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IBM InfoSphere MDM vs Informatica Intelligent Data Management Cloud (IDMC) vs SAP Master Data Governance 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:
 

Mindshare comparison

Master Data Management (MDM) Software
Data Management Platforms (DMP)
Master Data Management (MDM) Software
 

Q&A Highlights

it_user545286 - PeerSpot reviewer
Dec 09, 2016
 

Featured Reviews

SoumikDolui - PeerSpot reviewer
Provides inbuilt data model and good matching engine
It's a tough tool for developers. Right now in the market, I think Informatica MDM is number one and is used a lot. IBM MDM was developed by some other company and IBM developed it more. There are definitely some flaws. The tool is difficult to understand from a customer perspective and for developers. Generally, customers can understand Informatica MDM and its functionality easily. If a developer is facing issues with IBM MDM, then a customer will definitely not understand most of the functionality. That is the main concern. IBM is introducing some Next-Gen MDM, where they are using a lot of current technologies and machine learning. Most of the problems we may be facing right now are probably solved in that version.
Saikat Ghosh - PeerSpot reviewer
Match and merge functionality is still the best but cloud version needs more functionality
There are various areas for improvement in IDMC. Enhancements on basic data management functionality and the UI front, such as multiple templates and improved grid views, would be beneficial. Bulk data management features could be improved from the UI perspective to get to the level of the on prem versions of Informatica MDM. The tool needs to mature but missing small but important features, like restricted dynamic attributes functionality, data inheritance rules in master hierachies, identifiers not being passed in jobs is a drawback.
UdayReddy - PeerSpot reviewer
Detailed technical support and data integration capabilities create seamless user experience
Regarding SAP Master Data Governance, there is significant room for improvement particularly concerning the replication types. For example, when a vendor master is created in Ariba and a request is submitted from the Ariba system, SAP Ariba directs it to MDG. MDG verifies the details entirely through PI/PO or CPI. Once MDG verifies the data, the request is submitted to the S/4HANA system, the target. After a final approval at all levels, the vendor number is generated, and the vendor code gets passed from source to target system. This number is available in both the Ariba integration in the systems and in SAP BPT code, as well as the S/4HANA system.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"When users update their information on one product, the data is sent to a database. My approach was to maintain a master data record, ensuring that each platform loads the latest updated record. Instead of having three separate records, the system keeps one master data record, storing the historical records for reference."
"The features that are most valuable are the governance, the end-profiling and the ETL which allows you to see the metadata repositories."
"There are not really many areas of the product that need improvement because the product stays up-to-date with data management needs."
"The advantage is that the matching engine is very good, so that's why customers generally prefer it. From the inbuilt data model perspective, IBM MDM is good."
"We've used the solution for quite some time, so in our organization, the product is pretty mature."
"The solution is straightforward."
"Informatica Persistent Data Masking can mask production data for different users, ensuring that only authorized individuals can access sensitive information."
"The governance process was fully manual before, but Axon helped us configure those processes, giving us more visibility, transparency, and control over the data."
"The features I find most valuable is the synchronization, verification, functionalities and all the data integration features."
"I think that it's a good solution...It is stable because we have the experience to deploy this solution."
"The way that the solution scans is very useful."
"Informatica provides a comprehensive solution for on-the-fly or real-time data masking."
"The solution is great at standardizing all of our records."
"SAP MDG has built-in integration capabilities with multiple systems/streams. We can also create custom interfaces if needed."
"A good solution for large enterprises."
"I like how the solution integrates with other SAP tools and third-party solutions."
"The scalability is very good."
"The ability to identify and manage duplicate data is valuable. The solution automatically checks for duplication possibilities based on criteria like name matching."
"The product is easy to use and is beneficial from a data governance perspective."
"Some of the features that I have found to be beneficial are the search and uploads functions."
 

Cons

"IBM InfoSphere MDM's UI is complicated. It also needs to improve its on-prem configuration."
"The tool is difficult to understand from a customer perspective and for developers."
"The product is really only created for large organizations."
"We also want better cloud integration, so we could do things in the cloud if we needed to. This would be a good feature to add in a future release."
"This is a costly solution. We have several customers who evaluate it but then look for other solutions because of the cost. At present, Informatica MDM comes as an on-premises or cloud-based solution. I would like to see them offer a SaaS-based MDM model. I think they are working on it."
"While my company operates on the cloud, we have seen that Informatica Cloud Data Integration has some performance issues causing it to lag."
"The advertising makes promises about data analytics that it does not keep."
"I would like to see more API integration to have the capability to build a report using other third party reporting tools to streamline the operation."
"The tool's performance is an area that should be given further consideration."
"One area that needs to improve is the user experience because it is very complex. The trial version is very complex so it's not easy to start using the program immediately. You must study the rules first."
"Though EDC has maximum coverage, a few things were not available to scan, but I think EDC is evolving to address this issue."
"Interoperability is one area where EDC has room for improvement. It was challenging when the faculty took over the data world and had specific vendors they wanted to use, and some were not particularly open platforms."
"Bill of materials (BOM) creation in manufacturing needs to be enhanced in SAP Master Data Governance."
"The platform's pricing needs improvement."
"The user interface is not user-friendly."
"Lacks some features that are available in other solutions."
"The UI could improve by being more neat and clean. Sometimes users find it difficult to use it."
"The price can be improved."
"The documentation provided for the MDG extensions by Utopia could be improved."
"The profiling feature, especially for materials, needs improvement. We faced challenges maintaining specific details for a single material from multiple vendors."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It may be costly for small organizations but adds value for large organizations with demanding workflows."
"You can purchase licenses for this solution at different intervals. For example, annually or every three years. They recently changed their terms for licensing and now it is more flexible."
"We have licenses, and we are provided with certain particular services in the solution."
"Informatica is very expensive."
"Informatica MDM is very expensive. Apart from licensing fees, they have broken down their products into multiple products, and they charge for each and every product. If the data is huge, they charge for the data. At times, we have to use third party services for data cleaning, and they charge for that as well."
"Informatica MDM recently changed its pricing model. It's usage-based but I don't have much insight into the current pricing."
"I have no idea what the price actually is. It is probably not going to be the cheapest, but it is a pretty stable and robust platform from the backend standpoint."
"A yearly subscription is paid based on the number of people using the solution. Price-wise, it falls under the medium range since it is neither very costly nor too cheap."
"It's an expensive solution."
"The product is too expensive."
"The cost of the product is not ideal."
"The solution is costly."
"SAP Master Data Governance is a licensed product. While there might be no upfront cost for the MDG component itself, you still need to pay for user authorizations."
"The pricing is a bit too high."
"We have an enterprise license. The whole SAP landscape pricing model is based on the number of users, and the number of transactions. The price could be better, there is always room for improvement in the price."
"SAP Master Data Governance is an expensive product."
"SAP Master Data Governance is an expensive solution."
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Answers from the Community

it_user545286 - PeerSpot reviewer
Dec 9, 2016
Dec 9, 2016
Riversand technology is leader in the MDM space and makes a product called MDMcenter. Gartner and Forrester put these guys in a leader and visionary quadrant topping Informatica, oracle, and sap. They have a product used by many fortune 1000s and multinational companies. I have rolled out MDM solutions for a bunch of customers using different platforms and Riversand's is the best. They hav...
2 out of 7 answers
it_user348246 - PeerSpot reviewer
Dec 8, 2016
If you buy InfoSphere MDM Domain Hub Standard Edition you can use following products: IBM Process Server Standard v8.5.6 IBM Process Server Standard for Non-production Environment v8.5.6 IBM Process Center Standard v8.5.6 IBM Process Designer v8.5.6 IBM Content Integrator v8.6 IBM DB2 Enterprise Server Edition v10.5 IBM Cognos Business Intelligence V10.2.2.0 IBM InfoSphere Information Server Enterprise v11.5 IBM Integration Bus Healthcare Pack v3.0.0.0 IBM Integration Bus Express Edition v9.0.0.3 IBM Watson Explorer v10.0 IBM Rational Application Developer for WebSphere Software v9.5 IBM WebSphere Application Server Network Deployment v8.5.5 IBM WebSphere Application Server Base v8.5.5 IBM WebSphere MQ v8.0 IBM WebSphere Portal Server v8.5 IBM Installation Manager & IBM Packaging Utility for Rational Software Development Platform v1.8 IBM Security Directory Server v6.4.0.0 For IBM InfoSphere Master Data Management Enterprise Edition you can use also: IBM InfoSphere Big Match for Hadoop v11.5 InfoSphere Information Server contains both DataStage (ETL engine) and QualityStage (DQ components which are fully integrated with ETL). You could always check which products are provided in license on Software License Portal (http://www-03.ibm.com/software/sla/sladb.nsf/search)
it_user311469 - PeerSpot reviewer
Dec 8, 2016
Will do but can you help me out with my groceries for this week ? ( please stop sending me these emails. I am a professional not a volunteer) Sent from my iPhone
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
27%
Healthcare Company
13%
Computer Software Company
6%
Manufacturing Company
6%
Financial Services Firm
17%
Computer Software Company
12%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Insurance Company
6%
Manufacturing Company
13%
Computer Software Company
12%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Energy/Utilities Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about IBM InfoSphere MDM?
When users update their information on one product, the data is sent to a database. My approach was to maintain a mas...
What needs improvement with IBM InfoSphere MDM?
IBM InfoSphere MDM's UI is complicated. It also needs to improve its on-prem configuration.
What is your primary use case for IBM InfoSphere MDM?
When users update their information on one product, the data is sent to a database. My approach was to maintain a mas...
How does Azure Data Factory compare with Informatica Cloud Data Integration?
Azure Data Factory is a solid product offering many transformation functions; It has pre-load and post-load transfor...
Which Informatica product would you choose - PowerCenter or Cloud Data Integration?
Complex transformations can easily be achieved using PowerCenter, which has all the features and tools to establish a...
What are the biggest benefits of using Informatica Cloud Data Integration?
When it comes to cloud data integration, this solution can provide you with multiple benefits, including: Overhead r...
What do you like most about SAP Master Data Governance?
We've managed tens of thousands of updates within 30 to 60 minutes, and we can also replicate these changes to all co...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SAP Master Data Governance?
The challenge with SAP MDG is not only the cost but the resources. The skills required are niche in the market, and w...
What needs improvement with SAP Master Data Governance?
SAP could do better in attracting talent and simplifying technology adoption. There's a need for SAP to develop an ov...
 

Also Known As

InfoSphere MDM, InfoSphere Master Data Management
ActiveVOS, Active Endpoints, BPM, Address Verification, Persistent Data Masking, Cloud Test Data Management, PIM, , Enterprise Data Catalog, Data Integration Hub, Cloud Data Integration, Data Quality, Cloud API and App Integration
SAP MDG
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

L'Oreal S.A., Kingland Systems, Oncor, Farmaceuticos Maypo, Volkswagen Financial Services
The Travel Company, Carbonite
Convergent IS, CHIO Aachen, Dell, Hamburg Port Authority (HPA), City of Boston, Mozzart, Mitsui Knowledge Industry (MKI), AOK Bundesverband, eBay
Find out what your peers are saying about SAP, TIBCO, Microsoft and others in Master Data Management (MDM) Software. Updated: July 2025.
861,803 professionals have used our research since 2012.