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IBM InfoSphere DataStage vs Informatica PowerExchange vs SSIS 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
6.9
IBM InfoSphere DataStage ROI varies; optimization boosts performance 200%, enhancing project management despite some inefficiencies and manual interventions.
Sentiment score
7.9
Informatica PowerExchange enables smarter decisions, streamlines data pipelines, and saves costs, showing ROI within weeks for digital transformation.
Sentiment score
7.6
SSIS is praised for cost-effective, efficient data management with significant savings, but users may switch with more budget.
It is considered cost-efficient because it leads to the re-utilization of channels and platforms, which saves time and money.
The tool has made us tremendously more efficient and saved us a significant amount of money.
Using SSIS has proven cost-effective as there are no additional fees outside the SQL Server license, and it significantly enhances data management efficiency.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.1
IBM InfoSphere DataStage support is 24/7 but inconsistent, with quality varying by region and needing efficiency improvements.
Sentiment score
7.1
Informatica PowerExchange support is seen as knowledgeable but receives mixed reviews due to varying response times and availability.
Sentiment score
6.0
Users rely on forums for SSIS issues; Microsoft support is mixed, with some finding response times and quality lacking.
We also have the flexibility to submit a feature request to be included as part of the wishlist, potentially becoming a product feature in subsequent releases.
IBM tech support has allocated dedicated resources, making it satisfactory.
Their support aligns with what I have experienced with Informatica data quality teams, and it is quite effective.
Informatica's technical support team is very supportive and provides help whenever required.
The support was good enough, and they were able to resolve all the issues I raised in the past.
The first line of support needs to be more knowledgeable.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.6
IBM InfoSphere DataStage is praised for scalability and connectivity but some users find scaling resource-intensive.
Sentiment score
7.0
Informatica PowerExchange offers robust scalability for diverse sources and transformations, suitable for medium to large data environments.
Sentiment score
6.7
SSIS is scalable and excels in data integration, but efficiency varies with large datasets and real-time processing challenges.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.6
IBM InfoSphere DataStage is generally stable, though newer versions and installation issues on certain OS may impact stability.
Sentiment score
7.7
Informatica PowerExchange is praised for stability despite some issues with resource load, visibility, and log maintenance in newer versions.
Sentiment score
7.4
SSIS is generally praised for stability and reliability, though some users note issues and the need for strong infrastructure.
Technical errors sometimes occur, such as network breakages at the source level, which breaks connectivity.
It processes large volumes of data quickly.
 

Room For Improvement

IBM InfoSphere DataStage needs usability improvements, modern database support, better pricing, documentation, stability, and enhanced cloud integration and DevOps.
Informatica PowerExchange needs better integration, user-friendliness, real-time processing, cloud features, and affordability while addressing performance and support challenges.
SSIS needs improved scalability, data source support, real-time processing, cloud integration, and user-friendly interfaces for better performance.
I wonder if it supports other areas, such as cloud environments with open source support, or EdgeShift.
The solution needs improvement in connectivity with big data technologies such as Spark.
One area that could be improved is performance, as PowerExchange sometimes has less performance compared to native connectors when dealing with a huge volume of data.
The addition of data quality dashboards or measures would also help in profiling data to assess its health before sharing or moving it.
Within the South African context, if you are getting your enterprise agreement from First Technology, they don't provide support.
SSIS has a difficult learning curve when dealing with complex transformations.
The logging capabilities could be improved, particularly for error logging.
 

Setup Cost

IBM InfoSphere DataStage is costly for small businesses but competitive for large enterprises, cheaper than Informatica yet pricey overall.
Informatica PowerExchange pricing depends on capacity, with variable costs based on usage, but offers moderate cost-efficiency.
SSIS offers a cost-effective ETL solution for enterprises using Microsoft, enhancing affordability by integrating with SQL Server licenses.
Pricing for IBM InfoSphere DataStage is moderate and not much expensive.
The pricing and cost depend heavily on SAP's licensing structure, especially if using SAP integration services.
Informatica PowerExchange is considered cost-efficient due to reduced number of APIs needed.
It was included in our licensing for SQL server, and our licensing for SQL server was extremely cheap, making it a very good price point for us.
Utilizing SSIS involves no extra charges beyond the SQL Server license.
 

Valuable Features

IBM InfoSphere DataStage excels in parallel processing, scalability, robust data integration, and ease of use, enhancing data management efficiency.
Informatica PowerExchange is lauded for versatile data integration, real-time capabilities, scalability, and support for diverse data sources and formats.
SSIS provides user-friendly drag-and-drop functionality, excellent integration, scalability, cost-efficiency, and robust data transformation features.
The failure detection has been very useful for us, as well as the load balancing feature.
As we are a financial organization, security is our main concern, so we prefer enterprise tools.
It also reduces the number of APIs needed for new integrations by offering a unified exchange platform.
The primary advantage of Informatica PowerExchange is being able to extract data from source systems that Informatica does not natively support.
PowerExchange is one of the best software solutions to build integrations with non-Oracle or standard database services, especially for SAP and Hana products.
It is a very robust tool that can work with many data sources, and its main strength is that it is extremely easy to use.
SSAS is included in the base installation of SQL Server.
One of the best aspects of SSIS is that it is built into Microsoft SQL Server, so there are no additional costs involved.
 

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Data Integration category, the mindshare of IBM InfoSphere DataStage is 3.5%, down from 5.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Informatica PowerExchange is 1.2%, up from 1.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SSIS is 5.7%, down from 7.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Data Integration Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
SSIS5.7%
IBM InfoSphere DataStage3.5%
Informatica PowerExchange1.2%
Other89.6%
Data Integration
 

Featured Reviews

Swetha S - PeerSpot reviewer
The solution streamlines design, development, and deployment with effective ETL features
The support has been really good. Typically, if we have any issues, we raise a ticket with IBM, and they help us resolve the issues if required. We also have the flexibility to submit a feature request to be included as part of the wishlist, potentially becoming a product feature in subsequent releases.
Mohammad Faizan Ahmad - PeerSpot reviewer
Helpful in handling areas like complex data sources and data processing but needs improved support services
The major challenge with the tool stems from the fact that if you are implementing it in the cloud, then it has to be within the framework. Another challenge is the large volume of data. Informatica PowerExchange is a product through which we enable connectivity, so it is not an application product or a stand-alone tool, but Informatica's core systems or IICS uses it to connect to multiple systems. The major challenge associated with the tool is on the infrastructure side. The tool's features could be something faster with more connectors. A number of connectors can help connect to a wide variety of applications. The tool should focus on reducing the resilient time, like, if any network disconnectivity happens, then auto-reconnection and the retry method should be more robust so that manual intervention is not required. We communicate with the tool's support team as we need to raise our issues with them. I have already worked with Informatica and have a total experience of around eight to nine years; the one problem with the tool is its support team since they take a lot of time to address a particular issue. If one time you schedule a call and explain the situation to them about the issue, the support team will raise tickets and take notes. They will ask you to share the logs or screenshots of the errors, and you will get no resolution. The support team will randomly give you some documents and expect you to go through them, and if you get back to them with questions, a new person will be allocated, and you will have to start explaining everything again. I would not say it is a pleasant experience.
Chris Farris - PeerSpot reviewer
User-friendly interface facilitates efficient data migration and reduces operational overhead
Its usability and ease of use are standout features. It is really easy to use - almost too easy at times. Users don't have to be experts to use their tool set and utilize the clicking mechanisms, drop down boxes, and other features to build a package and run it. The configuration is very easy and the system is very stable. I would rate it at a 10 as it is highly reliable; we have never had any problems with it. Very little maintenance is required on my side. While you need to keep the product up to date, the maintenance requirements are minimal. SSIS integrates with all Microsoft tools seamlessly. We have used it against Oracle, DB2 and SQL. It integrates and can move data around from any data platforms, making it very diverse in that standpoint. It is a very robust tool that can work with many data sources, and its main strength is that it is extremely easy to use.
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Comparison Review

it_user90069 - PeerSpot reviewer
Feb 20, 2014
Informatica PowerCenter vs. Microsoft SSIS - each technology has its advantages but also have similarities
Technology has made it easier for businesses to organize and manipulate data to get a clearer picture of what’s going on with their business. Notably, ETL tools have made managing huge amounts of data significantly easier and faster, boosting many organizations’ business intelligence operations…
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
27%
Computer Software Company
10%
Government
9%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
26%
Computer Software Company
8%
Government
8%
Insurance Company
6%
Financial Services Firm
18%
Computer Software Company
10%
Government
8%
Healthcare Company
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business23
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise25
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business8
Midsize Enterprise3
Large Enterprise12
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business26
Midsize Enterprise19
Large Enterprise57
 

Questions from the Community

Would you upgrade to more premium versions of IBM InfoSphere DataStage?
My company currently uses the free version of the product, and we are definitely switching to a paid one. We needed ...
Is IBM InfoSphere DataStage more difficult to use compared to other tools in the field?
I think the tool may cause some difficulties if you have not used other data integration solutions before. I have wo...
Do you rely on IBM Cloud Paks for your data? Have you utilized this product, or do you use IBM InfoSphere DataStage without it?
IBM Cloud Paks makes a big difference in your data integration. My company has been using it alongside IBM InfoSphere...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Informatica PowerExchange?
Informatica PowerExchange is considered cost-efficient due to reduced number of APIs needed, enabling re-utilization ...
What needs improvement with Informatica PowerExchange?
It would be helpful to have more metadata provided, which is useful for engaging more users in data exchange. The add...
Which is better - SSIS or Informatica PowerCenter?
SSIS PowerPack is a group of drag and drop connectors for Microsoft SQL Server Integration Services, commonly called ...
What do you like most about SSIS?
The product's deployment phase is easy.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SSIS?
It was included in our licensing for SQL server, and our licensing for SQL server was extremely cheap, making it a ve...
 

Also Known As

No data available
PowerExchange, Connectors
SQL Server Integration Services
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Dubai Statistics Center, Etisalat Egypt
ACH Food, BNSF Railway Company, Illinois State University
1. Amazon.com 2. Bank of America 3. Capital One 4. Coca-Cola 5. Dell 6. E*TRADE 7. FedEx 8. Ford Motor Company 9. Google 10. Home Depot 11. IBM 12. Intel 13. JPMorgan Chase 14. Kraft Foods 15. Lockheed Martin 16. McDonald's 17. Microsoft 18. Morgan Stanley 19. Nike 20. Oracle 21. PepsiCo 22. Procter & Gamble 23. Prudential Financial 24. RBC Capital Markets 25. SAP 26. Siemens 27. Sony 28. Toyota 29. UnitedHealth Group 30. Visa 31. Walmart 32. Wells Fargo
Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft, Informatica, Talend and others in Data Integration. Updated: September 2025.
869,095 professionals have used our research since 2012.