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Alation Data Catalog vs Ataccama ONE Platform vs Informatica Intelligent Data Management Cloud (IDMC) comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

Review summaries and opinions

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

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2025, in the Data Governance category, the mindshare of Alation Data Catalog is 5.6%, down from 9.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Ataccama ONE Platform is 2.5%, up from 2.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Informatica Intelligent Data Management Cloud (IDMC) is 6.0%, down from 8.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Data Governance
 

Featured Reviews

Brahma Lam - PeerSpot reviewer
Has metadata cataloging features but needs changes in domain model
The tool's metadata cataloging is the most valuable feature.  The tool's domain model needs to be changed.  Alation Data Catalog is stable.  The solution is scalable.  Alation Data Catalog's deployment is easy. I rate it a nine out of ten. Deployment takes only two to three hours to complete.…
JohnZacharkan - PeerSpot reviewer
Enhanced data quality with machine learning support in diverse environments
We used Ataccama ONE to read data from the mainframe for a data quality perspective. There's a significant lack in that area with tools being able to interface with mainframe. MetLife has a diverse environment, including DB2, Oracle, SQL Server, legacy, and vSAN files. Being able to work in these various environments and put them to a single data quality tool was very appealing. Additionally, Ataccama supported AI and machine learning, which was one of the features I liked. Furthermore, we were able to interface bidirectionally with Collibra for data governance, catching data quality issues before propagating through the system.
Saikat Ghosh - PeerSpot reviewer
Match and merge functionality is still the best but cloud version needs more functionality
There are various areas for improvement in IDMC. Enhancements on basic data management functionality and the UI front, such as multiple templates and improved grid views, would be beneficial. Bulk data management features could be improved from the UI perspective to get to the level of the on prem versions of Informatica MDM. The tool needs to mature but missing small but important features, like restricted dynamic attributes functionality, data inheritance rules in master hierachies, identifiers not being passed in jobs is a drawback.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The tool's metadata cataloging is the most valuable feature."
"The platform's most valuable features are workflow automation, automated business metadata tagging, technical metadata tagging, and data integration with data quality tools or platforms."
"We can customize templates based on our use cases."
"The most valuable feature is cloud integration."
"Alation Data Catalog provides a nice interface for connecting to the database, querying the data, and working on it."
"Alation Data Catalog's best feature is the SQL query publication."
"The solution is used to query MySQL clients and store data and documentation."
"Alation Data Catalog was very useful for sharing SQL queries easily in a platform."
"The desktop version of the solution was particularly valuable to me, primarily for creating components. We opted for the data quality aspect to assess the quality of our data warehouse. The functionalities available allowed us to not only check data quality but also serve as an ETL tool. This versatility enabled data transformation and storage in various formats, including files on platforms like SharePoint or local online directories. The flexibility of the tool catered to the specific needs of those building components, contributing to our desired outcomes."
"The ease of use of the user console is valuable."
"The product’s important feature is data profiling and quality check."
"The notable aspect lies in the workflow structure, where building the workflow aligns significantly with data governance."
"The data profile itself is excellent. You can understand the quality of the data in layman's terms."
"Customer service was excellent, and I would give it a ten out of ten."
"It is also easy to deploy."
"The drag-and-drop feature is incredibly flexible and straightforward."
"It is a highly scalable solution."
"The product's most valuable feature is the ability to select the data flow and lineage."
"The solution is stable."
"I like the connectivity and richness of features for the technical team, the maturity of the product, and that it had a cloud version. There is Informatica Cloud, and it is part of the Informatica Cloud platform."
"Offers data lineage feature"
"The most valuable feature is its ability to extract metadata from various sources- be it an old SaaS application or the latest cloud application."
"The Provisioning tool is something that is really handy for everyone. It is my pick as the best feature."
"The most valuable features of Informatica Cloud Data Integration for our clients are the AI capabilities within Informatica Intelligent Cloud Services."
 

Cons

"Alation Data Catalog doesn't support end-to-end lineage. By that, I mean the ability to trace the movement of data from when it first comes into our organization to where it's consumed."
"We have had issues setting up the connectors and getting Alation's support team to resolve issues."
"The product's data governance features need improvement."
"Alation Data Catalog does not provide end-to-end data lineage."
"The interface is not user-friendly."
"Although the solution performs far better in terms of data cataloging, its data governance capabilities need improvement."
"Data observability within Alation would be incredibly helpful for addressing these challenges"
"Alation Data Catalog is not user-friendly for business users. Its user experience is comparable to a Wikipedia page, lacking good visualization."
"There is a notable challenge in having to provide detailed filters before the site recognizes the search criteria."
"Speaking specifically about the version we use, version 12.3, I'm unsure if this has been addressed in subsequent versions. One improvement I'd like to see pertains to the language used in certain components, especially in data quality checks. The language complexity posed a challenge for beginners. Although we had on-site assistance from Ataccama, making it manageable for us, some individuals found it difficult to comprehend, necessitating additional support. The provision of a comprehensive guide for on-premise installation can also be enhanced. The lack of detailed information on the solution's workings and the overwhelming nature of notifications, with extensive content, were areas of concern. Streamlining the notification content in newer versions would significantly expedite issue resolution."
"Although DQA can fetch data from most of the commonly used data sources, it has limited modifiers to get data, meaning that the number of technologies from which the data can be acquired is limited. For example, DQA does not support fetching data from Twitter or Facebook. Many competitors have this feature."
"It is complicated to fetch 20-25 reports when we profile the data."
"I believe it would be beneficial if it could enhance its flexibility to connect with a wider range of downstream systems beyond just Excel and Postgres."
"They could focus more on marketing the product. The current marketing strategy is not working."
"The interfacing to tools such as Collibra was somewhat cumbersome and required more thought."
"Data movement is a pain."
"Although we are very satisfied with the design of the UI, executing tasks with it can be difficult."
"Performance also needs to be significantly improved, especially when connecting to SFDC for read and write operations."
"The UI is extremely complex"
"It would be helpful if there was a GenAI feature integrated into the system, especially regarding the data quality."
"We currently have issues with real-time integration."
"Informatica should simplify the rules for setting classifications and user access management permissions. It's too complex to define, configure, and make work."
"The vendor should have more training resources: online classes, free tutorial videos, etc."
"I think everything related to the APIs and the manageability of the APIs in Informatica MDM are areas where improvements are required."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I don't have all the details on the pricing side, but the solution was more expensive than originally expected."
"A three-year agreement is better than a one-year rolling 12-month agreement from a price point of view. I'd recommend looking at a three-year deal because you can't stand up a catalog and produce value in 12 months."
"The platform is moderately expensive compared to the other competitors in the market."
"The solution is a little expensive."
"Our licensing model wasn't user-specific; instead, we paid fees for the engine and maintenance. As we didn't have a support contract, maintenance fees were likely nonexistent. Regarding the upgrade, we had an account for the initial two or three years, and considering the features provided by the solution, the pricing was reasonable."
"Despite not being extremely low-cost, the pricing appears reasonable, making it a profitable and viable choice for companies that prioritize data security and adhere to specific policies."
"There is no need to buy a license. You can just download it and use it for free."
"The product is reasonably priced."
"The price is very high and has become a big concern for our customers who require the solution in order for their business to function smoothly."
"Our customers sometimes are able to negotiate a much better price for Informatica Cloud Data Integration based on their relationship with the vendor."
"It's a costly solution"
"Informatica MDM's pricing is not cheap but comparable to other vendors."
"Informatica MDM is a costly solution because it comes as a bundle. They are also globally positioning themselves and are definitely working on very upgraded technologies. If someone wanted to do it on the cloud, they have a lot of flexibility because they upgrade themselves according to the current needs. It definitely comes with a lot of features and that's the reason why it's costly. The licensing cost should be approximately one million dollars. It's about four to five times that of other vendors."
"I rate the product's price a seven on a scale of one to ten, where one is the cheapest and ten is the most expensive. The product is a bit expensive."
"My understanding is that Informatica is quite expensive compare to other tools that are available in the market."
"I'm not sure about the most recent pricing trends, but I don't believe it's significantly different from PowerCenter. I believe it is nearly the same."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
18%
Computer Software Company
10%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Government
7%
Financial Services Firm
13%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Computer Software Company
9%
Insurance Company
8%
Financial Services Firm
16%
Computer Software Company
11%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Insurance Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Alation Data Catalog?
The platform's most valuable features are workflow automation, automated business metadata tagging, technical metadat...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Alation Data Catalog?
The price difference between Alation Data Catalog and Collibra was not significant. Collibra is a little bit expensiv...
What needs improvement with Alation Data Catalog?
Alation Data Catalog is not user-friendly for business users. Its user experience is comparable to a Wikipedia page, ...
What do you like most about Ataccama ONE Platform?
The notable aspect lies in the workflow structure, where building the workflow aligns significantly with data governa...
What needs improvement with Ataccama ONE Platform?
The interfacing to tools such as Collibra was somewhat cumbersome and required more thought. While it was possible to...
What is your primary use case for Ataccama ONE Platform?
Some of the use cases for Ataccama ONE included data quality, identifying and mapping to Collibra, which was their da...
How does Azure Data Factory compare with Informatica Cloud Data Integration?
Azure Data Factory is a solid product offering many transformation functions; It has pre-load and post-load transfor...
Which Informatica product would you choose - PowerCenter or Cloud Data Integration?
Complex transformations can easily be achieved using PowerCenter, which has all the features and tools to establish a...
What are the biggest benefits of using Informatica Cloud Data Integration?
When it comes to cloud data integration, this solution can provide you with multiple benefits, including: Overhead r...
 

Also Known As

Alation
Ataccama DQ Analyzer
ActiveVOS, Active Endpoints, BPM, Address Verification, Persistent Data Masking, Cloud Test Data Management, PIM, , Enterprise Data Catalog, Data Integration Hub, Cloud Data Integration, Data Quality, Cloud API and App Integration
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Salesforce, Snowflake, Citrix, eBay, TripAdvisor, Albertsons, Nasdaq, Pfizer, LinkedIn, Finnair.
Société Générale, First Data, Raiffeisenbank International, T-Mobile, Avast, RSA, Toronto Public Library
The Travel Company, Carbonite
Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft, Informatica, Collibra and others in Data Governance. Updated: August 2025.
865,649 professionals have used our research since 2012.