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

IBM InfoSphere DataStage vs SAP Data Services comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 19, 2024

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
7.2
SAP Data Services provides high returns, cost savings, efficiency, and satisfaction, despite challenges in directly quantifying ROI benefits.
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.
 

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
6.6
SAP Data Services support receives mixed reviews, praised for expert help but criticized for slow, complex processes and prioritization issues.
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.
If you keep a high priority issue, such as a production impact, they certainly come and address it in no time.
Unlike level one where they basically search for the notes and provide responses, level two and level three are much better.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.6
IBM InfoSphere DataStage is praised for scalability and connectivity but some users find scaling resource-intensive.
Sentiment score
7.6
SAP Data Services excels in scalability, accommodating expansion and multi-server use, praised for flexibility and enterprise suitability.
If I were to rate it from one to 10, I would say it has a nine to 10 for scalability.
 

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
7.6
SAP Data Services is considered stable with occasional issues, mostly due to configurations, earning an average rating of eight.
 

Room For Improvement

IBM InfoSphere DataStage needs usability improvements, modern database support, better pricing, documentation, stability, and enhanced cloud integration and DevOps.
SAP Data Services needs improvements in user management, integration, usability, compatibility, and advanced features like AI and machine learning.
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.
Now, they are coming up with many pricing options, which is tricky; they offer one thing for free, but charge for nine others.
The documentation is not up to the mark.
 

Setup Cost

IBM InfoSphere DataStage is costly for small businesses but competitive for large enterprises, cheaper than Informatica yet pricey overall.
SAP Data Services is costlier, favoring large enterprises, but recent pricing adjustments may offer better cost-effectiveness compared to competitors.
Pricing for IBM InfoSphere DataStage is moderate and not much expensive.
 

Valuable Features

IBM InfoSphere DataStage excels in parallel processing, scalability, robust data integration, and ease of use, enhancing data management efficiency.
SAP Data Services offers migration, integration, scalability, and user-friendly ETL tools with strong data quality, connectivity, and trackability features.
IBM InfoSphere DataStage is very scalable, allowing us to extend it according to our processing needs.
It is straightforward from a design and development perspective, and also for deployment.
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.
SAP Data Services is mainly used for extraction of data, and it works with all databases.
 

Categories and Ranking

IBM InfoSphere DataStage
Ranking in Data Integration
6th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
42
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
SAP Data Services
Ranking in Data Integration
11th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
51
Ranking in other categories
Data Quality (2nd)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2025, in the Data Integration category, the mindshare of IBM InfoSphere DataStage is 4.8%, down from 5.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SAP Data Services is 2.3%, down from 2.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
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.
Ramesh Pampana - PeerSpot reviewer
Has consistently provided impressive data handling capabilities and robust security features
Some of the most valuable features of SAP Data Services ( /products/sap-data-services-reviews ) include data extraction where SAP is the best in that perspective, but when it comes to analytics or the reporting tool, I prefer to connect with Microsoft Power BI ( /products/microsoft-power-bi-reviews ), which is a fantastic tool. Typically, from an end-user perspective, SAP has a huge amount of data, in terms of terabytes of data, but when you analyze that, the best form of visualization is always through Microsoft Power BI ( /products/microsoft-power-bi-reviews ). SAP Data Services provides a best-in-class return on investment, as SAP's vision and forecast are absolutely amazing. They are ahead of technology, building an ecosystem that meets the standards of the fast-changing digital economy. SAP is indeed good at all this now, with so many components such as SAP Signavio, SAP EINS, SAP Work Zone, SAP ALM ( /categories/application-lifecycle-management-alm-suites ), Cloud ALM ( /categories/application-lifecycle-management-alm-suites ), SAP public cloud, SAP private cloud, and BTP, all of which are essential to meet the latest cutting-edge technologies.
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Data Integration solutions are best for your needs.
859,687 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
28%
Computer Software Company
11%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Government
8%
Manufacturing Company
15%
Computer Software Company
11%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Government
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

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 a tool that can help us not only integrate our data but use it effectively. For ...
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 worked at companies that used different tools for data integration, and they work ...
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 DataStage and while the main product is good on its own, this one truly expands...
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

No data available
SAP BusinessObjects Data Services, SAP BusinessObjects Data Integrator, BusinessObjects Data Integrator
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Dubai Statistics Center, Etisalat Egypt
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 InfoSphere DataStage vs. SAP Data Services and other solutions. Updated: May 2025.
859,687 professionals have used our research since 2012.