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Anand Sharma - PeerSpot reviewer
Sr Data Engineer at PIMCO
Real User
Supports several coding languages, good performance, and facilitates team collaboration
Pros and Cons
  • "The load distribution capabilities are good, and you can perform data processing tasks very quickly."
  • "In the future, I would like to see Data Lake support. That is something that I'm looking forward to."

What is our primary use case?

Our primary use case is ETL.

How has it helped my organization?

Using Databricks enables us to use the Data Mesh methodology, where every team performs their own ETL.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature is the versatility of the ecosystem. You can write code in SQL, Python, or Java.

The load distribution capabilities are good, and you can perform data processing tasks very quickly.

You can save and share notebooks between different teams.

The interface is easy to use.

What needs improvement?

The cost of this solution is high, on the expensive side.

In the future, I would like to see Data Lake support. That is something that I'm looking forward to.

Buyer's Guide
Databricks
June 2025
Learn what your peers think about Databricks. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: June 2025.
856,873 professionals have used our research since 2012.

For how long have I used the solution?

I worked with Databricks for approximately two years in my previous company.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

This is a very scalable solution. We have twenty-five data engineers that use it, and we may grow our usage.

How are customer service and support?

The technical support is okay. I would rate them a seven out of ten.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Neutral

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

We did not use another similar solution prior to Databricks.

How was the initial setup?

The cloud-based deployment is simple.

If you use an on-premises deployment then there is more to do.

What about the implementation team?

We deployed it with our in-house team.

There is no maintenance required.

What was our ROI?

We have seen a return on our investment with Databricks.

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

Price-wise, I would rate Databricks a three out of five.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

When we looked into Databricks, we evaluated Azure Data Factory and some of the others on the market. We found that Databricks was one of the easiest ones to use.

What other advice do I have?

My advice for anybody that is looking into Databricks is not to use the on-premises deployment. Instead, use the cloud-based setup.

In summary, this is a good product.

I would rate this solution an 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?

Microsoft Azure
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Engineering Department Head at Bosch
Real User
Top 10
Helps users with data processing and analytics
Pros and Cons
  • "The tool helps with data processing and analytics with large-scale data or big data since it is associated with managing data at a large scale."
  • "The biggest problem associated with the product is that it is quite pricey."

What is our primary use case?

I use Databricks to manage the setting up of data lakes for SaaS.

What needs improvement?

The biggest problem associated with the product is that it is quite pricey. We cannot find a better solution than Databricks in the market currently.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Databricks for a year.

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

It is an expensive tool. The licensing model is a pay-as-you-go one.

What other advice do I have?

The tool helps with data processing and analytics with large-scale data or big data since it is associated with managing data at a large scale.

For my general use cases, I would say that I am not a technical person, so I cannot explain to you how the tool helps with the area of data engineering tasks.

There is another team in my company that is involved in the use of machine learning and AI features in Databricks. My team is mostly into operations. The tool is used in a multi-country project.

For example, in my company, they make some shopping decisions related to solutions based on what is the product chosen by the whole company.

I rate the tool an eight out of ten.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Databricks
June 2025
Learn what your peers think about Databricks. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: June 2025.
856,873 professionals have used our research since 2012.
DevSmita Asthana - PeerSpot reviewer
Strategic Alliances& Ecosystems Manager at a outsourcing company with 501-1,000 employees
MSP
Top 10
Helps to have a good data presence but needs to incorporate learning aspects
Pros and Cons
  • "Databricks has helped us have a good presence in data."
  • "The product should incorporate more learning aspects. It needs to have a free trial version that the team can practice."

What is our primary use case?

The product has helped in data fabrication. 

How has it helped my organization?

Databricks has helped us have a good presence in data. 

What needs improvement?

The product should incorporate more learning aspects. It needs to have a free trial version that the team can practice. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the product for more than six months. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I rate Databricks' an eight out of ten. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I rate the tool's scalability an eight out of ten. 

How was the initial setup?

The transition to Databricks was smooth. 

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

Databricks' price is high. 

What other advice do I have?

I rate the solution a nine out of ten. 

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:
PeerSpot user
Sahil Taneja - PeerSpot reviewer
Principal Consultant/Manager at Tenzing
Real User
Processes tremendous data easily
Pros and Cons
  • "The processing capacity is tremendous in the database."
  • "There is room for improvement in the documentation of processes and how it works."

What is our primary use case?

Our primary use case is in our project; we are dealing with Duo Special Data, where we need a lot of computing resources. Here, the traditional warehouse cannot handle the amount of data we are using, and this is where Databricks comes into the picture. 

What is most valuable?

The processing capacity is tremendous in the database. We are dealing with Azure as storage, so we have not faced any challenges. And also the connectors to different data sources. Moreover, it is not a language-dependent tool. Therefore, development also takes place faster. It is one of the best features of Databricks.

What needs improvement?

There is room for improvement in the documentation of processes and how it works. I was trying to get one of the certifications, so I saw an area of improvement there. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Databricks for eight to nine months.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is a stable product for us. We didn't see any challenges. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

There are around 30 to 35 users in our organization. 

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was easy because the third-party team made the clusters for us. 

What about the implementation team?

A third-party team enabled the cluster to make the setup easy for us. 

What other advice do I have?

I would advise using it based on the use case because it easily handles big data. It is your go-to tool if you are dealing with massive data. 

Overall, I would rate the solution a nine out of ten. The tool performs well in various use cases, availability of documentation online, and compatibility with big data systems like GCP, Azure, or AWS.

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?

Microsoft Azure
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Tajinder_Singh - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Software Engineer at a computer software company with 201-500 employees
Real User
Leaderboard
Valuable data analysis and engineering features with an easy setup
Pros and Cons
  • "The setup is quite easy."
  • "Can be improved by including drag-and-drop features."

What is our primary use case?

Our primary use case for the solution is data analysis by providing a Spark cluster environment with a driver to analyze a huge amount of data and gigabytes of data and can create Notebooks in Databricks. We can write SQL commands, Python code, Scala, or Spark with Python. With Databricks, we get a cluster hosted in the public cloud and we adjust it based on how much we use it.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable features are data engineering and data science because we can create Notebooks on them. We can use any Python library to build data science models, or we can use libraries like Seaborn or Matplotlib to create charts based on data for data analysis. It is a really valuable capability.

What needs improvement?

Microsoft Azure has its learning environment on the Microsoft website. We can complete certifications, but the Databricks certification is more expensive than Microsoft. It costs between $2,000 and $2,500, and the knowledge is linked. They're also charged based on whether a person doesn't want to analyze large amounts of data. Hence, we want to have the capacity for free student users so that people can learn and build their professional skills.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using the solution for approximately one year.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is stable. Microsoft offers a public service, and we can get it from the Databricks website. Additionally, many companies use it to analyze their data or create a Spark cluster to run Python or SQL scripts based on their data. I rate the stability a nine out of ten.

How was the initial setup?

The setup is quite easy, and Databricks has also partnered with Microsoft, so we get this service on Microsoft Azure.

What was our ROI?

We have seen a return on investment.

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

We have a pay-as-you-go subscription and pay for it based on our usage.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We chose this solution because my company uses Microsoft Azure for a project, and my role as a data engineer primarily focuses on data-related services. For storing data, we use Data Lake; similarly, for the data processing engine, we use Spark, which Databricks provides.

What other advice do I have?

I rate the solution an eight out of ten. The solution is good but can be improved by including drag-and-drop features because it can be helpful for users who are unfamiliar with coding. I advise new users to have prior experience with Python or SQL before utilizing this solution if they use it for data science or model building. 

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
reviewer2041779 - PeerSpot reviewer
Principal at a computer software company with 5,001-10,000 employees
Real User
Has advanced modeling and machine-learning features; highly scalable, with no stability issues
Pros and Cons
  • "What I like about Databricks is that it's one of the most popular platforms that give access to folks who are trying not just to do exploratory work on the data but also go ahead and build advanced modeling and machine learning on top of that."
  • "I have had some issues with some of the Spark clusters running on Databricks, where the Spark runtime and clusters go up and down, which is an area for improvement."

What is our primary use case?

I've worked with Databricks primarily in the pharmaceuticals and life sciences space, which means a lot of work on patient-level data and the predictive analytics around that.

Another use case for Databricks is in the manufacturing industry. I'm a consultant, so the use cases for the product vary, but my primary use case for it is in the pharma space.

What is most valuable?

From a data science and applied analytics perspective, what I like about Databricks is that it's probably one of the most popular platforms that give access to folks who are trying not just to do exploratory work on the data but also go ahead and build advanced modeling and machine learning on top of that, and then go ahead and make that available for dissemination of insights. For example, you can save all data and build out endpoints, so business analysts and users can access that data through a dashboard.

During the process, I also like that Databricks allows you to do portion control to keep track of your operations on the data and maintain that lineage to create reproducible results. 

The most significant Databricks advantage is that you can do everything within the platform. You don't need to exit the platform because it's a one-stop shop that can help you do all processes.

The solution is top-notch from a data science, applied ML, or advanced analytics perspective.

What needs improvement?

I have had some issues with some of the Spark clusters running on Databricks, where the Spark runtime and clusters go up and down, which is an area for improvement. Still, I am generally unaware of any super-critical issues.

For how long have I used the solution?

My experience with Databricks is two and a half years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Databricks stability is an eight out of ten because I never had issues with its stability.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Databricks has high scalability. Most of my work on the solution has been in the pharma space, which has massive data sets, so it's a nine out of ten, scalability-wise.

How are customer service and support?

I've never dealt with the Databricks technical support team.

How was the initial setup?

I don't have experience setting up Databricks because that's generally taken care of by the IT, data, or software engineering team before the data science team comes in and starts leveraging the platform. I have yet to experience setting up the Databricks environment personally. However, I have had experience setting up clusters, which was pretty straightforward. Still, in the overall environment of an enterprise-wide system, I have yet to gain experience setting Databricks up.

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

The cost for Databricks depends on the use case. I work on it as a consultant, so I'm using the client's Databricks, so it depends on how big the client is. If it's a global organization, that cost varies versus a smaller organization that has just adopted the platform and is trying to onboard a small team of five people. It depends.

What other advice do I have?

I'm a data scientist, so I frequently use Databricks and Domino Data Science Platform.

I'm a consultant, so every client has a different version or a different runtime in Databricks, so the versions used would vary per client.

The deployment for the solution is on the cloud, predominantly on AWS or Azure.

My clients adopted Databricks as the platform of choice, and with different use cases and more teams coming on board, the usage of Databricks will increase. I don't see that going down. It can only go up.

My advice to anyone looking into implementing Databricks is that it should be one of your top choices, especially if you're looking to focus on data processing, standard ETL operations, advanced analytics, or the ML type of work.

I'd rate the solution as nine out of ten. It checks almost all the boxes that modern applications need to have.

My organization is an active partner and implementer of Databricks, but it doesn't resell the solution.

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: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
Lead Data Scientist at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
A great solution that has allowed for collaboration within our organization
Pros and Cons
  • "We have the ability to scale, collaborate and do machine learning."
  • "The product cannot be integrated with a popular coding IDE."

What is our primary use case?

Our primary use case for this solution is research for data scientists. The solution is deployed on cloud.

How has it helped my organization?

It has allowed our data engineers, data scientists, and analysts to collaborate and work on the same platform. 

What is most valuable?

We have the ability to scale, collaborate and do machine learning.

What needs improvement?

The product cannot be integrated with a popular coding IDE.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using this solution for approximately three years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is scalable. There are five people using it in our organization.

How are customer service and support?

I rate my experience with customer service and support an eight out of ten.

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

We previously used H2O.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was straightforward.

What about the implementation team?

Implementation was done in-house.

What was our ROI?

We have seen a return on investments.

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

Licensing costs are charged on a yearly basis and costs between 25,000 and 30,000.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We evaluated other options but this solution was the best fit for what we required.

What other advice do I have?

I rate this solution nine out of ten. The solution is good but can be improved by integrating with a popular coding IDE.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
STI Data Leader at grupo gtd
Real User
Easy to use with a free community version and helpful documentation
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution offers a free community version."
  • "We'd like a more visual dashboard for analysis It needs better UI."

What is most valuable?

I like the simplicity and ease of use. 

You can deploy the solution to many clouds easily. 

The initial setup is straightforward.

The solution offers a free community version.

What needs improvement?

The auto models can be improved. 

We can create auto models like Microsoft Azure Machine Learning. In Azure Machine Learning, they have these features, for example, for auto models or code, or by code. They need this in Databricks. 

We need more connectors between on-premises and the cloud. 

We'd like a more visual dashboard for analysis It needs better UI. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I've used the solution for one and a half months. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is very stable. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Scalability is no problem. At the beginning, we created a cluster, for example, and if we need more performance in the future, for example, or to accelerate the training, we can change the cluster. It's quite straightforward. 

We have five people using the solution. 

In one or two years, we'd like to promote the solution to clients and increase usage. Right now, the way it is used is limited. I know that some banks and aeronautics companies use it.

How are customer service and support?

In terms of technical support, for now, we use the community. 

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

We are also aware of KNIME, Azure Machine Learning, and Anaconda. In Anaconda, we use many frameworks, for example.

We started with other platforms, like Azure Machine Learning due to the fact that, with AutoML, it's easy to use. However, now that we have more skills, we need other tools or platforms like Databricks. It's a good platform to deploy and develop machine learning in employees.

How was the initial setup?

The implementation is quite easy. It's not complex or difficult. The first time, I did it using a tutorial which was quite helpful. Later, I took a course. I know it quite well. 

The deployment only takes a few days. 

You only need to deploy or maintain the solution. 

What about the implementation team?

We did not need any outside assistance in terms of setting up the solution. 

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

For us, this product is free. We use the community version.

I am interested in using the enterprise version, however. Whether we use it or not depends on the projects and customers we get.

What other advice do I have?

I work with a solution provider. We are a Databrick customer.

We are not partners of Databricks. Only we are partnered with Microsoft Azure and Amazon AWS.

We are using the latest version of the solution. However, I do not know the exact version number. 

I still need time with the solution before providing advice to others. I need to prepare the capacity internally. So far, it's been great.

I'd rate the solution eight out of ten. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Databricks Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: June 2025
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Databricks Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.