Try our new research platform with insights from 80,000+ expert users

Alation Data Catalog vs Informatica Intelligent Data Management Cloud (IDMC) vs Information Builders Data Governance 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 Informatica Intelligent Data Management Cloud (IDMC) is 6.0%, down from 8.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Information Builders Data Governance is 0.2%, up from 0.1% 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.…
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.
ES
Balancing robust scalability with cloud features enhancements for streamlined operation
We're implementing this solution to assist our customer service in gaining a more comprehensive view of their environment. They currently manage over two hundred applications but lack a clear understanding of which ones are critical, especially concerning compliance in the insurance industry. By implementing it, we aim to alleviate the burden, identify redundant processes, and streamline their operations. It's about addressing these specific needs and optimizing their workflow. We're focusing on aligning the features with their requirements, and they are making significant progress on this journey, helping each of their companies move towards a centralized and efficient approach.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Alation Data Catalog provides a nice interface for connecting to the database, querying the data, and working on it."
"The solution is used to query MySQL clients and store data and documentation."
"We had some of our data science engineers, who had built out some cloud-based data and data products for users. They were spending a lot of their time, up to 30 to 35% of their time, answering questions about the data and helping people understand how to use it. Once they were able to document that information within Alation, they were only focusing on around 5% of the high-value questions that really couldn't be solved through the catalog itself. It freed them up to be more productive, it made their end-users more productive, and it made the adoption rate of their data products rise more quickly because people were able to get to using them."
"Given the relatively low level of maturity, Alation's most relevant feature at the moment is a user interface that's easy to navigate, which helps us find and understand the data. So while Alation has a lot more functionality, our pain point right now is being able to easily find, understand, and trust the information to use it."
"The most valuable feature is cloud integration."
"Alation Data Catalog's best feature is the SQL query publication."
"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."
"It gives you accountability to centralize your data and have it available to different applications."
"We have a lot of integrations, and it's very easy to create integrations. They have a lot of connectors."
"It has been leading the market with hierarchy management and all the different match concepts and algorithms. They're very robust."
"One of the most valuable features is that I don't need to buy a subscription for any functionality. With Informatica Cloud Data Management, I have all the functionality and features available. If I need to make an integration, I can go to that integration service. If I need to mask, provide, or clean some information, I can easily just pick up that feature and use it. It's very simple, and I have all the functions and capabilities I need to work with data."
"MDM doesn't require a separate IDQ."
"It provides all the typical MDM capabilities like deduplication and machine survivorship."
"It is a very stable solution. I rate its stability a ten out of ten...It is a scalable solution...Informatica Axon's technical support is good."
"Performance and flexibility-wise, they're very user-friendly."
"It has an intuitive data quality engine that allows you to modify data, and apply rules to standardize it, and it's an excellent initial stage."
 

Cons

"The interface is not user-friendly."
"I know that this has been on their roadmap and they're working on it, but as a whole, there's an untapped reservoir of capabilities within their article features that could be used and built upon."
"It would be good if the tool could show the output from the records while querying."
"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."
"Data observability within Alation would be incredibly helpful for addressing these challenges"
"Alation Data Catalog needs to develop a lot in terms of data governance and would be improved with a built-in interactive data quality solution."
"The tool's domain model needs to be changed."
"Alation Data Catalog does not provide end-to-end data lineage."
"The product could be improved in the area of architecture and technology. All the parts are old."
"We currently have issues with real-time integration."
"We haven't had many technical issues. We don't use all of the components of the tool that are more complex and error-prone."
"The tool's performance is an area that should be given further consideration."
"Informatica Cloud Data Integration can improve by being more user-friendly. When you're working with the solution a lot of technical knowledge is required. It's not a solution that anyone can use properly, you need knowledge of what's happening at the back end, such as SQL. When you get stuck, you need to look into your logic. For other tools, such as Dell Boomi, anyone can use them."
"The licenses are too expensive compared to before, which is why customers are now preferring other data metadata management tools like OneTrust, Collibra, and Azure Purview."
"Managing the licenses with the on-premises version was difficult."
"The configuration process is pretty lengthy and challenging and could be made easier to understand."
"The on-premise features are undeniably robust, but having equally powerful capabilities in the cloud would be a significant enhancement."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"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."
"I don't have all the details on the pricing side, but the solution was more expensive than originally expected."
"The platform is moderately expensive compared to the other competitors in the market."
"The solution is a little expensive."
"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."
"Informatica MDM recently changed its pricing model. It's usage-based but I don't have much insight into the current pricing."
"We are quite happy with the licensing model."
"There is no doubt that it is very expensive, but the brand value comes at a cost. Other MDM solutions in the market that haven't proven themselves like Informatica are also pretty expensive. We need to understand that MDM itself is very expensive to implement. So, Informatica is also pretty expensive. I would rate it a two out of five for being pretty expensive."
"The price is high, but the competitors are even higher, like Collibra."
"You pay for this solution based on IPUs, Informatica Processing Units. This depends on how much data you process and how much memory you consume from the cloud provider, and you pay as you go."
"The licensing price of the product depends on the organization's requirements."
"My understanding is that Informatica is quite expensive compare to other tools that are available in the market."
Information not available
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Data Governance solutions are best for your needs.
865,140 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
17%
Computer Software Company
10%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Government
7%
Financial Services Firm
16%
Computer Software Company
11%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Insurance Company
7%
No data available
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
 

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, ...
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...
What do you like most about Information Builders Data Governance?
It has an intuitive data quality engine that allows you to modify data, and apply rules to standardize it, and it's a...
What needs improvement with Information Builders Data Governance?
The on-premise features are undeniably robust, but having equally powerful capabilities in the cloud would be a signi...
What is your primary use case for Information Builders Data Governance?
Our clients often have the need to safeguard sensitive personal information, including customer data and credit card ...
 

Also Known As

Alation
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
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Salesforce, Snowflake, Citrix, eBay, TripAdvisor, Albertsons, Nasdaq, Pfizer, LinkedIn, Finnair.
The Travel Company, Carbonite
Information Not Available
Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft, Informatica, Collibra and others in Data Governance. Updated: July 2025.
865,140 professionals have used our research since 2012.