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Informatica PowerCenter vs SAS Data Management 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
8.1
Informatica PowerCenter is valued for its flexibility, stability, and effectiveness in handling diverse and complex data for reports.
Sentiment score
5.8
SAS Data Management boosts data accuracy, reduces storage costs, and is vital in banking, finance, and pharmaceutical sectors.
Sentiment score
6.5
SSIS is cost-effective, enhancing data management efficiency and integration with SQL Server, providing significant operational and financial benefits.
It also plays a vital role in revenue calculations, net asset valuations, and other key factors that support customer data and investment data pipelines.
Associate Principal Engineer at Nagarro
The tool has made us tremendously more efficient and saved us a significant amount of money.
Manager, Data Operations at a manufacturing company with 5,001-10,000 employees
Using SSIS has proven cost-effective as there are no additional fees outside the SQL Server license, and it significantly enhances data management efficiency.
Managing Partner at Dynamis Informatica
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.9
Customer service and technical support receive mixed reviews, highlighting varying levels of responsiveness, resource availability, and user experiences.
Sentiment score
7.1
Customer service satisfaction with SAS Data Management is high, despite regional differences and limited online resources, thanks to responsive support.
Sentiment score
6.0
Users find Microsoft support adequate for critical issues but often use online resources and community support for minor ones.
I like the technical support provided by Informatica.
Professor of Economics of Informatic at CMAYOR
I have occasionally needed to communicate with the technical support of Informatica PowerCenter, especially when raising cases for complex mappings and performance optimization to identify bottlenecks in transformations.
Associate Principal Engineer at Nagarro
The support for SAS in Brazil is not the best one, but the support in Sweden is really good, as they visit the company and work to solve the issues.
Data Scientist & Scrum Master at Volvo Group
The first line of support needs to be more knowledgeable.
Manager, Data Operations at a manufacturing company with 5,001-10,000 employees
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
6.8
Informatica PowerCenter excels in scalability and versatility for data management, though costs and setup complexity are concerns.
Sentiment score
6.8
SAS Data Management is highly scalable, supporting enterprise tasks with robust servers, comparable to Oracle and Microsoft solutions.
Sentiment score
6.7
SSIS is effective for small to medium enterprises but may face challenges with scalability and performance for large datasets.
In the cloud, scaling up and down becomes easy when working with cloud providers.
Associate Principal Engineer at Nagarro
For scalability, I would rate Informatica PowerCenter between eight to nine.
Director at a computer software company with 1,001-5,000 employees
I would rate the scalability of SSIS at a 7 because we are able to use various third-party items with it, allowing for functionality with a number of different things.
Tech Lead at a consultancy with 11-50 employees
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.9
Informatica PowerCenter is highly rated for stability, with few issues, mostly resolved by hotfixes, ensuring reliable performance.
Sentiment score
7.2
SAS Data Management is highly stable, especially on Linux, but might need client-side configurations for optimal performance.
Sentiment score
7.4
SSIS is highly rated for stability and performance, though minor issues and cloud discrepancies are occasionally noted by users.
Informatica PowerCenter is stable and can scale well.
Professor of Economics of Informatic at CMAYOR
The product is very stable with very few issues encountered in production.
Associate Principal Engineer at Nagarro
It processes large volumes of data quickly.
Managing Partner at Dynamis Informatica
 

Room For Improvement

Informatica PowerCenter users seek improved affordability, a modern interface, better integration, and scalability for enhanced efficiency and user-friendliness.
SAS Data Management needs improved usability, licensing, integration, cloud features, scalability, stability, and enhanced automated reporting and documentation.
SSIS needs enhanced error logging, diverse data integration, user management, ease of use, scalability, and better documentation support.
With Informatica PowerCenter, I am looking for an AI interface that looks at the underlying data model of the databases and the metadata of the tables, allowing the developer to provide instructions on what data sources to connect to and how to apply or create Transformations.
Director at a computer software company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Utilizing more stored procedures from Oracle databases in an easy way would significantly boost performance.
Professor of Economics of Informatic at CMAYOR
Informatica Cloud and its support becomes quite expensive for the organization compared to peers such as SnapLogic or Netezza, which offer lower pricing.
Associate Principal Engineer at Nagarro
There is significant room for improvement, especially with regard to using a hybrid approach that involves both CAS and persistent storage.
Associate Director at Woodpecker Analytics & Services
Within the South African context, if you are getting your enterprise agreement from First Technology, they don't provide support.
Managing Director at Knights Innovation Support Centre
SSIS has a difficult learning curve when dealing with complex transformations.
Managing Partner at Dynamis Informatica
The logging capabilities could be improved, particularly for error logging.
Manager, Data Operations at a manufacturing company with 5,001-10,000 employees
 

Setup Cost

Informatica PowerCenter, although costly, is valued by large enterprises for its comprehensive features and effective complex data handling.
SAS Data Management is powerful but costly, with affordability challenges for businesses, though educational trials and market-based pricing options exist.
SSIS is economical with SQL Server licenses, offering favorable pricing and integration, though add-ons may increase costs.
I find that the pricing and licensing for Informatica PowerCenter align with its quality.
Professor of Economics of Informatic at CMAYOR
The price of Informatica PowerCenter is high, especially for small and medium-sized businesses.
Director at a computer software company with 1,001-5,000 employees
From my experience, SAS Data Management is an expensive tool.
Associate Director at Woodpecker Analytics & Services
Utilizing SSIS involves no extra charges beyond the SQL Server license.
Managing Partner at Dynamis Informatica
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.
Manager, Data Operations at a manufacturing company with 5,001-10,000 employees
However, it could be a bit cheaper.
Tech Lead at a consultancy with 11-50 employees
 

Valuable Features

Informatica PowerCenter provides robust, scalable ETL solutions with user-friendly design, supporting extensive databases and seamless data integration.
SAS Data Management provides user-friendly, comprehensive data handling with strong integration, quality, governance, and flexible connectivity features.
SSIS offers efficient, scalable ETL with seamless Microsoft integration, user-friendly interface, flexibility, and cost-effectiveness, enhancing data processes.
The system supports real-time integration, which is essential for many of my tasks.
Professor of Economics of Informatic at CMAYOR
The functions in Informatica PowerCenter that I have found most valuable are the way it manages the volume of data, the push down optimization, and the performance aspects of it, mostly related to parallelism techniques.
Director at a computer software company with 1,001-5,000 employees
The most valuable features of Informatica PowerCenter that I have found so far include transformations, the ease of connectivity with different source systems, and the parameter files.
Associate Principal Engineer at Nagarro
SAS Data Management stands out because of its data standardization, transformation, and verification capabilities.
Associate Director at Woodpecker Analytics & Services
The best features I appreciate about SAS Data Management tool are that it's easy to create the flows and schedule data, and the tables are not too big, making it easy to control the ETL process, including user access which is also easy to manage in SAS.
Data Scientist & Scrum Master at Volvo Group
I would rate it at a 10 as it is highly reliable; we have never had any problems with it.
Manager, Data Operations at a manufacturing company with 5,001-10,000 employees
One of the best aspects of SSIS is that it is built into Microsoft SQL Server, so there are no additional costs involved.
Managing Partner at Dynamis Informatica
SSAS is included in the base installation of SQL Server.
Managing Director at Knights Innovation Support Centre
 

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2026, in the Data Integration category, the mindshare of Informatica PowerCenter is 3.4%, down from 10.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SAS Data Management is 1.1%, up from 0.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SSIS is 3.7%, down from 7.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Data Integration Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
SSIS3.7%
Informatica PowerCenter3.4%
SAS Data Management1.1%
Other91.8%
Data Integration
 

Featured Reviews

Garima Goel - PeerSpot reviewer
Associate Principal Engineer at Nagarro
Has supported complex data pipeline creation but performance tuning and monitoring responsiveness need improvement
Sometimes, I see various performance issues with Informatica PowerCenter, including caching concerns, whether it's a joiner transformation or other transformations, so I believe the team can enhance the performance perspectives of these transformations. Additionally, sometimes the Informatica Monitor hangs or takes time to open the current run or logs, which the team can also look into. Informatica is transitioning to cloud solutions and discontinuing on-premise support after 2026, so when we discuss Informatica Cloud and its support, it becomes quite expensive for the organization compared to peers such as SnapLogic or Netezza, which offer lower pricing. Informatica Cloud Intelligence's pricing is notably high.
FK
Data Scientist & Scrum Master at Volvo Group
Has supported centralized data access and improved governance through unified administration
The best features I appreciate about SAS Data Management tool are that it's easy to create the flows and schedule data, and the tables are not too big, making it easy to control the ETL process, including user access which is also easy to manage in SAS. The data integration tools with SAS Data Management were quite good because they allowed me to do all lineage, to manage and see all the variables, find the libraries where the data is, and understand the data in just one tool. Offering another development environment combining code and predefined objects, where I could just drag and drop to achieve what I needed, although some objects were not too good, but some were effective. The metadata management feature of SAS Data Management helps a lot; creating your data marts or data lake with good naming conventions, library conventions, and so on is very important because it allows easy queries to find the whole structure, though I think metadata governance also depends on first definitions, not only on the tool. SAS Data Management is very good for data governance; for me, it was the best tool I worked with in data management, although I don't have too much experience with others, and it truly helped a lot.
Chris Farris - PeerSpot reviewer
Manager, Data Operations at a manufacturing company with 5,001-10,000 employees
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
BI Expert at a healthcare company with 1,001-5,000 employees
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
17%
Computer Software Company
8%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Insurance Company
7%
Financial Services Firm
26%
Government
9%
Computer Software Company
8%
Manufacturing Company
6%
Financial Services Firm
16%
Computer Software Company
9%
Government
8%
Manufacturing Company
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business15
Midsize Enterprise10
Large Enterprise73
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business7
Midsize Enterprise1
Large Enterprise8
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business27
Midsize Enterprise19
Large Enterprise57
 

Questions from the Community

How does Azure Data Factory compare with Informatica PowerCenter?
Azure Data Factory is flexible, modular, and works well. In terms of cost, it is not too pricey. It offers the stabil...
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 ...
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 is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SAS Data Management?
From my experience, SAS Data Management is an expensive tool.
What needs improvement with SAS Data Management?
There is significant room for improvement, especially with regard to using a hybrid approach that involves both CAS a...
What is your primary use case for SAS Data Management?
The main idea for using SAS Data Management was to bring all data inside SAS. I brought the finance area and the sale...
What do you like most about SSIS?
The product's deployment phase is easy.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SSIS?
Pricing is pretty reasonable, so I would rate it at a 5. However, it could be a bit cheaper.
What needs improvement with SSIS?
SSIS could be integrated with more services, such as Power BI, to make the reporting structures more user-friendly. T...
 

Also Known As

PowerCenter
SAS Data Management Platform, Data Management Platform, DataFlux
SQL Server Integration Services
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, LexisNexis, Rabobank
Data Management, 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Absa, Aegon, Allianz Global Corporate & SpecialtyAusgrid, Bank of Queensland, Bell, BMC Software, Canada Post, Ceska pojistovna, Chantecler, Chubb Group of Insurance Companies, Credit Guarantee Corporation, Cr_dito y Cauci‹n, Delaware State Police, Deutsche Lufthansa, Directorate of Economics and Statistics, DSM, Enerjisa, ERGO Insurance Group, Florida Department of Corrections, Generali Hellas, Gitanjali Group, Gloucestershire Constabulary, GS Home Shopping, HealthPartners, IAG New Zealand, iJET, Invacare, Livzon Pharmaceutical Group, Los Angeles County, Miami Herald Media Company, Netherlands Enterprise Agency, New Zealand Ministry of Health, Nippon Paper, North Carolina Office of Information Technology Services, Orlando Magic, OTP Group, PITT OHIO, Plano Independent School District, RWE Poland, Spanish Air Force, Stockholm County Council, Telus, The Travel Corporation, Transitions Optical, Triad Analytic Solutions, UNIQA, US Census Bureau, US Department of Housing and Urban Development, USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, West Midlands Police, XS Inc., Zenith Insurance
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, IBM and others in Data Integration. Updated: January 2026.
881,733 professionals have used our research since 2012.