What is our primary use case?
My main use case for SnapLogic is to use the monitor tab to monitor the daily pipelines, the sales reports, and to check on the failures which are happening. When some failures occur, I utilize SnapLogic Designer to make the changes so that the pipeline runs successfully.
A specific example of a pipeline I've worked on recently is the daily sales report which we deliver to the business during the early business hours. It is a critical report, and for that file, we faced the issue of duplicates. Together with the help of my senior teammates and colleagues, we created a pipeline that removes all the duplicate entries. It was fascinating because SnapLogic has inbuilt Snaplets that we can directly drag and drop and develop a pipeline with very minimal code. Moreover, we can provide different kinds of parameters that can be versatile and changed according to our requirements. This is one of the pipelines I've worked on recently, about one or two weeks ago, and I monitor it daily after deploying it into the prod environment.
Most of the pipelines I work on are related to building up to loading the data into sales. In my current project, the data from SQL Server and Redshift is loaded into BigQuery and Oracle tables. In SnapLogic, we developed some transformations, such as removing duplicates and adding other parameters to remove inconsistencies. These are the types of pipelines we use in SnapLogic to transition data, functioning as ETL, by extracting from SQL Server or Redshift, transforming in SnapLogic, and loading it back into GCP and Oracle.
What is most valuable?
One of the best features SnapLogic offers is its user-friendly interface. I was not trained in using SnapLogic; I was trained in Informatica, which is also a data engineering tool. However, when I first started using SnapLogic, any person with minimal knowledge in data engineering can easily understand how SnapLogic works because it is clearly segregated into Monitor tab, Designer tab, and a Manager tab. The role assigned in your project defines which tab you will use the most. The user interface is important, and the inbuilt Snaplets that we can directly drag and drop to create different kinds of pipelines also stand out.
The drag and drop functionality and the tabs make my daily work easier compared to my experience with Informatica. In Informatica during my internship, creating mappings took a lot of time and effort since we needed to leverage Mapplets. While we can create one mapping and use it multiple times, there is no help from the application side. There are some transformations most users need that are not inbuilt in Informatica. In contrast, SnapLogic provides inbuilt Snaplets, such as creating and closing an audit ID, removing duplicates, joining tables, writing to Oracle, files, XML, SF, SMTP connections, and more. These Snaplets can be directly used rather than developed in every pipeline.
Since moving to SnapLogic, we have observed fewer errors compared to other tools, such as connection failures or network errors. We have also developed pipelines in SnapLogic capable of notifying us about long-running processes. For instance, if a pipeline that typically takes one hour runs for more than two hours, it automatically triggers an email alerting us to focus on that specific pipeline. This feature significantly reduces the need for continuous human monitoring, demonstrating how SnapLogic truly assists us.
What needs improvement?
I have only been using SnapLogic for about a year, around eight months, so I am unsure of the required changes. However, I believe that since most tools are now integrating with AI to assist new users, incorporating an AI tool could be beneficial.
Sometimes there are glitches when moving a design pipeline from the development to production environment.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have only been using SnapLogic for about seven months.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
SnapLogic is very stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
SnapLogic is very scalable, and it can be adjusted based on our requirements, considering the organization type and the data it produces.
How are customer service and support?
I have not used customer support directly, but I have utilized the integrated helping websites, which have been very helpful when I first started using SnapLogic.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I learned from my colleagues that two years ago, all our transformations were carried out in Informatica. Because of the inadequate infrastructure in Informatica, our team suggested transitioning to SnapLogic, which the client accepted. After comparing workflows in Informatica and pipelines in SnapLogic, we found that the number of errors due to network or connection issues is much rarer in SnapLogic compared to other tools. The decision to transition to SnapLogic was very beneficial, as it helped the client build a secure and robust environment for their data.
We transitioned to SnapLogic due to the lack of proper infrastructure in the previous tool.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
My seniors evaluated different options, including SnapLogic, improving the infrastructure in Informatica PowerCenter, and using PySpark, but they ultimately chose SnapLogic over the other options.
What other advice do I have?
My advice for others looking into using SnapLogic is that it is really easy to use. Anyone with minimal knowledge in data engineering or ETL can easily transition into a SnapLogic developer or start using SnapLogic. I have mostly covered all the topics concerning SnapLogic that I appreciate, and I have provided some suggestions that I hope would facilitate ease of use when integrated. I gave SnapLogic a rating of eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Private Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Google
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.