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IBM App Connect vs SAP Data Services 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:
 

ROI

Sentiment score
7.3
IBM App Connect enhances ROI by reducing resource needs and managing complex operations, requiring skilled practitioners for optimal results.
Sentiment score
6.2
SAP Data Services offers significant time and cost savings, enhancing productivity and aligning with digital trends for improved effectiveness.
IBM App Connect definitely saves significant time, approximately 50 to 60%.
Software Engineer at a tech vendor with 1,001-5,000 employees
SAP is indeed good at all this now, with so many components such as SAP Signavio, SAP EINS, SAP Work Zone, SAP ALM, Cloud ALM, SAP public cloud, SAP private cloud, and BTP, all of which are essential to meet the latest cutting-edge technologies.
Manager, SAP Practice at a computer software company with 1,001-5,000 employees
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.7
IBM App Connect's 24/7 support offers timely help, though complex issues need escalation and response times could improve.
Sentiment score
6.7
SAP Data Services support receives mixed reviews, with high marks for urgent issues but inconsistencies lead some users to seek alternatives.
When opening a ticket with the global team, problems are resolved promptly and effectively.
Team Leader, Software Development at a manufacturing company with 11-50 employees
The customer support is available 24/7.
Software Engineer at a tech vendor with 1,001-5,000 employees
The technical support from IBM is good.
Developer at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
If you keep a high priority issue, such as a production impact, they certainly come and address it in no time.
Manager, SAP Practice at a computer software company with 1,001-5,000 employees
The level three support is better because they know what they are doing.
SAP BI Architect at a government with 10,001+ employees
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.5
IBM App Connect excels in cloud scalability, notably in Kubernetes, though costs and larger payloads can challenge Hypervisor Edition.
Sentiment score
7.4
SAP Data Services is highly scalable, efficiently manages data operations, supports various organizational sizes, and improves performance for enterprises.
IBM App Connect demonstrates good scalability.
Team Leader, Software Development at a manufacturing company with 11-50 employees
I would rate the scalability of IBM App Connect as nine out of ten.
Developer at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
IBM App Connect is very scalable and a flexible tool.
Software Engineer at a tech vendor with 1,001-5,000 employees
If I were to rate it from one to 10, I would say it has a nine to 10 for scalability.
SAP BI Architect at a government with 10,001+ employees
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.6
IBM App Connect is praised for stability, with issues mostly in complex cases and quick responses to reported problems.
Sentiment score
7.6
SAP Data Services is highly stable, user-friendly, with occasional hardware-related issues, and remains reliable with minimal glitches.
Some companies require multiple configurations, including ODBC connections, JDBC connections, different BI databases, main databases, and replication servers.
Team Leader, Software Development at a manufacturing company with 11-50 employees
I would rate the stability of SAP Data Services as very stable, a ten.
Data Services Consultant at a tech services company with 1-10 employees
 

Room For Improvement

IBM App Connect needs improvements in logging, interface, integrations, setup, cost, security, debugging, observability, and reliability.
SAP Data Services struggles with job handling, integration, user interface complexity, pricing, scalability, and support effectiveness.
Version 13 includes around 200 features with cloud platform compatibility.
Team Leader, Software Development at a manufacturing company with 11-50 employees
I find it particularly good for on-premises and now cloud use.
Developer at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
Better debugging and observability would help us track any single transaction end-to-end across steps and connectors.
Software Engineer at a tech vendor with 1,001-5,000 employees
Now, they are coming up with many pricing options, which is tricky; they offer one thing for free, but charge for nine others.
Manager, SAP Practice at a computer software company with 1,001-5,000 employees
SAP Data Services does handle integration with third-party systems.
Data Services Consultant at a tech services company with 1-10 employees
The documentation is not up to the mark.
SAP BI Architect at a government with 10,001+ employees
 

Setup Cost

IBM App Connect is costly but valued by enterprises for quality; licensing complexities require expertise and allow for discounts.
SAP Data Services pricing is competitive for enterprises but can be substantial for small businesses with variable licensing costs.
For insurance companies with simple JDBC connections, the process is straightforward.
Team Leader, Software Development at a manufacturing company with 11-50 employees
 

Valuable Features

IBM App Connect offers easy integration with minimal coding, pre-built adapters, security, scalability, rapid deployment, and flexible integration.
SAP Data Services provides scalable data migration and integration with advanced features, including ETL, data quality, and SAP connectivity.
Overall, 50 to 60% of the time is saved when using IBM App Connect.
Software Engineer at a tech vendor with 1,001-5,000 employees
The transformation capabilities in IBM App Connect are particularly beneficial.
Team Leader, Software Development at a manufacturing company with 11-50 employees
The features I find most valuable are message routing, message transformation, and protocol translation.
Developer at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
SAP is indeed good at all this now, with so many components such as SAP Signavio, SAP EINS, SAP Work Zone, SAP ALM, Cloud ALM, SAP public cloud, SAP private cloud, and BTP, all of which are essential to meet the latest cutting-edge technologies.
Manager, SAP Practice at a computer software company with 1,001-5,000 employees
SAP Data Services is mainly used for extraction of data, and it works with all databases.
SAP BI Architect at a government with 10,001+ employees
It remains a fast data-moving tool, faster than most new ones.
Data Services Consultant at a tech services company with 1-10 employees
 

Categories and Ranking

IBM App Connect
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
26
Ranking in other categories
Cloud Data Integration (13th)
SAP Data Services
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
52
Ranking in other categories
Data Integration (10th), Data Quality (2nd)
 

Featured Reviews

Emirhan Guven - PeerSpot reviewer
Team Leader, Software Development at a manufacturing company with 11-50 employees
Transforms data efficiently and navigates licensing challenges with ease
The transition between version 12 and version 13 presents some challenges. While version 12 had approximately 10 features, version 13 includes around 200 features with cloud platform compatibility. The learning curve for developers moving from version 12 to 13 could be smoother. When using new components, better context explanations would be beneficial. In version 13, accessing new features requires connecting through a web browser, which can be challenging to understand. The explanation of new features could be more user-friendly.
reviewer2686500 - PeerSpot reviewer
SAP BI Architect at a government with 10,001+ employees
Integration has become more robust and seamless
SAP Data Services is mainly used for extraction of data, and it works with all databases. The flows and everything are configured effectively. One of the most valuable features is that it is integrated. Compared to the past, it is much more robust and easier to use. The only issue is that documentation is not up to the mark. The data quality management features support our business because we can fetch anything based on the requirements. Before, we used to have a tough time getting data, but now, with HANA and all these tools, it is seamless.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
16%
Financial Services Firm
15%
Computer Software Company
11%
Retailer
7%
Manufacturing Company
14%
Government
9%
Computer Software Company
8%
Financial Services Firm
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business4
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise21
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business13
Midsize Enterprise5
Large Enterprise36
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about IBM App Connect?
I like the adapters. The adapters help us achieve scalability. If you want to connect to SAP, there's an adapter. Salesforce? There's an adapter. You want to connect to another system? There's like...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM App Connect?
Configuration time varies by implementation. For insurance companies with simple JDBC connections, the process is straightforward. However, companies requiring multiple configurations for ODBC, JDB...
What is your primary use case for IBM App Connect?
I am a developer specializing in IBM App Connect. We have a customer interested in comparing ESB tools, such as webMethods, which was previously owned by Software AG company before IBM acquired the...
How do you evaluate the ratio of price to quality for SAP Data Services?
I believe the license for the product is fair, even though some competitors offer similar services at lower prices. The difference between the Edge edition and the next one up is significant in pr...
Would you recommend SAP Data Services to complete beginners?
I think after some preparation, a beginner will be able to use SAP Data Services, however, if you are completely unprepared, you may have some issues. I think that in particular you will need a mo...
How has SAP Data Services helped your organization?
SAP Data Services has helped our whole staff understand the data across various sources and systems within the company. Not everyone who works at my organization is an IT expert - most just have av...
 

Also Known As

IBM Cast Iron
SAP BusinessObjects Data Services, SAP BusinessObjects Data Integrator, BusinessObjects Data Integrator
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

United Way of Allegheny County, Saint-Gobain CPS, Ricoh, SunTrust Banks Inc.
EMC Corporation, LivePerson, Eldorado, Mozzart, The VELUX Group, AOK Bundesverband, Hilti Group, Nissha Printing Company Ltd., Asian Paints, Aareal Bank Group, Migros Group
Find out what your peers are saying about IBM App Connect vs. SAP Data Services and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.
881,114 professionals have used our research since 2012.