generates the MI reports.

The ease of use is valuable.

The solution can be improved by minimizing processing time for records. Currently, there is an issue because JMD repositories have records that come in thousands and millions, which takes a long time to process via the Excel plugin. Users get frustrated with that approach.

We have been using the solution for some time in our organization.

The solution is stable and I rate the stability an eight out of ten.

The solution is scalable, and we have recommended that the DevOps team minimizes processing times by scaling the solution. I rate the scalability a seven out of ten.

I rate the solution a seven out of ten.

We used MDS to maintain master data created for the sales team using lists from D&B. MDS is also used to create an inventory of all the processes and data elements created to help the mastering process.

We integrated data from different sources for analytics. Some of the data elements have the same business value. However, the attributed names are different. After some cleansing in DQS, the data is persisted in MDS, where it is further evaluated against some business rules, which we cannot do in DQS. The data steward is also involved in analyzing the MDS errors, correcting, approving, and rejecting records. The output of this exercise is to create a single version of the truth for our dimensions for the EDW.

We've used MDS to maintain reference data used by ETL processes during data integration and transformation.

The tool is easy to use. You can think of it as a better SSMS is some instances. As part of your ETL (Extract Transform Load), you can create some table for data augmentation in your data warehouse. The data in this table is not part of your extraction (source system). However, the data in this table needs to be maintained. If I create this table in MDS I can easily use Excel once the plug-in is installed, to maintain the table. MDS can be used to maintain all reference data for the EDW as well.

I'm not sure if it is a feature, however it's very easy to use. Out of the box, the product has a lot of built-in functionality, stored procedures, views, and security.  

The Excel plug-in is a great feature. You can use it to create MDS entities, add, change, and delete data in entities, and interact with all the business rules and attribute definitions. 

MDS also has a web service that can be used to create methods to manipulate the data stored in MDS. The web service is the same service that Microsoft uses for developing the GUI that comes with MDS.

The tool is very comprehensive; it has a lot of features and yet is easy to use. It is multi-domain which means that no matter what industry you are in, you can use the tool to create master data or reference data. 

One of the cool features of MDS is the fact that you can reference entities in different models in the MDS DB. MDS uses the model concept to encapsulate different domains in the MDS DB. 

From my understanding, MS, as of 2021, will not maintain the product going forward. That said, the original creator of the product is doing an excellent job building a new service on top of MDS called Profisee MDM.

I've been using the solution for 12 years.

The solution is very stable.

The solution is scalable; it runs on top of SQL Server Enterprise Edition.

Before MDM or MDS, we used web forms and coding to achieve similar solutions.

The setup can be a little quirky. You need to have experience navigating IIS and setting permissions in IIS. Once this is out of the way, it is straightforward.

The MDS/DQS are included in SQL Server Enterprise Edition.

We did not evaluate other options.

It supports our production lifecycle, machinery management, registration, and distribution processes.

We have only recently started using Microsoft MDS for our master data management. So far, only two or three of us are testing it out. It's not a big project yet, just trying things out.

We are still in the testing phase. But once we start implementing it for clients, a lot more people will be using it.

The best thing about it is that it comes with the Microsoft package.

It is a dinosaur of software. It is very outdated and not user-friendly. It is extremely outdated and not user-friendly at all. I have been working on a project with MDS, but I found it so difficult that I started looking for alternatives. Unfortunately, I couldn't find any. So, I had to continue with MDS. However, after a couple of days, I realized that I really needed to find an alternative because working with MDS is just too frustrating.

In the next release, I need something that is easy to navigate and user-friendly. The way it has been created; apparently, the software was ages ago, like fifteen years ago, it was released by Microsoft. It might have been tolerable back then, but it doesn't meet modern standards right now. It's not convenient to use, and it's really rigid.

I recently started using Microsoft MDS because we just started a project that required master data management, and we were looking at options. Since MDS comes with a package from Microsoft, we don't have to pay for it.

Microsoft MDS is generally a stable solution, but it can be fragile at times. If you are not attentive or make a mistake, it can cause problems. I have made mistakes in the past, but if I am very careful, it is not a big deal, and it does the job.

There are a lot of factors to consider before considering using Microsoft MDS. It depends on your budget, availability, and familiarity with the system. We decided to use it because it does the job we need it to do. It may not be the most convenient option, but it is getting us in the right direction.

Overall, I would rate the solution a five out of ten because I find it outdated and not user-friendly at all.

We use it in our company. 

We use the product for data migration, production, and development. We deliver data sources to our customers using MDS. We are a data company.

The backup and restore functionality are the solution's most valuable aspects.

The Microsoft license cost could be lower.

We are a data company. We have loads of data and we are finding that, while it's working fine, if you're looking for reporting of big data, it has its limits.

We'd like to have a NoSQL solution in Microsoft MDS.

I've used this solution for many years. 

It's stable enough. That's not a problem. It's reliable. There are no bugs or glitches. 

The solution is not very scalable. It's limited in terms of what you can do.

We have ten people working with it in our company.

I don't use technical support via Microsoft that often. We are developers so we can figure things out ourselves as well.

I've worked with Oracle, Redshift from AWS, and Postgres, among others. I used many things, however, that was for my former companies.

The solution is a bit expensive. We pay for it on a yearly basis. 

I'm not sure of the exact costs as I don't handle the payment processes. 

We are looking around to see what we could do with different solutions, such as QuickSight and Babelfish.

Redshift, for example, is NoSQL, so that can actually be very powerful with big data. That's the type of solution we are looking for.

We're a customer and end-user.

We have the solution deployed on-premises and on Amazon Cloud. 

It's Microsoft, so it's not always perfect, however, is a good step to start with. It's easy to start with MDS. You just have to be aware that you will have some issues.

I'd rate the solution seven out of ten.