SAS Access vs SSIS comparison

SAS and Microsoft are both solutions in the Data Integration category. SAS is ranked #56, while Microsoft is ranked #3 with an average rating of 7.8. SAS holds a 0.3% mindshare in DI, compared to Microsoft’s 7.7% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of SAS users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 79% of Microsoft users who would recommend it.

SAS Access

Read 3 SAS Access reviews

273 Views
174 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

SSIS

Read 74 SSIS reviews

11,026 Views
7,140 Comparison Views

79% willing to recommend

SAS Access

SSIS

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 19, 2024

SAS Access and SSIS compete in the data integration space. SAS Access is favored for features, while SSIS is appealing for its comprehensive and integrated capabilities.

Features: SAS Access offers strong data integration capabilities, leveraging its strength in analytics and statistical modeling. It efficiently supports connectivity with a wide range of databases. SSIS provides seamless integration within Microsoft's ecosystem, offering robust ETL operations and extensive data transformation tools. It is a preferred choice for businesses using Microsoft's suite.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: SAS Access offers straightforward deployment with strong customer service support. SSIS benefits from Microsoft's extensive support network, with ample documentation and community resources. Deployment is facilitated by its integration with Windows environments, making it convenient for firms using Microsoft technologies.

Pricing and ROI: SAS Access typically incurs a higher upfront investment due to its analytical capabilities and compatibility. It offers significant ROI for companies relying on statistical work. SSIS is often more cost-effective for organizations already using SQL Server, with lower setup costs and faster ROI for those needing reliable ETL management.

To learn more, read our detailed SAS Access vs. SSIS Report (Updated: May 2025).

Buyer's Guide

SAS Access vs. SSIS

May 2025

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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

SAS Access

Ranking in Data Integration

56th

Average Rating

9.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

SSIS

Ranking in Data Integration

3rd

Average Rating

7.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2025, in the Data Integration category, the mindshare of SAS Access is 0.3%, up from 0.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SSIS is 7.7%, down from 7.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Data Integration

Featured Reviews

Robert Heck

Co Owner at Hecht und Heck GmbH

The solution is stable, scalable, and flexible

I rate the solution eight out of ten. The number of people required to maintain the solution is dependent on the other applications running. The solution in itself does not require a lot of maintenance. The solution is flexible and I recommend it when you have more complex applications with special requirements.

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Sean Achim

Managing Director at Knights Innovation Support Centre

Building impactful organizational KPIs with ease and precision

Stability is rated at 10. One other important aspect I appreciate is that SSAS is included in the base installation of SQL Server. Obviously, it requires installation, but it is readily available, which is a major strength. It's all about setting it up, configuring it, and then using it. If there are additional costs associated with it or separating it as a second product, that would be a disadvantage. The area of improvement is really in education. Microsoft is trying to push everything as a Power BI solution or trying to get people to solve the problems which are solved with SSAS in another space in Power BI, or in Power Pivot, is not enough. There's not enough marketing, conversation, and support around that space. As a result, we end up with people not understanding that you need to build your models correctly, and then they try to model everything inside of Power BI, or another visualization tool, without first building the data model. That leads people to consider alternate solutions because SAP and others argue that their whole thing is in memory, and they disseminate misleading information. Additionally, what would be very helpful is local user group developments, so getting people around the table and teaching them how to use it. That is the biggest problem; it's not the technology itself. The challenge lies in Microsoft withdrawing a lot of the qualifications and watering down its emphasis, leading to a perception that this is supposed to be an elite product.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The most valuable feature is you have native access to the external databases."

"The most valuable aspect of the solution is the ease of access to the data in those databases."

"The most valuable part of SAS/ACCESS is what it is made for: connecting to remote systems that are not part of your physical SAS environment."

"The most valuable feature of SSIS is its ease of use. It is easier to use than other applications."

"The workflow features have been very valuable. You can have automated workflows and all the steps are controlled. The workflow functionality of integration services is excellent."

"The initial setup of this solution is very straightforward."

"Overall, it's a good product."

"SSIS is easy to use."

"We can connect with multiple data sources easily using an external connector in SSIS."

"SSIS integrates well with SQL servers and Microsoft products."

"You can get data from any data source with SSIS and dump it to any outside source. It is helpful. Getting, extracting, converting, and dumping data doesn't require much effort because we can do everything in the user interface. You drag and drop, then give the required input. It's intuitive."

More SSIS pros

Cons

"I can't really recall any missing feature or general improvement that is needed. We don't really add too many new kinds of databases and therefore our needs are already met."

"The pricing model needs to be reconsidered and adjusted."

"The solution can provide access to the newer databases that come out sooner."

"It would be nice if you could run SSIS on other environments besides Windows."

"Microsoft's technical support has decreased in quality over the last few years, becoming less responsive and tending to pass problems on instead of solving them."

"SSIS has a difficult learning curve when dealing with complex transformations."

"The high prices attached to the product can be an area of concern where improvements are required."

"SSIS is cumbersome despite its drag-and-drop functionality. For example, let's say I have 50 tables with 30 columns. You need to set a data type for each column and table. That's around 1,500 objects. It gets unwieldy adding validation for every column. Previously, SSIS automatically detected the data type, but I think they removed this feature. It would automatically detect if it's an integer, primary key, or foreign key column. You had fewer problems building the model."

"Integration and the user interface are areas with certain shortcomings that require some improvements."

"Options for scaling could be improved."

"Tuning using this solution requires extensive expertise to improve performance."

More SSIS cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The solution's pricing and licensing are expensive."

"The pricing model is complex and is based on modular packages as well as the size of the applicable environment."

"It would be beneficial if the solution had a less costly cloud offering."

"My advice is to look at what your configuration will be because most companies have their own deals with Microsoft."

"Our license with SSIS is annual."

"People have to opt for a perpetual-based licensing model."

"Depending on the arrangement that a certain company has with Microsoft, it may supply the permanent license that is included in the SQL server license, or it may be a time-bound license if it is a partner license or other enterprise license."

"This solution is a free of charge addition to our SQL licence. However, the only way this tool can be utilized is as a feature of the SQL licence, which may make it unattractive to organizations who don't wish to purchase the wider-ranging licence."

"t's incredibly cost effective, easy to learn the basics quickly (although like all ETL tools requires the traditional learning curve to get good at) and has an immense user base."

"The solution comes free of cost."

More SSIS pricing and cost advice

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Comparison Review

it_user90069

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…

Read full review

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

27%

Computer Software Company

10%

Insurance Company

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

19%

Computer Software Company

12%

Government

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

Questions from the Community

Ask a question

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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 SSIS. The collection helps organizations boost productivity with code-free compo...

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What do you like most about SSIS?

The product's deployment phase is easy.

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SSIS?

Utilizing SSIS involves no extra charges beyond the SQL Server license. It's an economical choice for my clients.

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Comparisons

Teradata vs SAS Access

Compared 100% of the time

More SAS Access Competitors

Informatica PowerCenter vs SSIS

Compared 17% of the time

Talend Open Studio vs SSIS

Compared 11% of the time

Oracle Data Integrator (ODI) vs SSIS

Compared 7% of the time

IBM InfoSphere DataStage vs SSIS

Compared 7% of the time

dbt vs SSIS

Compared 6% of the time

More SSIS Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Data Integration

June 2025

Download SAS Access product report

Buyer's Guide

SSIS

May 2025

Download SSIS product report

Also Known As

SAS/Access

SQL Server Integration Services

Overview

SAS/ACCESS is an out-of-the-box solution for integrating SAS and third-party databases. You can read, write and update data regardless of the database or platform. Because the data appears native to SAS, there is no need to learn Structured Query Language (SQL) or any other database-specific query languages.

SAS

SSIS is a versatile tool for data integration tasks like ETL processes, data migration, and real-time data processing. Users appreciate its ease of use, data transformation tools, scheduling capabilities, and extensive connectivity options. It enhances productivity and efficiency within organizations by streamlining data-related processes and improving data quality and consistency.

Microsoft

Sample Customers

Los Angeles County, West Midlands Police, Credit Guarantee Corporation, Canada Post, Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty

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

Buyer's Guide

SAS Access vs. SSIS

May 2025

Free Report: SAS Access vs. SSIS

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