Databricks Reviews and Pricing

Prabhakar Bonam

Data Platform Architect at KELLANOVA

Apr 28, 2025

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Cloud platform enables advanced collaboration but new SAP data feature could enhance its capabilities

Pros and Cons

"Databricks has a Unified Catalog that assists with secured access and governance."

"The initial setup of Databricks could be complex."

What is our primary use case?

I am currently working as an IT architect. We have an AWS analytics platform, a cloud-based platform. We use Databricks for our AI/ML requirements and also the Databricks platform. For the past year, we have been using Databricks for our data scientist community to build their apps.

What is most valuable?

Databricks has a Unified Catalog that assists with secured access and governance. Additionally, serverless computing is crucial for our computing needs. Its collaboration features, such as data sharing capabilities, are also outstanding. Overall, the platform allows us to leverage cloud advantages effectively, enhancing our AI and ML projects.

What needs improvement?

I heard that a new feature is being developed for SAP that can bring SAP data directly into the platform for generating reports. This feature, if made publicly available, may act as a game-changer, considering many global organizations use SAP data for their ERP requirements.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using Databricks for one year.

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What was my experience with deployment of the solution?

We did not experience deployment issues as we have an internal database AWS cloud admin team. We worked directly with Databricks personnel to configure our requirements.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Although it is too early to definitively state the platform's stability, we have not encountered any issues so far. However, since we are still in the process of building much on the platform, we are still observing its stability.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Databricks is an easily scalable platform. It leverages the cloud advantage directly, and scalability is one of the great features of the cloud platform.

How are customer service and support?

We have a customer portal where we can raise issues. As of now, we are raising issues and they are providing solutions without any problems.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Neutral

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

Before Databricks, we were using the R Studio platform for our advanced analytics requirements. We switched to Databricks because it is an advanced platform compared to R Studio.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup of Databricks could be complex. We set it up with AWS as the backend. It's crucial to have both cloud-specific knowledge and how to configure its features in the platform.

What about the implementation team?

We have our internal database AWS cloud admin team. We did not use external integrators or consultants.

What was our ROI?

We haven't yet seen an ROI from this solution, as we are still using and observing the platform.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

There are some issues with pricing specific to our accounts, and Databricks is investigating. It is not a cheap solution.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We previously used R Studio before switching to Databricks.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend Databricks as an advanced analytics platform. It offers features to quickly pull data from various sources required for report generation. Overall, I rate this solution as seven or eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Amazon Web Services (AWS)

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.

Last updated: Apr 28, 2025