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Informatica PowerCenter Reviews

Vendor: Informatica
4.0 out of 5
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What is Informatica PowerCenter?

Informatica PowerCenter is a data integration and data visualization tool. The solution works as an enterprise data integration platform that helps organizations access, transform, and integrate data from various systems. The product is designed to support companies in the full cycle of a project, from its initial rollout to critical deployments. Informatica PowerCenter allows developers and analysts to collaborate while accelerating the work process to deploy projects within days instead of months.

Get the Informatica PowerCenter Buyer's Guide and find out what your peers are saying about Informatica PowerCenter, Informatica Intelligent Data Management Cloud (IDMC), Tableau and more!
Informatica PowerCenter is the #4 ranked solution in top Data Integration Tools and #9 ranked solution in top Data Visualization solutions. PeerSpot users give Informatica PowerCenter an average rating of 8.0 out of 10. Informatica PowerCenter is most commonly compared to Informatica Intelligent Data Management Cloud (IDMC): Informatica PowerCenter vs Informatica Intelligent Data Management Cloud (IDMC). Informatica PowerCenter is popular among the large enterprise segment, accounting for 72% of users researching this solution on PeerSpot. The top industry researching this solution are professionals from a financial services firm, accounting for 18% of all views.
Buyer's Guide
Informatica PowerCenter
April 2025
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Informatica PowerCenter mindshare

Product category:
Data Integration
As of June 2025, the mindshare of Informatica PowerCenter in the Data Integration category stands at 8.9%, down from 11.7% compared to the previous year, according to calculations based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Data Integration

PeerResearch reports based on Informatica PowerCenter reviews

TypeTitleDate
CategoryData IntegrationJun 2, 2025Download
ProductReviews, tips, and advice from real usersJun 2, 2025Download
ComparisonInformatica PowerCenter vs Azure Data FactoryJun 2, 2025Download
ComparisonInformatica PowerCenter vs Informatica Intelligent Data Management Cloud (IDMC)Jun 2, 2025Download
ComparisonInformatica PowerCenter vs SSISJun 2, 2025Download
Suggested products
TitleRatingMindshareRecommending
Informatica Intelligent Data Management Cloud (IDMC)4.04.3%93%185 interviewsAdd to research
Tableau4.2N/A89%306 interviewsAdd to research
 
 
Key learnings from peers

Valuable Features

Informatica PowerCenter is praised for handling large data volumes, providing security and performance. It supports business decisions by delivering timely information and integrates data from various sources. Its user-friendly interface enables quick learning and efficient ETL processes. Key features include automatic data mapping, debugging, scalable architecture, dynamic metadata reading, extensive transformation capabilities, real-time integration, and comprehensive data management tools. It integrates easily with multiple databases and supports cloud-based operations.
  • "My overall experience with Informatica PowerCenter is positive."
  • "Informatica PowerCenter provides multiple transformations in one particular toolset. You don't need to apply any coding."
  • "Error handling capability is quite good in Informatica PowerCenter because it provides a very detailed session log, which is really helpful to identify errors."

Room for Improvement

Informatica PowerCenter users express that it is expensive and requires SQL training for effective use. The interface is outdated, causing confusion among beginner developers, and needs enhancement for a more intuitive experience. Integration capabilities with cloud applications and API are limited. Performance issues arise with large data sets and high parallel processing. Licensing is costly and complicated. Stability and support have room for improvement, alongside scalability and real-time integration capabilities.
  • "Improvement is needed in terms of some new transformation because API integration and all those things are very critical nowadays."
  • "When I deal with very large amounts of data, there have been performance issues."
  • "The price of the product is an area of concern where improvements are required, considering the fact that the present licensing charges of the tool are expensive."

ROI

Informatica PowerCenter offers high value for money with flexibility and stability in managing diverse data. Users commend the tool for being worth the investment due to its quality. It becomes particularly advantageous when handling advanced, structured, and optimized information, especially for generating insightful reports. The investment is viewed positively, delivering significant benefits by providing excellent performance and enhancing decision-making processes. Quality purchases are seen as ultimately beneficial, reinforcing the value of Informatica PowerCenter.

Pricing

Informatica PowerCenter pricing is perceived as expensive but offers robust features for enterprise-level data management. Licensing is generally CPU and data source-based, with annual or per-version renewals. Costs can vary due to additional features or support, which is often recommended. While more costly than some competitors, users find the investment valuable for large-scale operations. Small to medium enterprises may find alternatives like Microsoft more suitable due to lower costs.
  • "I rate the product's price a ten on a scale of one to ten, where one is a low price, and ten is a high price."
  • "I rate the solution's pricing a four out of ten. The price is very high, and it doesn't understand the market now."
  • "Since the solution's cost is higher, I rate the pricing as a five out of ten."

Popular Use Cases

Informatica PowerCenter is primarily used for data integration and ETL. Users employ it to integrate and process data across diverse platforms, create data warehouses, execute master data management, and facilitate regulatory reporting. It supports hybrid-cloud environments and aids in transferring, transforming, and loading data for various industries including banking, insurance, and healthcare. It enables data cleansing, visualization, and business intelligence by connecting heterogeneous sources to reporting tools like Tableau and Power BI.

Service and Support

Users report varied experiences with Informatica PowerCenter's support. Many commend its professionalism, responsiveness, and assistance, rating it from satisfactory to excellent. Several users note improvements and appreciate the proactive approach and follow-ups. Others mention challenges such as delayed responses or complex issue handling requiring multiple escalations. Although some rely on online resources and documentation, many appreciate Informatica’s efforts. Customer service experiences are mixed, with ratings ranging from good to satisfactory.

Deployment

Informatica PowerCenter's initial setup varied in complexity based on expertise and project requirements. Many users found it straightforward, especially with detailed manuals and guidance. However, others noted challenges, especially in complex environments or with integrations like CRM or ERP. Setup times ranged from minutes to several days, and the need for knowledgeable developers was emphasized. Some found cloud deployments easier, while others encountered difficulties with Linux installations and multi-node clusters.

Scalability

Informatica PowerCenter can efficiently handle large data volumes with effective scalability features like partitioning and data optimization. Users cite ease of scaling, though costs increase with CPU demands. While some note limitations in scalability compared to cloud solutions, others highlight the tool's capacity to expand in various environments. Licensing plays a crucial role in scaling options. Due to its capability to manage high data loads, Informatica PowerCenter remains popular among diverse organizations.

Stability

Informatica PowerCenter is widely recognized for its stability, with numerous users reporting it as reliable and robust. Some users have encountered minor issues, often related to server connectivity or Java programming. Instances of slow performance have been mentioned, but no major hurdles. The tool is preferred due to its ability to handle large data sets efficiently and without frequent disruptions. Despite occasional needs for patches and updates, Informatica PowerCenter generally maintains consistent performance and reliability.
These insights are based on the in-depth reviews provided by peers to help you make a better buying decision.
Download our Informatica PowerCenter Buyer's Guide for additional reliable information.

Review data by company size

By reviewers
By visitors reading reviews

Top industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
18%
Computer Software Company
12%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Insurance Company
7%
Government
7%
Healthcare Company
6%
Retailer
4%
Energy/Utilities Company
3%
University
3%
Educational Organization
3%
Media Company
2%
Comms Service Provider
2%
Construction Company
2%
Real Estate/Law Firm
2%
Hospitality Company
2%
Non Profit
2%
Transportation Company
2%
Consumer Goods Company
1%
Legal Firm
1%
Pharma/Biotech Company
1%
Performing Arts
1%
Outsourcing Company
1%
Wholesaler/Distributor
1%
Recreational Facilities/Services Company
1%
Logistics Company
1%
Aerospace/Defense Firm
1%

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Learn more about Informatica PowerCenter

The Advanced edition of the product provides an additional real-time engine which allows companies to have always-on enterprise data integration. This ensures seamless collaboration and increment of data lineage visibility and impacts analysis.

The Premium edition of the solution offers an early warning system that detects unexpected behaviors or incorrect utilization of resources in the workflows and alerts companies in the case that these occur. This version of the product also offers automatic data validation, which ensures data accuracy and reduces testing time and expenditure of resources for by up to 90%.

Informatica PowerCenter Features

The product provides users with various features which allow them to execute data integration initiatives such as analytics, data warehousing, data governance, consolidation, and application migration. The features of the solution include:

  • Collaboration: Informatica PowerCenter offers role-based tools and processes which enable business self-service while benefiting from high-quality IT resources.

  • Automation: Through various automations and easy-to-use software, users can utilize graphical and codeless tools and initiate effective data integration without additional knowledge.

  • Scalability: The tool provides high scalability to users, which ensures seamless performance and minimum downtime. PowerCenter also has adaptive load balancing, pushdown optimization, and dynamic partitioning.

  • Monitoring: Through the extensive monitoring feature, the operations and governance of the solution are easily overseen by users. The tool also provides alerts that can prevent damage to the system.

  • Real-time data: Through real-time data, users can monitor applications and analytics, ensuring their efficient operation.

  • Prototyping: Informatica lets its users collaborate with information technology to prototype, profile, and validate results in a timely manner.

  • Connectivity: Users can access and integrate data from different types of sources through high-performance connectors.

  • Automated data validation testing: The product offers script-free automated and repeatable audit and validation of data.

  • Data transformation: This feature allows users to use comprehensive parsing of JSON, PDF, XML, Microsoft Office, and the Internet of Things (IoT) for non-relation data.

  • Cloud applications connectivity: The product allows for seamless connection to cloud application sources and targets.

Informatica PowerCenter Benefits

The benefits of using Informatica PowerCenter include:

  • The tool can work over a wide range of systems and platforms and also allows for lean integration.

  • It enhances the quality and speed of performance and optimizes the cost of the process for your organization.

  • PowerCenter supports multiple databases, including TPump, Parallel Transporter Fastload, and Teradata MLoad.

  • The tool is very easy to monitor and maintain, which simplifies the data integration process for companies.

  • The centralized error logging system allows users to locate errors in a timely manner and correct them.

  • The tool can convert data from an application to another format, as it serves as one of the most powerful data transformation solutions.

  • PowerCenter can also serve as middleware between two applications.

  • The solution offers both parallel processing and load balancing.

  • PowerCenter is a tool with a high level of security, which also minimizes essential administration activities.

  • The solution ensures the quality of information, as it does not allow invalid or unwanted data to be uploaded to the source.

Reviews from Real Users

Yahya T., a developer and architect at L'Oreal, says the product is stable, provides good support, and integrating it with other systems is very fast.

Mohamed E., a senior manager for Data management and data governance at a tech company, says PowerCenter is stable, mature, and offers flexibility in building the pipeline and has a drag-and-drop mode because it's GUI-based; technical support is brilliant.

Informatica PowerCenter was previously known as PowerCenter.

Informatica PowerCenter customers

University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, LexisNexis, Rabobank

Related questions

  • 54
Microsoft SSIS vs. Informatica PowerCenter - which solution has better features?
  • 205
What Is The Biggest Difference Between Informatica PowerCenter and Microsoft SSIS?
  • 23
How do you compare Informatica PowerCenter with IBM DataStage?
  • 44
Which Informatica product would you choose - PowerCenter or Cloud Data Integration?
  • 7
A recent review wrote that PowerCenter has room for improvement. Agree or Disagree?
  • 51
Which is better - SSIS or Informatica PowerCenter?
  • 18
How do you evaluate the pricing model of Informatica PowerCenter?
  • 4
How do you rate the public cloud support of PowerCenter?
  • 27
What are the most frequent use cases of Informatica PowerCenter?
  • 52
How does Azure Data Factory compare with Informatica PowerCenter?

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Data Integration
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Informatica PowerCenter reviews

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PC
Professor of Economics of Informatic at CMAYOR
Verified user of Informatica PowerCenter
Mar 3, 2025
Enables seamless integration of diverse data sources for effective analysis

Pros

"My overall experience with Informatica PowerCenter is positive."

What is our primary use case?

I use Informatica PowerCenter for data warehousing. I integrate information from multiple sources, including IBM and Oracle databases, into a uniform form for data warehousing. This ensures that the data is ready for analysis.

What is most valuable?

A significant feature of Informatica PowerCenter is its ability to integrate a wide range of data sources, such as those from IBM and Oracle, into a uniform form for processing in a data warehouse. This integration capability is beneficial for preparing data for analysis. The system supports real-time integration, which is essential for many of my tasks.
*Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Read full review (464 words)
Deepak Shiv - PeerSpot user
Resource Manager at Pyramid Consulting
Verified user of Informatica PowerCenter
Jun 4, 2024
Product version discussed: 10.5.1
Provides multiple transformations in one toolset and helpful when extracting data from multiple sources

Pros

"Error handling capability is quite good in Informatica PowerCenter because it provides a very detailed session log, which is really helpful to identify errors. "

Cons

"When I deal with very large amounts of data, there have been performance issues."

What is our primary use case?

Informatica PowerCenter is basically used for data integration and ETL processing. It extracts data from different heterogeneous sources and loads that data into different relational databases.

How has it helped my organization?

Error handling capability is quite good in Informatica PowerCenter because it provides a very detailed session log, which is really helpful to identify errors. 

In addition, there are KB articles published by Informatica that are really helpful. So, error handling and the KB articles provided by Informatica are very helpful. Even if you face any issues or errors, we can usually resolve them. 

If the error cannot be solved with Informatica PowerCenter, we can raise a case with Informatica, and their support team will help us address that issue. If it cannot be solved with that particular version, they will consider it and try to solve it with the next patch or hotfix.

AI Initiatives:

Our company also has organizational AI or machine learning initiatives. However, Informatica PowerCenter doesn't fit into AI-related things because it's an on-premise tool. It doesn't have a significant role in the field. 

It is just a small ETL on-premises tool. So basically, in the AI field, Informatica PowerCenter is not going to be that impactful. Informatica has launched IICS and IDMC (Informatica Data Management Cloud and Informatica Cloud), where their AI comes into the picture. But for Informatica PowerCenter, AI does not come into the picture at all.

*Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Read full review (806 words)
Buyer's Guide
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Find out what your peers are saying about Informatica PowerCenter. Updated April 2025
853,960 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Lars Borchers - PeerSpot user
Senior BI Backend Developer at ALD Automotive Portugal
Verified user of Informatica PowerCenter
Jul 7, 2023
Product version discussed: 10.5.3
A stable and reliable product that provides a variety of features for data integration

Pros

"The reliability of the product and the way of orchestration of different services is valuable to us."

Cons

"The solution must improve the integration with new services."

What is our primary use case?

We use the product for everything that's possible in data integration. We have a data warehouse, and we load each stage. We use the product for data exchange and API services. We also use it to load data into cloud platforms and generate Customer Letters.

What is most valuable?

The reliability of the product and the way of orchestration of different services is valuable to us. It is a very old tool, so it is a classic solution. Once someone is familiar with it, they would like to use it.

*Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Read full review (485 words)
YT
Developer, Architect at L'Oreal
Verified user of Informatica PowerCenter
Oct 12, 2022
Product version discussed: 10.4
Stable, provides good support, and integrating it with other systems is very fast, but its pricing is expensive

Pros

"What I like most about Informatica PowerCenter is that it's the best tool in the market for data integration. Currently, I work in L'Oréal, where a new system from SAP is used. Informatica PowerCenter integration with SAP is very, very fast and very, very simple, so you have the server flow from SAP, and through Informatica PowerCenter, you can ingest the data and make that data available for the business more quickly."

Cons

"What needs improvement in Informatica PowerCenter is the cloud experience because, nowadays, other companies, such as AWS, Azure, and Google, have more experience in the cloud. The pricing for Informatica PowerCenter on the cloud is also very expensive for customers, so some customers prefer open-source tools or lower-priced tools, such as Azure. From my point of view, Informatica must work on the pricing policy and review the policy on the cloud for Informatica PowerCenter or propose more tools with lower pricing. Clients want the automatic integration of Informatica PowerCenter with other tools. Currently, the integration process is manual, and you have to add other tools to facilitate the integration, especially with the DevOps methodology. You need scripts and tools for the integration, and you'll need to use other integration tools if you want automatic deployment for Informatica PowerCenter, so this is another area for improvement in the solution. What I'd like to see in the next release of the solution is for the integration with APIs to be simpler, because currently, the API integration feature of Informatica PowerCenter is very difficult. It's not intuitive. You have to facilitate API integration and the real-time streaming of messages in Kafka, for example, so that should be improved."

What is our primary use case?

We have several uses cases for Informatica PowerCenter. We ingest data from different sources, for example, from API or other databases. We also apply data transformations in almost all cases via Informatica PowerCenter, to aggregate the data. We also check the integrity of the data and improve the data quality by applying some rules. We specify and identify all the rules and the methodology to apply the rules. We also participate in rule setting, and also check the test cycles for businesses.

What is most valuable?

What I like most about Informatica PowerCenter is that it's the best tool in the market for data integration. Currently, I work in L'Oréal, where a new system from SAP is used. Informatica PowerCenter integration with SAP is very, very fast and very, very simple, so you have the server flow from SAP, and through Informatica PowerCenter, you can ingest the data and make that data available for the business more quickly.

*Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
Read full review (1119 words)
Novneet Jain - PeerSpot user
Data Integration Architect at InfoCepts
Verified user of Informatica PowerCenter
Jun 5, 2024
Helpful when extracting data from multiple sources, good error handling capabilities and beneficial for our data integration tasks

Pros

"Informatica PowerCenter provides multiple transformations in one particular toolset. You don't need to apply any coding. "

Cons

"Improvement is needed in terms of some new transformation because API integration and all those things are very critical nowadays. "

What is our primary use case?

Informatica PowerCenter is basically used for data integration and ETL processing, data extraction from different heterogeneous sources, and putting that data into different relational databases.

How has it helped my organization?

PowerCenter has proven to be the most beneficial for our data integration tasks. Informatica PowerCenter provides multiple transformations in one particular toolset. You don't need to apply any coding. 

Those transformations are the most valuable thing in Informatica PowerCenter, which helps to do the data integration part easily.

Error handling capability:

Error handling capability is quite good in Informatica PowerCenter because it provides a very detailed session log, which is really helpful to identify the errors. 

In addition, there are KB articles, which are published by Informatica, that are really helpful. Even if you face any issues or errors, we can resolve that issue. 

If the error is not at all possible to solve with Informatica PowerCenter, we can raise a case with Informatica, and their support team helps us to address that particular issue. If it is not possible to solve with that particular version, they consider it and try to solve it with the next patch or hotfix.

AI Capabilities:

Informatica PowerCenter doesn't fit into AI-related things because it's an on-premise tool, which doesn't have any significant role in the field. It is just an ETL on-premise tool. 

Basically, in the AI field, Informatica PowerCenter is not going to be that impactful. Informatica has launched IICS and IDMC (Informatica Data Management Cloud). Their AI comes into the picture there, but for Informatica PowerCenter, AI doesn't come into the picture at all.

*Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Integrator
Read full review (850 words)
HK
Developer and Team Lead at ZIM
Verified user of Informatica PowerCenter
Jan 31, 2024
A tool that offers great integration capabilities

Pros

"The product's initial setup phase is very easy."

Cons

"The price of the product is an area of concern where improvements are required, considering the fact that the present licensing charges of the tool are expensive."

What is our primary use case?

I use Informatica PowerCenter as the main integration tool in our organization.

How has it helped my organization?


*Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Read full review (673 words)
AS
Associate Manager at Accenture
Verified user of Informatica PowerCenter
Jul 12, 2023
An ETL tool for data warehouse purposes that needs to improve its unstructured data handling part

Pros

"Informatica PowerCenter has good user feedback. The developers can easily make mappings in the solution."

Cons

"Unstructured data handling is an important area with a shortcoming that needs improvement in the solution."

What is our primary use case?

Our company uses Informatica PowerCenter as an ETL tool for data warehouse purposes.

What is most valuable?

Informatica PowerCenter has good user feedback. The developers can easily make mappings in the solution.

*Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:
Read full review (417 words)
Ramesh SV - PeerSpot user
Senior Technical Lead / Practise Architecht at TEKsystems (ex Aston Carter)
Verified user of Informatica PowerCenter
Sep 14, 2022
Product version discussed: 10.4
Simple integration, beneficial data transformation, and user-friendly

Pros

"The most valuable feature of Informatica PowerCenter is data transformation and user-friendliness."

Cons

"Informatica PowerCenter could improve the data threshold for large sets of data. Additionally, they should add real-time integration."

What is our primary use case?

I am using Informatica PowerCenter as a data integration tool, and for standardization and validations.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature of Informatica PowerCenter is data transformation and user-friendliness.

*Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
Read full review (335 words)