Quest Data Intelligence vs SAP Information Steward comparison

Why PeerSpot?

Quest Software and SAP are both solutions in the Metadata Management category. Quest Software is ranked #7 with an average rating of 8.0, while SAP is ranked #12. Quest Software holds a 7.6% mindshare in MM, compared to SAP’s 3.2% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Quest Software users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of SAP users who would recommend it.

Quest Data Intelligence

Read 22 Quest Data Intelligence reviews

7,045 Views
2,959 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

SAP Information Steward

Read 9 SAP Information Steward reviews

2,503 Views
1,026 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Quest Data Intelligence

SAP Information Steward

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jul 16, 2026

SAP Information Steward and erwin Data Intelligence compete in the data governance tools category. While SAP excels in structured data management, erwin has the upper hand with its broader data governance capabilities.

Features: SAP Information Steward offers metadata management, data profiling, and integration within the SAP ecosystem. erwin Data Intelligence provides lineage and impact analysis, a broad governance framework, and reporting capabilities.

Room for Improvement: SAP Information Steward could improve in non-SAP integrations, user interface, and cost reduction. erwin Data Intelligence needs enhancements in integration flexibility, UI simplicity for non-tech users, and deployment efficiency.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: SAP Information Steward facilitates rapid integration within SAP environments. However, erwin Data Intelligence adapts to varied IT ecosystems, with comprehensive customer support for broader deployments.

Pricing and ROI: SAP Information Steward involves higher initial costs for full SAP integration, catering to SAP system users. erwin Data Intelligence may have higher licensing costs but provides strong ROI with extensive functionality and long-term value.

To learn more, read our detailed Quest Data Intelligence vs. SAP Information Steward Report (Updated: September 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Quest Data Intelligence vs. SAP Information Steward

September 2026

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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

Quest Data Intelligence

Ranking in Metadata Management

7th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Data Governance (15th), AI Governance (2nd)

SAP Information Steward

Ranking in Metadata Management

12th

Average Rating

7.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Data Quality (21st)

Mindshare comparison

As of November 2026, in the Metadata Management category, the mindshare of Quest Data Intelligence is 7.6%, up from 6.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SAP Information Steward is 3.2%, up from 2.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Metadata Management Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Quest Data Intelligence	7.6%
SAP Information Steward	3.2%
Other	89.2%

Metadata Management

Featured Reviews

Jog Raj

Senior Consultant at a computer software company with 11-50 employees

Automated lineage and business glossaries have improved data understanding and collaboration

I am open to answering a few questions about erwin Data Intelligence and sharing my opinion about the product. Regarding the analytic part of the product, I find it very interesting that erwin Data Intelligence has its own inbuilt reporting toolset, with a new version coming out in January that will be AI-powered. This means you will be able to write analytical reports and questions based on the metadata and data lineage, making it more powerful than the current version, as AI will assist in creating those reports and performing analysis on the metadata. I find that the time taken to realize value from erwin Data Intelligence can be quite long. Creating a data catalog and developing data lineage takes significant time, and I expect that AI will help accelerate the process of creating data products by streamlining the steps involved. I can recommend erwin Data Intelligence to other users. I would rate this review as an eight out of ten overall.

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FranciscoSantos

Director at Pixel Studio PTY

Provides accurate data that is validated against a personalized reference tool

For most SAP customers, Information Steward is enough because it is able to build quality data rules to detect issues in the source systems like SAP HANA, Business Warehouse, or other systems. A business user can first organize their data into several data domains. For example, procurement, human resources, and logistics setup. The domains can build data quality dimensions where you can describe the kind of rule that you are going to use. The user then can immediately see if something is wrong with their data using traffic lights. Another great feature of SAP Information Steward is the accuracy that the content is followed by validating against the reference tool. With the solution, you are creating data quality dimensions. Within these dimensions, you are creating business data quality rules that are looking for specific fields. From these rules, you can create a scorecard. The scorecard will highlight the percentage of good data and ensure the user can feel confident that the data is accurate within predetermined limits. SAP tables have field names that are very cryptic, making them hard to understand the meaning of the fields. Metapedia helps describe these fields in business terms.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Data Intelligence allows us to automate multiple tasks we had previously done manually, such as restructuring the metadata for our purposes, setting up ETL flows, and defining the data tables we create. It also enables us to standardize our approach and our technical processes."

"I can estimate that we lowered our time to market by 70 percent right now using these automation scripts, which is a really big thing."

"The client is thrilled with higher quality, lower-cost products, and the services."

"There is a wide range of widgets that enables the user to find the proper information quickly. The presentation of information is something very valuable."

"Mind map... is a really good feature because it is very helpful in seeing which column's tables are related. Also, you can flag them with "sensitive data" and other indicators. You can also customize your own features for the mind map. That was another very robust feature."

"The data mapping manager is the most valuable feature."

"The solution saves time in data discovery and understanding our entire organization's data."

"The main benefits end users receive from erwin Data Intelligence include saving time and money while streamlining processes."

More Quest Data Intelligence pros

"The most valuable features are data quality insight, metadata management, and metadata dictionary."

"Setup is straightforward."

"The ability to analyze the data even before we start the transformation of it, and generating the user-friendly interface, giving analytical reports, and helping create the transformation rules before we proceed with the data migration part was the most helpful part of the solution for our company."

"Data integration is much easier with Information Steward - irrespective of the data sources, integration is very smooth and easy."

"I am very happy with the product."

"The product has improved company efficiency because we're able to categorize the need for user access at the folder level across storage enterprise wide."

"The solution is user-friendly even for those who are dealing with it for the first time."

"Data insight is the most valuable feature."

More SAP Information Steward pros

Cons

"There is room for improvement in automation, no question."

"Really huge datasets, where the logical names or the lexicons weren't groomed or maintained well, were the only area where it really had room for improvement. A huge data set would cause erwin to crash. If there were half a million or 1 million tables, erwin would hang."

"Another area where it can improve is by having BB-Graph-type databases where relationship discovery and relationship identification are much easier."

"The SDK behind this entire product needs improvement. The company really should focus more on this because we were finding some inconsistencies on the LDK level. Everything worked fine from the UI perspective, but when we started doing some deep automation scripts going through multiple API calls inside the tool, then only some pieces of it work or it would not return the exact data it was supposed to do."

"There are always ways to improve things. For example, we can use AI to be able to find out something. When we are typing something, if we don't know the exact term, Artificial Intelligence would be useful to find terms that are phonetically or syntactically similar. Instead of having to type in the exact name, they can provide those in the list. So, they can provide AI support for the search because when you have thousands and thousands of terms, it is hard to remember all the names."

"I find that the time taken to realize value from erwin Data Intelligence can be quite long."

"The fact that I sometimes have to go in and out of different applications, even though it's all part of the whole erwin suite, perhaps means it could be architected a little bit better. I think they do have some ideas for improvements there."

"There may be some opportunities for improvement in terms of the user interface to make it a little bit more intuitive."

More Quest Data Intelligence cons

"Needs to be more powerful on rules."

"In some cases they have given extraneous or erroneous information, which is completely useless."

"Granularity could be reduced from an application level to the object level."

"A problem with the solution is that it does not allow us to review the results of Information Stewards for other analogies."

"SAP is a bit pricey, and better tools are available for a lower price."

"The solution could improve by incorporating other applications, such as Power BI to show more visualization. More interaction with other solutions would be a good benefit."

"From a performance perspective, sometimes it behaves weirdly. When we are connecting with the file-based system, it doesn't give us the correct results, or it somehow shows us there is this issue with the data or the file connectivity."

"The user experience of metapedia could be improved."

More SAP Information Steward cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The price is reasonable and competitive. When you get into forward and reverse-engineering, the cost could go up. However, if you are a large organization, you would probably be able to access different packages. If, however, you don't need forward and reverse-engineering, then the price is relatively cheap."

"The whole suite, not just the DI but the modeling software, the harvester, Mapping Manager — everything we have — is about $100,000 a year for our renewals. That works out to each module being something like $8,000 to $10,000."

"erwin was at a good price. The federal government wouldn't buy something if the pricing wasn't good."

"The price is reasonable, and a subscription is required."

"There is an additional fee for the server maintenance."

"The licensing cost was very affordable at the time of purchase. It has since been taken over by erwin, then Quest. The tool has gotten a bit more costly, but they are adding more features very quickly."

"erwin's pricing was cheaper than its competitors."

"erwin is cheaper than other solutions and this should appeal to other buyers. It has a good price tag."

More Quest Data Intelligence pricing and cost advice

"Smaller-sized organizations may not be able to invest in SAP Information Steward because of the cost."

"I do not know if there were additional costs beyond the standard licensing fees."

"A bit pricey, and better tools are available for a lower price."

"SAP Information Steward is an expensive solution compared to others."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

14%

Outsourcing Company

10%

Government

Construction Company

Manufacturing Company

17%

Government

10%

Outsourcing Company

10%

Comms Service Provider

10%

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	3
Midsize Enterprise	4
Large Enterprise	16

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	1
Large Enterprise	7

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with erwin Data Intelligence by Quest?

In my opinion, the analytics part of erwin Data Intelligence is not satisfactory. The name 'Intelligence' is not related specifically to analytics; it is focused on data governance with no advanced...

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What is your primary use case for erwin Data Intelligence by Quest?

My main use case for erwin Data Intelligence is applying it and the DQ Labs in a financial institution.

See all answers

What advice do you have for others considering erwin Data Intelligence by Quest?

The integration of business glossaries has significantly helped improve collaboration in our organization. We define the business glossaries first during meetings with the business, and then we bul...

See all answers

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Compared 12% of the time

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Compared 12% of the time

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Compared 11% of the time

Oracle Enterprise Data Quality (EDQ) vs SAP Information Steward

Compared 8% of the time

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Compared 6% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Quest Data Intelligence

October 2026

Download Quest Data Intelligence product report

Buyer's Guide

SAP Information Steward

October 2026

Download SAP Information Steward product report

Also Known As

erwin DG, erwin Data Governance, erwin Data Catalog

Information Steward, SAP Data Insight

Overview

erwin Data Intelligence is a comprehensive platform for metadata management, data cataloging, and governance. It enables organizations to gain insights, improve traceability, and streamline compliance through its advanced features.

Focusing on data lineage, metadata repositories, and seamless integrations, erwin Data Intelligence provides a unified perspective of enterprise data. Its robust capabilities include Smart Data Connectors for automation, efficient data visualization with mind maps, and adaptable metadata properties. While the platform integrates well into existing systems, areas for improvement include automation, SDK inconsistencies, and the need for better data quality assessments. Use cases highlight its importance in enhancing business data models and regulatory compliance.

What are the key features of erwin Data Intelligence?

Single Source of Truth: Centralizes data for consistent information across the organization.
Smart Data Connectors: Automate connections to data sources, enhancing efficiency.
Data Lineage: Tracks data pathways for better traceability and understanding.
Business Glossaries: Enables clear definitions and shared vocabulary for all users.
Metadata Management: Streamlines metadata organization and retrieval.
Impact Analysis: Assesses implications of data changes rapidly and accurately.

What benefits should users look for in reviews?

Enhanced Efficiency: Automation scripts reduce manual processes and increase productivity.
Improved Data Visualization: Mind maps facilitate an intuitive understanding of complex data.
Customizable Properties: Adapt metadata attributes to fit specific organizational requirements.
Unified View: Offers a comprehensive perspective of data governance practices.

Industries implementing erwin Data Intelligence often focus on mapping data sources and integrating governance with ETL tools. This supports comprehensive data management strategies, enabling business teams to better locate, understand, and utilize data effectively. Its application in metadata management and automated reporting is particularly valuable in sectors requiring stringent regulatory compliance.

Quest Software

SAP Information Steward offers data quality insights, metadata management, and data validation scorecards, ensuring accurate data validation through scorecards and dashboards, making it user-friendly and efficient for businesses seeking clarity and effective data profiling.

SAP Information Steward provides a comprehensive approach to managing data quality and governance. It is designed to simplify deployment and streamline data profiling and cleansing with ease. Businesses leverage its capabilities to create data quality rules and detect issues in source systems, enhancing business clarity and accurate data validation. Centralizing cloud data and offering business-friendly metadata descriptions with Metapedia, it supports better metadata management and data profiling. However, it requires improvements in data export capabilities, integration for data manipulation, data filtering features, and enhanced support responsiveness.

What are the key features of SAP Information Steward?

Data Quality Insight: Provides tools for insightful data quality assessments.
Metadata Management: Allows centralized management of metadata through Metapedia.
Scorecard for Data Validation: Offers intuitive scorecards and dashboards for validating data accuracy.
Data Profiling and Cleansing: Facilitates effective profiling and cleansing processes.
Cloud Data Centralization: Centralizes cloud data for effective management.

What benefits and ROI should users look for?

Ease of Deployment: Simplifies the integration into existing systems ensuring swift usage.
User-friendly Interface: Enhances usability for efficient operations.
Accurate Data Validation: Improves the accuracy of business data.
Comprehensive Metadata Descriptions: Offers detailed business-friendly descriptions.
Integrated Data Profiling: Enhances the quality and accuracy of data management.

Industries implement SAP Information Steward widely, notably in global enterprises for S/4HANA business processes and historical reporting, prioritizing data profiling, data quality assessments, and business rules for managing customer information and transformations. Its Metapedia component supports data governance initiatives within these businesses.

SAP

Sample Customers

Oracle, Infosys, GSK, Toyota Motor Sales, HSBC

American Water, Graphic Packaging International, OSRAM Licht AG, Maxim Integrated

Buyer's Guide

Quest Data Intelligence vs. SAP Information Steward

September 2026

Free Report: Quest Data Intelligence vs. SAP Information Steward

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