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IBM InfoSphere MDM vs Microsoft MDS vs Reltio Cloud 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 Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
IBM InfoSphere MDM7.8%
SAP Master Data Governance21.6%
Microsoft MDS13.0%
Other57.599999999999994%
Master Data Management (MDM) Software
Master Data Management (MDM) Software Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Microsoft MDS13.0%
SAP Master Data Governance21.6%
TIBCO EBX12.6%
Other52.8%
Master Data Management (MDM) Software
Cloud Master Data Management (MDM) Solutions Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Reltio Cloud16.8%
Informatica Intelligent Data Management Cloud (IDMC)25.3%
TIBCO EBX13.6%
Other44.3%
Cloud Master Data Management (MDM) Solutions
 

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.
Satyam Saxena - PeerSpot reviewer
Enhanced data management and cost effective with flexible integration capabilities
If Microsoft MDS were part of Azure, it would be significantly more helpful. Additionally, integrating fuzzy duplication within MDS itself, rather than relying on SSIS, would streamline operations. The current requirement to store data in Azure tables after processing it in MDS, due to its lack of direct Azure integration, is a drawback.
Mohd Imran - PeerSpot reviewer
A master data management tool with easy setup and support
Reltio has two main aspects: one is handled by developers and architects, and Reltio manages the other. Developers and architects are responsible for configuration, developing requirements, and working on the implementation. There are default limitations and considerations. For instance, Reltio can store a maximum of 200 values for a single attribute. If your data exceeds this limit, you can request Reltio support to increase the limit. However, be aware that increasing this limit may impact performance, potentially slowing down data loading times. In cases where attribute values or record counts exceed the standard limits (e.g., more than 20 million records), Reltio support can add additional resources to your tenant. This usually involves extra costs, but it ensures the system remains efficient and scalable. As a developer or architect, you don’t need to manage this process; Reltio support handles scalability and resource allocation.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"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."
"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."
"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 most valuable feature of Microsoft MDS is its management."
"It is very easy to deploy and provision a machine."
"Technical support is very good."
"The backup and restore functionality are the solution's most valuable aspects."
"The best thing about it is that it comes with the Microsoft package."
"The tool is easy to use."
"One of the main features I have found useful is the integration with Azure active directory."
"The most valuable feature of Microsoft MDS is its compatibility with ETL tools like SSIS, which simplifies operations for end-users."
"We can store the data and enrich it from multiple sources."
"It is very easy to learn. The"
"There are default limitations and considerations. For instance, Reltio can store a maximum of 200 values for a single attribute. If your data exceeds this limit, you can request Reltio support to increase the limit. However, be aware that increasing this limit may impact performance, potentially slowing down data loading times."
"The survivorship feature is great because we can define it, prioritize the sources, and only allow those sources to survive when making the golden record."
"The solution saves 30% to 40% of our time."
"The matching feature of Reltio Cloud is highly effective compared to many other tools available. Additionally, it is almost ready to use out-of-the-box, reducing the implementation time."
"The most valuable feature of Reltio Cloud is the customization we can make in its functionality."
"Its user interface is different from that of other MDM solutions like Informatica"
 

Cons

"IBM InfoSphere MDM's UI is complicated. It also needs to improve its on-prem configuration."
"The product is really only created for large organizations."
"The tool is difficult to understand from a customer perspective and for developers."
"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."
"It would be a better option to have an on-cloud version."
"If Microsoft MDS were part of Azure, it would be significantly more helpful."
"The only drawback is that it does not have the matching, merging, and all true MDM components. For these, you have to use another competent called Data Quality Services (DQS). You need to plug it in and use it along with MDS for true MDM. Both of these are integrated together, but you have to do them separately, whereas, in Profisee, there are a couple of screens where you can configure the matching process, create matching rules, and other things, and everything is in one product, which is not the case with MDS. In order to implement a true MDM, you need MDS, DQS, and SSIS. You have to use MDS to store your golden records, DQS to configure and standardize all your rules and matching percentages, and SSIS to load the data to DQS and MDS. At the same time, you also need Melissa Data to clean up your addresses to validate and standardize the addresses. That's the main component of true MDM. It would be good if they can create a true matching component inside MDS and merge MDS and DQS."
"There are occasions when the solution maintains SD and we get duplications of MDS."
"The stability could be improved."
"JMD repositories have records that come in thousands and millions, which takes a long time to process."
"Microsoft MDS isn't getting strong support because Microsoft is focusing more on cloud solutions."
"Most of the Microsoft partners, especially digitally, are separate. Personnel are business people, and they do not have technical expertise, so you end up as a company spending a lot of money training your staff and your engineers."
"Reltio Cloud could be improved in two specific areas. Firstly, the API capability needs to be enhanced, as when utilizing the REST API and posting a significant amount of data, there are multiple rejections from the MDM side. This can be due to the MDM server not responding or being unable to process the request. Therefore, I suggest that the API capacity should be increased to handle larger amounts of data. Additionally, I have noticed that the response time from the servers can take up to a minute or a few seconds, which can be improved for a faster response time."
"The support team is slow to respond when we need assistance with workflow deployments. We must rely on their availability and contact them to receive the required JAR files."
"We need manual data modeling and configuration to tailor the platform to our requirements."
"There is some lag in developing new features for specific business requirements. If a new feature is needed, we have to raise a request in the developer portal through the IDEA portal. This process takes time to develop, which can be a drawback when immediate business needs arise."
"Initially, the UI was limited in features."
"Sometimes, the service goes down for maintenance or when we run a lot of jobs so things get pushed to the queue and results don't get delivered on time."
"The deployment is difficult."
"The solution's UI could be enhanced, and its record filtering could be expanded."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It may be costly for small organizations but adds value for large organizations with demanding workflows."
"I would like to see better pricing."
"Product licensing is very complicated. It would be helpful to have an online calculator to estimate the cost of a license."
"SAP is more expensive than Microsoft."
"The solution does require a license and we have enterprise licenses."
"MDS is a part of the SQL Server enterprise license. I am not aware of any additional costs."
"Microsoft MDS is an expensive solution."
"With Microsoft, we buy everything though an agreement, so we purchase volume licensing every year."
"The pricing of this solution is good."
Information not available
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
26%
Healthcare Company
13%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Computer Software Company
6%
Financial Services Firm
13%
Computer Software Company
13%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Media Company
7%
Financial Services Firm
14%
Computer Software Company
12%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Healthcare Company
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Midsize Enterprise3
Large Enterprise8
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business9
Midsize Enterprise2
Large Enterprise15
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business2
Midsize Enterprise2
Large Enterprise8
 

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...
What do you like most about Microsoft MDS?
More generic related things can be included in the services.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft MDS?
Microsoft MDS is free. Currently, there is no pricing concern with the tool.
What needs improvement with Microsoft MDS?
Microsoft MDS is outdated and lacks modern capabilities. It is too slow and does not support automated mapping or AI-...
What needs improvement with Reltio Cloud?
We are quite satisfied with the solution. The only issue we face is with the workflow feature. Every time we need to ...
What is your primary use case for Reltio Cloud?
We are currently using Reltio Cloud. We are consultants based in Europe, and we are using it for ourselves and our cl...
What advice do you have for others considering Reltio Cloud?
Our team consists of 35 plus members spread across India, Vietnam, and Portugal in Europe. The solution runs on AWS C...
 

Also Known As

InfoSphere MDM, InfoSphere Master Data Management
Microsoft Master Data Services, Microsoft MDM, Microsoft SQL Server Master Data Services, MS MDS
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

L'Oreal S.A., Kingland Systems, Oncor, Farmaceuticos Maypo, Volkswagen Financial Services
ETA a.s., Apeejay Surrendra Group, Blue Star Infotech, Rotherham Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation, The Sydney Children's Hospitals Network, New Belgium Brewing
iMiDiA, Slalom, MeritDirect, Cognizant
Find out what your peers are saying about SAP, TIBCO, Microsoft and others in Master Data Management (MDM) Software. Updated: September 2025.
868,183 professionals have used our research since 2012.