SAP Data Services Reviews

We're primarily using it at a customer's company. It's used in the banking sector. We use it for dashboards and reporting.

It's a good product overall. 

The dashboard is great. It allows us to drill down on data. 

It offers good flexibility.

The solution is doing some good R&D. We have found the technology to be quite good in general.

The initial setup is not complex. 

The solution is stable.

It is scalable.

There is some room for improvement across the product, however, for the most part, we are happy with it. 

We have had some language issues. There needs to be multi-language support, however, my understanding is they are working on multi-language now.

It is expensive. 

I've been using the solution for about 15 years. 

The solution is stable and reliable. I'd rate it eight out of ten. There are no bugs or glitches and it doesn't crash or freeze.

The solution is scalable. If you want to expand it, you can expand it, depending on how the customer is using it.

We have various customers using the solution. It's suitable for both small and enterprise-level companies. 

We get proper support. It is in English and we'd like different language options, however, their responsiveness and help are fine. Whenever we open a case, we get support.

I have previously used various different solutions.

It is easy to initially set up. If we do have questions, we're always able to reach out to them to get support.

The implementation timelines depend on the customer. Sometimes clients know what they want to do quickly. Others are more slow and steady and take their time. 

The pricing is okay, however, you do pay a lot. It's expensive. The costs vary from client to client. There are different mechanisms for licensing, including user and CPU-based licensing. 

That said, I don't directly deal with licensing and can't get into specifics. 

I've evaluated other options, however, we do use this tool as we have an agreement with SAP.

We are SAP partners.

The solution can work for big or small banks. 

I'd advise users to try this product, however, it needs to be implemented well with requirements taken into consideration properly. However, it does work very well.

I would rate the solution eight out of ten.

I currently use this solution for data walls and the custom URL system.

The API tool in this product is very valuable; it is very easy to onboard and use.

We would like the different tools offered within this solution to be available as standalone entities, rather than having to purchase the entire package when we only require a few features.

I have been using this solution for 20 years.

We have found this solution to be very stable.

This is a very scalable solution, with a multi-user environment.

The technical support for this solution is not very good, they don't really care about assisting with issues.

Neutral

The initial setup of this solution was very complex. The process requires multiple steps, but there is very limited documentation available to aid the implementation tasks. This results in deployment being very slow.

We configured and implement this solution using our in-house team.

This is a good solution for medium to large organizations, but a lot of prior training is needed in order to support the product post-implementation.We would not recommend this solution for smaller organizations, due to the large numbers of staff required for ongoing support and maintenance.

Also, if an organization is considering this solution, I recommend they look at the cloud-based version, which is less support-dependent

I would rate this solution a six out of ten.

From an integration perspective, normally, we're using SAP Data Services, however, I can only use it from an ETL perspective.

This is used to extract business content from the system. It's the tool that allows you to extract business consent and for purposes of business intelligence; businesses use it for legally reporting requirements.

There is what you call a subsystem, however, the data within stuff itself is not flexible so that you would be able to use tools like Power BI with it as it is. In order to use Power BI tools and so on, you need data to be in a certain layout and to be extracted in a certain structure. This tool allows you to do that.

Having different ways of extracting data has been very useful. We can extract data at a table level, extract data at the ETL level, and we can extract data at an ODP level. 

The solution is very stable.

It's a user-friendly product.

The deployment is quick and it's straightforward to set up.

They could make it easier to work with web services. They need to make things like connecting to Google Databases, and so on, easier. They also have a data connection layer. If you could connect to those web-based data mixes with other vendors, web vendors, that should help.

Glitches are very, very few and far between. It's very user-friendly. I won't complain much there.

We've found the solution to be scalable. 

We have five or six people who are data analysts who use it. 

There are no plans to increase usage with their current model of work.

Whenever we needed technical support services it's been there for us, however, we hardly have ever needed support.

We did not use a different solution.

The initial setup is very easy. It takes about a day for implementation and setup. 

You only need one person to handle deployment and maintenance tasks.

We used a consultant to assist us with the implementation process. 

I cannot speak to the exact cost of the solution, however, in terms of if you look at the consulting fee, and you work up debt on a yearly basis, it might be $50,000 USD. There aren't additional costs beyond the standard fee.

We did look at Informatica as well before choosing this solution.

We are end-users. We provide services for the customer. I would not necessarily be the customer. I would provide services on behalf of the customer.

We've installed what we call a specific DDI. We use a hybrid setup.

I'd advise new users to know the product more before they implement it. It's important to be familiar with it before you commit.

I'd rate the solution at a nine out of ten in the environment in which it's used, which is the best tool. In an environment where you've got theft as a source and you've got many targets, there are very few solutions that can match it.

I primarily use Data Services as a data service and ETL tool.

Data Services' best features are its robustness and plug-and-play integration with other SAP applications. It's also very user- and developer-friendly and has a huge, experienced, and well-informed user community.

In the future, Data Services should offer a cloud version.

I've been using Data Services for between six and seven years.

Data Services' stability is top-notch.

Data Services' scalability is good and can be done vertically and horizontally.

SAP's tech support is okay.

I previously used Informatica, but there were performance issues with it.

The initial setup is not straightforward. You need experience with data services, and if you're upgrading or migrating, you'll need a consultant to help. A brand-new installation takes a day or two, but migration will take longer. However, one good thing is that SAP provides the white papers for their products on their website, so you can find the installation guides there.

We've seen a good ROI from Data Services.

If you're using any SAP application, you shouldn't skip using Data Services. I would give Data Services a rating of eight out of ten.

We use it in at least two ways. One area is data migration from several legacy systems, and the second scenario is data quality. We use it, together with another tool that is in the same package, for cleansing.

It's easy to understand and deploy. It's easy to create new applications, and depending on the complexity of the application, it is easy to deploy the new requirements.

Some of the jobs that are built within Data Services require local files, and during initial deployment, those local files cannot be transported between machines simply because of security issues.

There are no issues from a technical point of view, and the issues are from a security point of view. In this scenario, we need to be sure that we have all of the files in the same centralized environment in order to get one big server to fulfill several or many developers.

I've been working with SAP Data Services since 2008.

It is a stable solution.

You can add a lot of different job servers in order to get a network. It is called grid computing. We can deploy pieces of the work in several servers in order to improve the performance.

I would give an overall rating of nine to technical support.

Positive

The initial deployment is usually easy if you have one machine/one box deployed. However, if you have a network in which there are several job servers, then it is a little bit complex.

The maintenance is not complex. One morning session is enough to upgrade the tool itself.

At the entry level, if you're using it only for data integration, it is a little bit cheap. However, for large organizations it can be expensive. There are additional costs apart from the license.

I have experience with SSIS from Microsoft and DataStage from IBM. I've grown with SAP Data Services, and even though there are other features that I can use in other tools, I am able to build workarounds within SAP Data Services and get the same results.

It's easy to learn, and you can start with the training courses provided within the tool and follow them. Because I've used this tool for a long time, I would give it a rating of ten out of ten.

We use Data Services for data integration, MDM, quality assurance, etc.

I like how SAP Data Services links reporting and data integration. That's what's most interesting. You also have the opportunity to leverage the power of the Data Services server.

I want some more business intelligence applications. People need to know more and more about data, including the transformation rules, etc. Informatica is a better product for data cataloging. SAP should update the data catalog. 

We've used SAP Data Services for around 15 years.

SAP Data Services is stable. 

SAP support is extremely helpful, and SAP Data Services is widely used, so it's easy to find a third-party specialist. It's not the same with Talend. I rate SAP support eight out of 10. 

Positive

We also use Informatica PowerCenter, but it's harder to find an Informatica consultant. SAP is more widely used.

You need some specialized knowledge about SAP tools before the setup. 

Informatica and SAP Data Services are both pricey for a small business. We may have to find another solution that's on the cloud. The license itself isn't the most expensive part. We have to pay for servers, consultants, etc. 

I rate SAP Data Services nine out of 10. 

The ease of mapping and creating the queries are quite useful aspects. Manipulating an integration to different systems is relatively better than any of the ATL2, which are available as well.

It's a flexible solution. You can always manipulate a lot of things as long as you have the skill level.

The initial setup is usually pretty straightforward. 

There is always room for improvement when it comes to the sources being dynamic, however, it is not something that can be done easily. These changes, take years to come into the picture, and it's usually the patch upgrade that comes in. Those are very less at the functional level. 

At the integration level, there could be a certain set of improvements to connect to various other systems.

There are still a lot of glitches with SAP Data Services as of now. 

I'd like for them to make scheduling much more dynamic when we create jobs. 

The dependencies to other systems, when we are running a job, we have certain problems, some optimization schemes, if it can be implemented for the data flows when we run it. If we had multiple data loaders and if we could use that at the same time while ensuring the backend data system doesn't get affected, it would be ideal. 

I've been using the solution for seven years now. 

I cannot confirm stability. It depends on the kind of projects when you get them or if you work in an enterprise-style project that is analytics-based. 

Scalability-wise, we are ATL2. We are not really doing anything pertaining to improving the data quality directly through the group - we are just converting it up, applying business rules from that perspective. It's a bit flexible compared to other ATL2s when it is connecting to data databases. In terms of scalability right now, there is some improvement needed.

Technical support typically caters to us if any of the server systems are down. Otherwise, technical support, pertaining to the builds, I usually don't require assistance. I fix it up at my own speed sometimes with certain tricks I know. Otherwise, the SAP communities are there and you can find answers that way. In worse-case scenarios, if you mess stuff up, you can always raise a ticket to SAP and they can come in with certain experts and they can try and fix the problem.

I'm also working on learning Azure Data Factory. 

The ease of setup depends on the systems you're connecting to. If I'm just forming a data store with say any database it's easy. However, if I'm forming it with any of the SAP systems targeting S4 or above, it's slightly complex and takes some time. There are also a lot of authorizations required and due to all that it's not a thing for an individual person to just pass through. That said, on a technical level, it is still relatively easy if you do receive all the required inputs.

The level of maintenance needed is always dependent on the projects and the amount of data that you're getting. Supposedly if you're giving me ten to 20 million records, my application issues I've stabilized. Data is going fine, and one person can support it if he has a bit of knowledge (somewhere around two to three years working with SAP). However, if it is much more dynamic and still there is a lot of junk data coming in, corrections are needed. In that case, a team of seven or even eight members will not suffice. I've worked once in a team of 40 members and it took us close to four years to stabilize the entire application. 

We used an integrator for the implementation process. 

The licensing costs vary. It depends on the company, on the project. A regular person cannot afford it. It's more for enterprise-level organizations. I'm not sure about the licensing based upon monthly or yearly, however.

There should just be one set fee, however, there may be costs associated with ancillary platforms a company has integrated with SAP. 

I'm an end-user of SAP. I'm using it with my partner. 

I'd advise new users that if they want to be on an equal level in the data analyst field, this is one of the finest tools. It is still a bit under the radar of people and many don't really realize its potential. They're still sticking on the data stage or Informatica. However, there are certain dependencies that SAP has created in which this particular Data Services works best.

I'd rate the solution an eight out of ten. 

We've been using this tool for data integration in the banking sector. We gather data from different sources and prepare it for analysis. I'm an integrator and a senior data engineer. 

SAP is quite easy to start working with, especially for those with SAP experience. The basic functionality is quite good as is the basic logic and data information. 

I have several issues with this solution. The first is that the deployment process, the migration of the solution between different environments, is quite complex. Data services doesn't have much in terms of data transformation components so if you want to do something special, it requires custom coding. The embedded features that SAP Data Services offers are not enough for me to implement everything that I want.

I've also found that the internet resources SAP provides are really poor despite the good documentation on their site. If I want to have a conversation with other developers or get an opinion from them, there's not much available. I would prefer to use other tools, but because of our current client's requirements, we are using Data Services. 

I don't have any concerns about stability. I haven't noticed any gaps or issues.

The solution is scalable. 

We previously used Talend which I found to be more flexible in terms of data transformation, applying additional logic and things like that. SAP Data Services has limited possibilities for data transformation.

The solution was implemented prior to my joining the company. We do upgrades and implement some small changes. Unfortunately, this can take some time and is not as easy as it should be. Deployment could be improved. We have a team of four people maintaining Data Services. 

I rate this solution six out of 10.