IBM InfoSphere DataStage vs Quest SharePlex comparison

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between IBM InfoSphere DataStage and Quest SharePlex based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out in this report how the two Data Integration solutions compare in terms of features, pricing, service and support, easy of deployment, and ROI.
To learn more, read our detailed IBM InfoSphere DataStage vs. Quest SharePlex Report (Updated: March 2024).
765,234 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Featured Review
Quotes From Members
We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use.
Here are some excerpts of what they said:
Pros
"It works with multiple servers and offers high availability.""We can view what we want to do. We can transform data and put them on tables.""The most valuable feature is the data integration for data warehousing.""The most valuable feature of the solution is the ability to incorporate very complex business rules in Data Stage.""The solution has improved the time it takes to perform tasks related to batch applications.""The most valuable feature is the ability to transfer information via notes.""The solution is stable.""The product is easy to deploy."

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"The core replication and its performance. Performance is crucial, and SharePlex is by far the fastest. The way it handles replication to multiple targets along with basic filtering, as well as from multiple sources to a single target, is very efficient.""The core features of the solution we like are the reliability of the data transfer and the accuracy of data read and write. The stability of the solution is also excellent.""There are some capabilities within SharePlex where you can see how the data is migrating and if it still maintains good data integrity. For example, if there are some tables that get out of sync, there are ways to find them and fix the problem on the spot. Since these are very common issues, we can easily fix these types of problems using utilities, like compare and repair. So, if you find something is out of sync, then you can just repair that table. It basically syncs that table from source to target to see if there are any differences. It will then replicate those differences to the target.""I like SharePlex's Compare and Repair tool.""Because of the volume of the transactions, we heavily use a feature that allows SharePlex to replicate thousands of transactions. It's called PEP, Post Enhancement Performance, and that has helped us scale tremendously."

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Cons
"It would be great if they can include some basic version of data quality checking features.""Their web interface is good but the on-prem sites are outdated. The solution could also be improved if they could integrate the data pipeline scheduling part of their interface.""It takes a lot of time to actually trigger your job and then go into the logs and other stuff. So all of this is really time-consuming.""DataStage is quite expensive. It is too hard to find a consultant using DataStage in Turkey.""I want the tool to continue with the on-prem version, not the cloud one.""I'd like to be able to do more with the data and metadata, including copy and pasting, et cetera.""Its documentation is not up to the mark. While building APIs, we had a lot of problems trying to get around it because it is not very user-friendly. We tried to get hold of API documentation, but the documentation is not very well thought out. It should be more structured and elaborate. In terms of additional features, I would like to see good reporting on performance and performance-tuning recommendations that can be based on AI. I would also like to see better data profiling information being reported on InfoSphere.""The initial setup could be more straightforward."

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"The reporting features need improvement. It would be very good for users to have a clear understanding of the status of replication.""I don't know how easy it would be to change the architecture in an already implemented replication. For example, if we have a certain way of architecting for a particular database migration and want to change that during a period of time, is that an easy or difficult change? There was a need for us to change the architecture in-between the migration, but we didn't do it. We thought, "This is possibly complicated. Let's not change it in the middle because we were approaching our cutover date." That was one thing that we should have checked with support about for training.""For its function in relation to replication (i.e. filtering), I'd give it a six or seven out of 10. GoldenGate has much more functionality by comparison.""I would like more ability to automate installation and configuration in line with some of the DevOps processes that are more mature in the market. That would be a considerable improvement.""I would like the solution to have some kind of machine learning and AI capabilities. Often, if we want to improve the performance of posting, we have to bump up a parameter. That means we need to stop the process, come up with a figure that we want to bump the parameter up to, and then start SharePlex. Machine learning and AI capabilities for these kinds of improvement would tremendously help boost productivity for us."

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Pricing and Cost Advice
  • "High-cost of ownership: They could take a page from open source software."
  • "Pricing varies based on use, and it is not as costly as some competing enterprise solutions."
  • "Small and medium-sized companies cannot afford to pay for this solution."
  • "The cost is too high."
  • "It's very expensive."
  • "Our internal team takes care of group licensing and cost. We don't have individual licenses. We have group licensing at the company level. Usually, IBM doesn't charge anything separately on the licensing side. For storage and everything else, we are paying around $6,000 per month, which is not very high. It includes Linux data storage, execution, and licensing. They're charging $40 for one-hour execution. Based on that, we are spending around $2,000 on the production environment and $1,000 on the lower environment for testing and development-side executions. For the mainframe, we are using the Db2 mainframe database, and we are spending around $1,000 on the Db2 mainframe database as well. All this comes out to be around $6,000. We, however, would like to have some cost reduction."
  • "The price is expensive but there are no licensing fees."
  • "It is quite expensive."
  • More IBM InfoSphere DataStage Pricing and Cost Advice →

  • "It is not as expensive as Oracle GoldenGate and has worked really well within our budgets."
  • "It's really good value for the money. There are some things they could improve on, but in terms of the pricing, features, and support, as a holistic package, we are not thinking of anything else at this point in time."
  • More Quest SharePlex Pricing and Cost Advice →

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    Questions from the Community
    Top Answer: My company currently uses the free version of the product, and we are definitely switching to a paid one. We needed a tool that can help us not only integrate our data but use it effectively. For the… more »
    Top Answer: I think the tool may cause some difficulties if you have not used other data integration solutions before. I have worked at companies that used different tools for data integration, and they work… more »
    Top Answer:IBM Cloud Paks makes a big difference in your data integration. My company has been using it alongside IBM InfoSphere DataStage and while the main product is good on its own, this one truly expands… more »
    Top Answer:I like SharePlex's Compare and Repair tool.
    Top Answer:I would like more ability to automate installation and configuration in line with some of the DevOps processes that are more mature in the market. That would be a considerable improvement.
    Top Answer:We use SharePlex to migrate and update from one data center to another. It's helpful for DR and broadcasting solutions. The main use case is to minimize downtime for migration or upgrade. The second… more »
    Ranking
    7th
    out of 94 in Data Integration
    Views
    11,053
    Comparisons
    9,113
    Reviews
    14
    Average Words per Review
    439
    Rating
    7.9
    22nd
    out of 94 in Data Integration
    Views
    2,835
    Comparisons
    1,825
    Reviews
    2
    Average Words per Review
    1,441
    Rating
    9.0
    Comparisons
    Also Known As
    Dell SharePlex, SharePlex
    Learn More
    Overview

    IBM InfoSphere DataStage is a high-quality data integration tool that aims to design, develop, and run jobs that move and transform data for organizations of different sizes. The product works by integrating data across multiple systems through a high-performance parallel framework. It supports extended metadata management, enterprise connectivity, and integration of all types of data.

    The solution is the data integration component of IBM InfoSphere Information Server, providing a graphical framework for moving data from source systems to target systems. IBM InfoSphere DataStage can deliver data to data warehouses, data marts, operational data sources, and other enterprise applications. The tool works with various types of patterns - extract, transform and load (ETL), and extract, load, and transform (ELT). The scalability of the platform is achieved by using parallel processing and enterprise connectivity.

    The solution has various versions, catering to different types of companies, which include the Server Edition, the Enterprise Edition, and the MVS Edition. Depending on which version a company has bought, different goals can be achieved. They include the following:

    • Designing data flows to extract information from multiple sources, transform the data, and deliver it to target databases or applications.

    • Delivery of relevant and accurate data through direct connections to enterprise applications.

    • Reduction of development time and improvement of consistency through prebuilt functions.

    • Utilization of InfoSphere Information Server tools for accelerating the project delivery cycle.

    IBM InfoSphere DataStage can be deployed in various ways, including:

    • As a service: The tool can be accessed from a subscription model, where its capabilities are a part of IBM DataStage on IBM Cloud Park for Data as a Service. This option offers full management on IBM Cloud.

    • On premises or in any cloud: The two editions - IBM DataStage Enterprise and IBM DataStage Enterprise Plus - can run workloads on premises or in any cloud when added to IBM DataStage on IBM Cloud Pak for Data as a Service.

    • On premises: The basic jobs of the tool can be run on premises using IBM DataStage.

    IBM InfoSphere DataStage Features

    The tool has various features through which users can integrate and utilize their data effectively. The components of IBM InfoSphere DataStage include:

    • AI services: The tool offers services such as data science, event messaging, data warehousing, and data virtualization. It accelerates processes through artificial intelligence (AI) and offers a connection with IBM Cloud Paks - the cloud-native insight platform of the solution.

    • Parallel engine: Through this feature, ETL performance can be optimized to process data at scale. This is achieved through parallel engine and load balancing, which maximizes throughput.

    • Metadata support: This feature of the product uses the IBM Watson Knowledge Catalog to protect companies' sensitive data and monitor who can access it and at what levels.

    • Automated delivery pipelines: IBM InfoSphere DataStage reduces costs by automating continuous integration and delivery of pipelines.

    • Prebuilt connectors: The feature for prebuilt connectivity and stages allows users to move data between multiple cloud sources and data warehouses, including IBM native products.

    • IBM DataStage Flow Designer: This feature offers assistance through machine learning design. The product offers its clients a user-friendly interface which facilitates the work process.

    • IBM InfoSphere QualityStage: The tool provides a feature that automatically resolves data quality issues and increases the reliability of the delivered data.

    • Automated failure detection: Through this feature, companies can reduce infrastructure management efforts, relying on the automated detection that the tool offers.

    • Distributed data processing: Cloud runtimes can be executed remotely through this feature while maintaining its sovereignty and decreasing costs.

    IBM InfoSphere DataStage Benefits

    This solution offers many benefits for the companies that utilize it for data integration. Some of these benefits include:

    • Increased speed of workload execution due to better balancing and a parallel engine.

    • Reduction of data movement costs through integrations and seamless design of jobs.

    • Modernization of data integration by extending the capabilities of companies' data.

    • Delivery of reliable data through IBM Cloud Pak for Data.

    • Utilization of a drag-and-drop interface which assists in the delivery of data without the need for code.

    • Effective data manipulation allows data to be merged before being mapped and transformed.

    • Creating easier access of users to their data by providing visual maps of the process and the delivered data.

    Reviews from Real Users

    A data/solution architect at a computer software company says the product is robust, easy to use, has a simple error logging mechanism, and works very well for huge volumes of data.

    Tirthankar Roy Chowdhury, team leader at Tata Consultancy Services, feels the tool is user-friendly with a lot of functionalities, and doesn't require much coding because of its drag-and-drop features.

    SharePlex database replication empowers your organization to achieve its database goals now and into the future. Make use of built-in monitoring, conflict resolution, data comparison and synchronization capabilities backed by award-winning support.

    Sample Customers
    Dubai Statistics Center, Etisalat Egypt
    Bodybuilding.com, Priceline.com, Ameco Beijing, Viasat, SK Broadband
    Top Industries
    REVIEWERS
    Computer Software Company54%
    Transportation Company8%
    Healthcare Company8%
    Financial Services Firm8%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Financial Services Firm26%
    Manufacturing Company11%
    Computer Software Company11%
    Insurance Company8%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Financial Services Firm17%
    Computer Software Company16%
    Manufacturing Company7%
    Insurance Company6%
    Company Size
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business47%
    Midsize Enterprise7%
    Large Enterprise47%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business16%
    Midsize Enterprise9%
    Large Enterprise74%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business23%
    Midsize Enterprise13%
    Large Enterprise64%
    Buyer's Guide
    IBM InfoSphere DataStage vs. Quest SharePlex
    March 2024
    Find out what your peers are saying about IBM InfoSphere DataStage vs. Quest SharePlex and other solutions. Updated: March 2024.
    765,234 professionals have used our research since 2012.

    IBM InfoSphere DataStage is ranked 7th in Data Integration with 36 reviews while Quest SharePlex is ranked 22nd in Data Integration with 5 reviews. IBM InfoSphere DataStage is rated 7.8, while Quest SharePlex is rated 9.0. The top reviewer of IBM InfoSphere DataStage writes "User-friendly with a lot of functions for transmission rules, but has slow performance and not suitable for a huge volume of data". On the other hand, the top reviewer of Quest SharePlex writes "It reduces the downtime and migration time exponentially". IBM InfoSphere DataStage is most compared with IBM Cloud Pak for Data, SSIS, Azure Data Factory, Talend Open Studio and Informatica PowerCenter, whereas Quest SharePlex is most compared with Oracle GoldenGate, AWS Database Migration Service, Qlik Replicate, Oracle Enterprise Manager and Fivetran. See our IBM InfoSphere DataStage vs. Quest SharePlex report.

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    We monitor all Data Integration 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.