Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics and Azure Data Factory are both powerful tools in the cloud-based data management category. Based on various comparisons, Azure Synapse seems to have the upper hand in handling large volumes of data and compatibility with advanced analytics due to its comprehensive suite of features and integration with other Azure services.
Features:Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics offers Massively Parallel Processing (MPP), easy resource suspension for cost savings, and integration with Power BI for effective analytics. It excels in flexibility, scalability, and integration with other Azure services. Azure Data Factory focuses on data integration, providing an intuitive drag-and-drop experience, extensive connectivity options, and ease of building ETL processes.
Room for Improvement:Azure Synapse Analytics needs a more user-friendly interface for non-technical users, better integration capabilities, and a streamlined setup process for migrations. Azure Data Factory is noted for its complex pricing model, limited support for real-time data processing, and requires more intuitive documentation. Both could benefit from improved tool integration and enhanced monitoring capabilities.
Ease of Deployment and Customer Service:Azure Synapse Analytics, although scalable across multiple cloud environments, presents a complex setup process. Customer service is mixed, with some reports of delayed responses and lacking expertise. Azure Data Factory offers ease of deployment in hybrid environments with more responsive technical support, although user satisfaction varies.
Pricing and ROI:Azure Synapse Analytics operates on a usage-based model with costs depending on data volume and compute requirements, requiring careful cost management to avoid surprise expenses. Azure Data Factory follows a pay-as-you-go model, offering flexibility but making cost prediction challenging. When optimized, both solutions can offer a strong return on investment by enhancing data workflows and leveraging cloud capabilities.
Our stakeholders and clients have expressed satisfaction with Azure Data Factory's efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
Some of my customers have indeed seen a return on investment with Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics as they used it for analytics to drive decision-making, improving their processes or increasing revenue.
The technical support from Microsoft is rated an eight out of ten.
The technical support is responsive and helpful
The technical support for Azure Data Factory is generally acceptable.
They are slow to respond and not very knowledgeable.
This is an underestimation of the real impact because we use big data also to monitor the network and the customer.
I would rate the support for Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics as an eight out of ten.
Azure Data Factory is highly scalable.
Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics is scalable, offering numerous opportunities for scalability.
For the scalability of Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics, I would rate it a 10 until you remain in the Azure Cloud scalability framework.
Recovering from such scenarios becomes a bit problematic or time-consuming.
The solution has a high level of stability, roughly a nine out of ten.
Performance and stability are absolutely fine because Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics is a PaaS service.
I find the service stable as I have not encountered many issues.
We have never integrated Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics with Databricks, but we have mostly pulled data from on-premises systems into Azure Databricks.
Incorporating more dedicated API sources to specific services like HubSpot CRM or Salesforce would be beneficial.
Sometimes, the compute fails to process data if there is a heavy load suddenly, and it doesn't scale up automatically.
There is a problem with the integration with third-party solutions, particularly with SAP.
Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics is an excellent product because it includes both SIEM and orchestration capabilities with playbooks.
There is a need for better documentation, particularly for customized tasks with Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics.
Databricks is a very rich solution, with numerous open sources and capabilities in terms of extract, transform, load, database query, and so forth.
The pricing is cost-effective.
It is considered cost-effective.
The cheapest tier costs about $4,000 to $4,700 a year, while the most expensive tier can reach up to $300,000 a year.
I think the price of Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics is very expensive, but that's not only for Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics—it's for the cloud in general.
I find the pricing of Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics reasonable.
It connects to different sources out-of-the-box, making integration much easier.
The platform excels in handling major datasets, particularly when working with Power BI for reporting purposes.
Regarding the integration feature in Azure Data Factory, the integration part is excellent; we have major source connectors, so we can integrate the data from different data sources and also perform basic transformation while transforming, which is a great feature in Azure Data Factory.
One of the most valuable features in Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics is the ability to write your own ETL code using Azure Data Factory, which is a component within Synapse.
Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics offers significant visibility, which helps us understand our usage more clearly.
For Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics, the integration is the most valuable feature, meaning that whatever you need is fast and easy to use.
| Product | Market Share (%) |
|---|---|
| Azure Data Factory | 5.8% |
| Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics | 6.2% |
| Other | 88.0% |
| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 31 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 19 |
| Large Enterprise | 57 |
| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 29 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 18 |
| Large Enterprise | 55 |
Azure Data Factory efficiently manages and integrates data from various sources, enabling seamless movement and transformation across platforms. Its valuable features include seamless integration with Azure services, handling large data volumes, flexible transformation, user-friendly interface, extensive connectors, and scalability. Users have experienced improved team performance, workflow simplification, enhanced collaboration, streamlined processes, and boosted productivity.
Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics is an end-to-end analytics solution that successfully combines analytical services to merge big data analytics and enterprise data warehouses into a single unified platform. The solution can run intelligent distributed queries among nodes, and provides the ability to query both relational and non-relational data.
Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics is built with these 4 components:
Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics Features
Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics has many valuable key features, including:
Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics Benefits
Some of the benefits of using Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics include:
Reviews from Real Users
Below are some reviews and helpful feedback written by Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics users who are currently using the solution.
PeerSpot user Jael S., who is an Information Architect at Systems Analysis & Design Engineering, comments on her experience using the product, saying that it is “Scalable, intuitive, facilitates compliance and keeps your data secure”. She also says "We also like governance. It looks at what the requirements are for the company to identify the best way to ensure compliance is met when you move to the cloud."
Michel T., CHTO at Timp-iT, mentions that "the features most valuable are the simplicity, how easy it is to create a dashboard from different information systems."
A Senior Teradata Consultant at a tech services company says, "Microsoft provides both the platform and the data center, so you don't have to look for a cloud vendor. It saves you from having to deal with two vendors for the same task."
We monitor all Cloud Data Warehouse reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.
