Ab Initio Co>Operating System vs IBM Cloud Pak for Data comparison

Ab Initio and IBM are both solutions in the Data Integration category. Ab Initio is ranked #27 with an average rating of 8.5, while IBM is ranked #24 with an average rating of 7.7. Ab Initio holds a 1.7% mindshare in DI, compared to IBM’s 2.0% mindshare. Additionally, 80% of Ab Initio users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 86% of IBM users who would recommend it.

Ab Initio Co>Operating System

Read 4 Ab Initio Co>Operating System reviews

2,259 Views
1,423 Comparison Views

80% willing to recommend

IBM Cloud Pak for Data

Read 13 IBM Cloud Pak for Data reviews

2,349 Views
2,208 Comparison Views

86% willing to recommend

Ab Initio Co>Operating System

IBM Cloud Pak for Data

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 19, 2024

Ab Initio Co>Operating System and IBM Cloud Pak for Data compete in the data management and analytics space. IBM Cloud Pak for Data appears to have the upper hand due to its advanced features that many consider worth the investment.

Features: Ab Initio Co>Operating System offers high-performance data processing, seamless integration, and robust analytics capabilities. IBM Cloud Pak for Data provides a comprehensive AI-focused platform, effective integration of multiple data sources, and leverages AI and machine learning to enhance data insights.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Ab Initio Co>Operating System supports a streamlined deployment process with a responsive customer service team. IBM Cloud Pak for Data ensures efficient deployment, offering extensive support structures enhanced by its cloud-native architecture for scalability and flexibility.

Pricing and ROI: Ab Initio Co>Operating System presents a competitive setup cost and solid ROI considering its core capabilities. IBM Cloud Pak for Data requires a higher initial investment but promises significant ROI through advanced analytics and AI-driven insights.

To learn more, read our detailed Ab Initio Co>Operating System vs. IBM Cloud Pak for Data Report (Updated: July 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Ab Initio Co>Operating System vs. IBM Cloud Pak for Data

July 2025

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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

Ab Initio Co>Operating System

Ranking in Data Integration

27th

Average Rating

9.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Workload Automation (17th)

IBM Cloud Pak for Data

Ranking in Data Integration

24th

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Data Virtualization (3rd)

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2025, in the Data Integration category, the mindshare of Ab Initio Co>Operating System is 1.7%, up from 0.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IBM Cloud Pak for Data is 2.0%, up from 1.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Data Integration

Featured Reviews

AlejandroMosso

Senior Solutions Architect at IDS Comercial

Enables creation of sophisticated applications with powerful parallelism and quick, effective support

The most valuable features of Ab Initio Co>Operating System are its performance and the ability to implement parallelism. There are three kinds of parallelism in Ab Initio Co>Operating System, which allow us to create very sophisticated solutions for almost any kind of application. This parallelism is one of the strongest features. Additionally, its scalability offers a unique way to escalate applications that differs from other technologies. In terms of data processing, the emphasis is on understanding the data. Data profiling is fundamental, and Ab Initio Co>Operating System integrates tools to perform this within the GDE, as well as specialized products for this purpose. Data profiling graphs can be implemented when necessary to understand the data sources.

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Michelle Leslie

Data asset management engineer at a tech services company with 1-10 employees

Starts strong with data management capabilities but needs a demo database

What I would love to see is an end-to-end, almost a training demo database of some sort, where one of the biggest problems with data management is demonstrated. There are so many components to data management, and more often than not, people understand one thing really well. They may understand DataStage and how to move data around, but they do not see the impact of moving data incorrectly. They also do not see the impact of everyone understanding a piece of data in the same way. I would love Cloud Pak to come with a demo database that illustrates the different components of data management in a logical way, so I can see the whole picture instead of just the area I'm specializing in. It would be great if Cloud Pak, from a data modeling point of view, allowed us to import our PDMs, for example. It would be ideal to import and create business terms in Cloud Pak. The PEA would be great to create the technical data. The association between the business and the technical metadata could then be automated by pulling it through from your ACE models. The data modeling component is available in Cloud Pak. Additionally, when it comes to Cloud Pak, even though it has the NextGen DataStage built into it, there is Cloud Pak for data integration as well. Currently, I do not think we have a full enough understanding of how CP4D and CP4I can enhance each other.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Ab Initio reaches the highest performance and is very flexible in processing huge amounts of data."

"The graphical interface of Ab Initio Co>Operating System is very easy to understand and allows me to visualize the data flow effectively."

"Ab Initio Co>Operating System support is the best I have encountered."

"Co>Operating System's most valuable feature is its ability to process bulk data effectively."

"It is a scalable solution, and we have had no issues with its scalability in our company. I rate the solution's scalability a nine out of ten."

"Cloud Pak is a very, very, very good system."

"You can model the data there, connect the data models with the business processes and create data lineage processes."

"What I found most helpful in IBM Cloud Pak for Data is containerization, which means it's easy to shift and leave in terms of moving to other clouds. That's an advantage of IBM Cloud Pak for Data."

"The most valuable feature of IBM Cloud Pak for Data is the Modeler flows. The ability to develop models using a graphical approach and the capability to connect to various sources, as well as the data virtualization capabilities, allow me to easily access and utilize data that is dispersed across different sources."

"Scalability-wise, I rate the solution a nine or ten out of ten."

"I love the way that I can start at a very basic level with my data management journey by capturing my policies, justifying my data, and putting them into different categories to say this is data relating to individuals, for example, or data relating to geography."

"DataStage allows me to connect to different data sources."

More IBM Cloud Pak for Data pros

Cons

"An awesome improvement would be big data solutions, for example, implementing some kind of business intelligence or neural networks for artificial intelligence."

"Co>Operating System would be improved with more integrations for less well-known technologies."

"Ab Initio Co>Operating System is a very expensive product."

"The tool depends on the control plane, an OpenShift container platform utilized as an orchestration layer...So, we have communicated this issue to IBM and asked if it is feasible to adapt the solution to work on a Kubernetes platform that we support."

"The solution's user experience is an area that has room for improvement."

"The technical support could be a little better."

"What I would love to see is an end-to-end, almost a training demo database of some sort, where one of the biggest problems with data management is demonstrated."

"Cloud Pak would be improved with integration with cloud service providers like Cloudera."

"One thing that bugs me is how much infrastructure Cloud Pak requires for the initial deployment. It doesn't allow you to start small. The smallest permitted deployment is too big. It's a huge problem that prevents us from implementing the solution in many scenarios."

"The interface could improve because sometimes it becomes slow. Sometimes there is a delay between clicks when using the software, which can make the development process slow. It can take a few seconds to complete one action, and then a few more seconds to do the next one."

"The product must improve its performance."

More IBM Cloud Pak for Data cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Co>Operating System's pricing is on the expensive end since it tends to be used by big enterprises."

"IBM Cloud Pak for Data is expensive. If we include the training time and the machine learning, it's expensive. The cost of the execution is more reasonable."

"Cloud Pak's cost is a little high."

"I think that this product is too expensive for smaller companies."

"For the licensing of the solution, there is a yearly payment that needs to be made. Also, since it is expensive, cost-wise, I rate the solution an eight or nine out of ten."

"It's quite expensive."

"The solution is expensive."

"The solution's pricing is competitive with that of other vendors."

"I don't have the exact licensing cost for IBM Cloud Pak for Data, as my company is still finalizing requirements, including monthly, yearly, and three-year licensing fees. Still, on a scale of one to five, I'd rate it a three because, compared to other vendors, it's more complicated."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

35%

Computer Software Company

Insurance Company

Comms Service Provider

Financial Services Firm

30%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Computer Software Company

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with Ab Initio Co>Operating System?

If Ab Initio Co>Operating System could provide an environment that allows users to practice or use it on their own computers, it would be beneficial. Additionally, having more accessible online ...

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What is your primary use case for Ab Initio Co>Operating System?

I am primarily in charge of building applications using Ab Initio Co>Operating System.

See all answers

What advice do you have for others considering Ab Initio Co>Operating System?

If Ab Initio Co>Operating System provided an environment for users to practice on their own computers, it would be preferable. I sometimes recommend it based on company needs. I rate it eight or...

See all answers

What do you like most about IBM Cloud Pak for Data?

DataStage allows me to connect to different data sources.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM Cloud Pak for Data?

The setup cost is very expensive. The cost depends on the pieces of the solution I'm using, how much data I have, and whether it's on the cloud or on-prem.

See all answers

What needs improvement with IBM Cloud Pak for Data?

See all answers

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Oracle Data Integrator (ODI) vs Ab Initio Co>Operating System

Compared 6% of the time

Palantir Foundry vs Ab Initio Co>Operating System

Compared 6% of the time

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Compared 40% of the time

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Compared 12% of the time

Informatica Intelligent Data Management Cloud (IDMC) vs IBM Cloud Pak for Data

Compared 10% of the time

Azure Data Factory vs IBM Cloud Pak for Data

Compared 9% of the time

Palantir Foundry vs IBM Cloud Pak for Data

Compared 8% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Data Integration

August 2025

Download Ab Initio Co>Operating System product report

Buyer's Guide

IBM Cloud Pak for Data

August 2025

Download IBM Cloud Pak for Data product report

Also Known As

Co>Operating System

Cloud Pak for Data

Overview

Ab Initio Co>Operating System is used for data integration, ETL processes, and complex data transformations. It is robust in handling large-scale data processing and batch processing, offering scalability, reliability, and performance for managing heavy workloads.

Ab Initio Co>Operating System provides real-time data processing capabilities, an intuitive meta-programming environment, and efficient batch job execution. Users appreciate its flexibility in supporting various data sources and platforms. Primary use cases involve addressing complex data transformations and integration needs, enhancing productivity and efficiency.

What are the key features of Ab Initio Co>Operating System?

Scalability: Efficiently handles large-scale data processing and batch processing.
Robust Parallel Processing: Delivers powerful ETL capabilities with strong performance.
Intuitive Drag-and-Drop Interface: Simplifies creating and managing data workflows.
Flexible Data Integration: Supports diverse data sources seamlessly.
Error Handling and Debugging: Features strong tools for managing and resolving issues.
Automation: Automates repetitive tasks, streamlining operations.
Seamless Integration: Easily integrates with other tools, enhancing workflow efficiency.

What benefits and ROI should be considered?

Performance: High reliability and performance in managing heavy workloads.
Efficiency: Real-time data processing enhances productivity and decision-making.
Scalability: Efficient scaling to meet growing data processing needs.
Flexibility: Supports a wide range of data sources and platforms.
Usability: Intuitive interface and automation reduce learning curve and improve efficiency.

Industries implement Ab Initio Co>Operating System for its reliable data integration and ETL capabilities. Financial services use it for processing large volumes of transactional data, while retail sectors apply it for real-time analysis of customer data. Healthcare organizations leverage its robust processing for managing patient records and data aggregation.

Ab Initio

IBM Cloud Pak® for Data is a fully-integrated data and AI platform that modernizes how businesses collect, organize and analyze data to infuse AI throughout their organizations. Cloud-native by design, the platform unifies market-leading services spanning the entire analytics lifecycle. From data management, DataOps, governance, business analytics and automated AI, IBM Cloud Pak for Data helps eliminate the need for costly, and often competing, point solutions while providing the information architecture you need to implement AI successfully.

Building on the streamlined hybrid-cloud foundation of Red Hat® OpenShift®, IBM Cloud Pak for Data takes advantage of the underlying resource and infrastructure optimization and management. The solution fully supports multicloud environments such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Azure, Google Cloud, IBM Cloud™ and private cloud deployments. Find out how IBM Cloud Pak for Data can lower your total cost of ownership and accelerate innovation.

IBM

Sample Customers

A multinational transportation company

Qatar Development Bank, GuideWell, Skanderborg Music Festival

Buyer's Guide

Ab Initio Co>Operating System vs. IBM Cloud Pak for Data

July 2025

Free Report: Ab Initio Co>Operating System vs. IBM Cloud Pak for Data

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