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

Microsoft MDS vs Profisee 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:
 

Categories and Ranking

Microsoft MDS
Average Rating
7.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
23
Ranking in other categories
Master Data Management (MDM) Software (4th)
Profisee
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
8.4
Number of Reviews
5
Ranking in other categories
Cloud Master Data Management (MDM) (7th)
 

Mindshare comparison

While both are Data Integration and Access solutions, they serve different purposes. Microsoft MDS is designed for Master Data Management (MDM) Software and holds a mindshare of 6.9%, down 11.5% compared to last year.
Profisee, on the other hand, focuses on Cloud Master Data Management (MDM), holds 7.3% mindshare, down 9.3% since last year.
Master Data Management (MDM) Software Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Microsoft MDS6.9%
Semarchy xDM11.1%
SAP Master Data Governance9.4%
Other72.6%
Master Data Management (MDM) Software
Cloud Master Data Management (MDM) Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Profisee7.3%
Informatica Intelligent Data Management Cloud (IDMC)19.8%
Semarchy xDM13.9%
Other59.0%
Cloud Master Data Management (MDM)
 

Featured Reviews

AB
Senior Data Engineer at a insurance company with 5,001-10,000 employees
Outdated capabilities hinder data mapping efficiency but facilitate cost-free data standardization
Microsoft MDS is outdated and lacks modern capabilities. It is too slow and does not support automated mapping or AI-based functionalities. Although I created Python scripts for some machine learning libraries, we seek tools that offer AI-enabled automated mapping without custom coding. Microsoft support for MDS is also going away.
reviewer2584719 - PeerSpot reviewer
MDM Lead at a financial services firm with 5,001-10,000 employees
Unlocks efficient data mastering with custom interfaces and upcoming integrations
We use Profisee for mastering data between multiple systems like ERP and CRM within our company The product helps us by allowing us to bring data in from any system that we need, master it, and deliver clean records for data and analytics. Profisee's ability to master data using the Goldstein…

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"It has a very good feature called Excel plug-in. You just have to install the plug-in, and then it directly connects to the MDS instance where you can maintain and manage your data and publish it right through Excel. You don't need to go to the front end to make any changes. It has easy integration with SQL Server, and you can use SSIS to do the ETLs. It is a part of the Microsoft stack. It works with most of the Microsoft stuff."
"It has been a long-standing tool in our organization since it was free."
"What I like about Microsoft, is that it has a huge database with many users."
"It is very easy to deploy and provision a machine."
"Unlike specialized tools, MDS is adaptable for various industries, making it a versatile choice for master data management."
"Technical support is very good."
"The tool is easy to use."
"One of the main features I have found useful is the integration with Azure active directory."
"Profisee's customer service is very responsive, and they have a comprehensive training academy, Profisee Academy, that helps guide the implementation process."
"The most valuable features for ensuring data accuracy and quality are mappings and creating business rules."
"The process of categorizing data, creating glossaries, and generating metadata is streamlined and less time-consuming."
"We really like the matching and merging features."
"The product is able to utilize the SQL server toolkit and it has tight integration with the SQL server."
 

Cons

"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."
"Microsoft MDS isn't getting strong support because Microsoft is focusing more on cloud solutions."
"More generic related things can be included in the services."
"JMD repositories have records that come in thousands and millions, which takes a long time to process."
"I do not like using Silverlight and Internet Explorer. The new 2019 version gets rid of that, which is one of the reasons why we are looking to switch."
"The stability could be improved."
"The program's navigation tools could be improved."
"Microsoft MDS' language should be simple so everyone can use it easily."
"Some security complexities might add time to the setup."
"When we updated to version 7.1, there were some workflow issues."
"Profisee could improve in providing clearer data lineage information."
"The way training is laid out in their Profisee University, makes it really, really hard to find what you need fast."
"A more convenient approach would involve integrating all the pre-existing elements into Profisee itself."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"MDS is a part of the SQL Server enterprise license. I am not aware of any additional costs."
"With Microsoft, we buy everything though an agreement, so we purchase volume licensing every year."
"Microsoft MDS is an expensive solution."
"The pricing of this solution is good."
"SAP is more expensive than Microsoft."
"Product licensing is very complicated. It would be helpful to have an online calculator to estimate the cost of a license."
"I would like to see better pricing."
"The solution does require a license and we have enterprise licenses."
"We didn't come across any additional licensing fees."
"The pricing is moderate, falling in the middle range—not excessively low nor overly expensive."
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Master Data Management (MDM) Software solutions are best for your needs.
881,665 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Answers from the Community

RT
Information Architect at Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Feb 7, 2022
Feb 7, 2022
Hi @Richard Tibbetts, There's no short answer to your question. Nearly all existing MDM solutions on the market offer a broad range of patterns to ingest master data from various sources and distribute cleanse and consolidated information, also to the Azure stack. Many vendors offer prebuilt connectors for the most common sources (databases, various file types, storages, business applications i...
2 out of 3 answers
InitZero - PeerSpot reviewer
Enterprise MDM Architect / Solution Arch at Volvo Group
Jan 14, 2022
Hi @Richard Tibbetts, There's no short answer to your question. Nearly all existing MDM solutions on the market offer a broad range of patterns to ingest master data from various sources and distribute cleanse and consolidated information, also to the Azure stack. Many vendors offer prebuilt connectors for the most common sources (databases, various file types, storages, business applications including MS Dynamics, Salesforce, etc.), but also support a generic way of ingesting/exposing data via Rest APIs, file drops, etc. MS MDS is an extension of the MS SQL server 2016. I don't know Microsoft plans to extend it, but I know that Profisee and CluedIn are very active in promoting their solutions as-built having Azure in mind and being a part of the stack. Informatica MDM has three types of offerings these days: on-prem, hosted MDM, and cloud-native option - they differ in the functionality and integration options. Obviously, there are many more MDM tools on the market particularly good in various data domains (products, customers/suppliers - so yours, multi-domain, etc). I think that you should start your MDM journey by answering which current challenges you try to solve or what new capabilities you need to enable to the organisation. Once these questions are answered and based on your organization's Enterprise Architecture principles, look for the best fitting tool. It may (or may not) be the one that fits the best into the Azure Reference Architecture. I hope this helped.
GM
Data Architect at World Vision
Feb 4, 2022
I agree with @InitZero...  I would add that there's no future roadmap for MDS and they don't have an Azure solution for it.  Since it's a free product with an SQL license, don't expect Microsoft to invest in it.   Even though we are highly dependent upon it currently I'm starting to look towards the future where we need to find a replacement - hopefully, a PaaS solution. It would be great if Microsoft came out with something in Azure but I'm not hopeful at this point.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
13%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Computer Software Company
10%
Media Company
8%
Manufacturing Company
15%
Financial Services Firm
12%
Computer Software Company
8%
Healthcare Company
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business9
Midsize Enterprise2
Large Enterprise15
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

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 was pretty affordable. We implemented the solution without a problem.
What needs improvement with Microsoft MDS?
I cannot really give specifics about disadvantages. From what we have seen, speaking to customers, Microsoft MDS was sometimes a bit slow. The frustration they had was just around usability and use...
What do you like most about Profisee?
The most valuable features for ensuring data accuracy and quality are mappings and creating business rules.
What needs improvement with Profisee?
Profisee is making improvements for the year 2024, including integrating directly with other solutions.
 

Also Known As

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

Overview

 

Sample Customers

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
NASDAQ, Rockwell Automation, ITT Industries, EY (Ernst & Young), Domino's, L3 Communications, Anheuser Busch, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Ameriprise Financial, GSO Capital Partners
Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft MDS vs. Profisee and other solutions. Updated: July 2022.
881,665 professionals have used our research since 2012.