We primarily use this solution for source analytics and procurement.
Project Manager at a tech services company with 5,001-10,000 employees
Good analytics and integration with Power BI, but the ETL capability is far behind other products
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable feature of the solution is the analytics and that it can connect with Power BI."
- "I would like my team to be able to build pipelines that integrate with the Azure Data Factory."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature of the solution is the analytics and that it can connect with Power BI. I found it quite interesting and very compelling in terms of detail within a single stack.
What needs improvement?
I would like my team to be able to build pipelines that integrate with the Azure Data Factory. Some of the best-in-class ETL products that are available in the market, such as Informatica ETL, are far more mature than this solution.
For how long have I used the solution?
We started implementing projects with Microsoft Azure SQL Data Warehouse about six months ago.
Buyer's Guide
Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics
August 2025

Learn what your peers think about Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: August 2025.
865,140 professionals have used our research since 2012.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
This is a stable product.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Scalability is good and we haven't had any issues.
We have approximately 150 users. We are stable at the moment but we will expand our usage as we get more data.
How are customer service and support?
We have contacted Microsoft support twice, but I do not have much experience with them.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
In addition to Azure SQL Data Warehouse, we work with the version that is on-premises.
We are also working with Oracle Data Warehouse and we plan to continue using both of these solutions.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward.
What about the implementation team?
We implement this solution for our customers.
What other advice do I have?
If you are using Microsoft products, such as Office 365, then this solution is good because it can take the data from multiple sources.
This is a good product, but when you compare to Oracle Data Warehouse there are differences in scalability, high availability, and implementation.
I would rate this solution a seven 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.

Senior Intelligent Software Research & Development Engineer at Orange Innovation Egypt
Provides real-time reporting, and comes with reliable support and a strong community
Pros and Cons
- "Synapse Analytics gives you information and reports in real-time."
- "-"
- "The platform is not flexible, and the graphical user interface needs to be improved because the interface makes it hard for the end user to use it."
What is our primary use case?
I use this solution for client service forecasting. I work with medium-sized businesses, and I work through a virtual machine.
What is most valuable?
Synapse Analytics gives you information and reports in real-time.
What needs improvement?
The platform is not flexible, and the graphical user interface needs to be improved because the interface makes it hard for the end user to use it.
Also, artificial intelligence could be used to improve analytics.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have used the solution for over a year.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution gets support, which helps its stability.
How are customer service and support?
Microsoft's technical support is good when I compare it with other platforms like Oracle. You can also fix many problems yourself because Microsoft has an active community.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is easy if you have information about analytics visualization and data warehousing. It's easy enough to install and configure the blade. It takes one day to deploy the solution.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The solution is expensive at the enterprise level. The license is monthly.
What other advice do I have?
Microsoft is a good platform because it's compatible with data warehouse, power analytics, and visualization, and you now have excellent machine learning and AI tools like GPT-4. The platform is also very stable, and support can be migrated for software.
I rate Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics a ten out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
Buyer's Guide
Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics
August 2025

Learn what your peers think about Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: August 2025.
865,140 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Integrates well with other solutions, but the interface is not as user-friendly or intuitive
Pros and Cons
- "I like how Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics integrates with other Microsoft solutions."
- "Real-time integration is hard to do in Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics."
What is our primary use case?
We use it for reporting purposes and for building data warehouses, pipelines, and data lakes for IoT projects.
What is most valuable?
I like how Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics integrates with other Microsoft solutions.
What needs improvement?
Real-time integration is hard to do in Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics for two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I would rate the solution's stability at nine out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
For the amount of data that we have, Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics has worked perfectly fine in terms of scalability. Thus, for us the scalability is a ten out of ten.
How was the initial setup?
The documentation is good, but if you cannot find the right documentation and the right steps, then the initial setup can be hard. I would rate the initial deployment at seven out of ten.
This solution is deployed on the cloud, and it took half a day to deploy it. I configured the data lake storage, created the workspace, and added users and user rights. Building pipelines is a straightforward process.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I think Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics is priced well, and I would rate the price at eight out of ten.
What other advice do I have?
On a scale from one to ten, I would rate Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics at seven. Other solutions have more user-friendly and intuitive interfaces.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner and reseller
President at a tech company with self employed
Good analytics, and has good technical support
Pros and Cons
- "I have been working with Microsoft, and they have been very helpful."
- "If I'm looking for something good in the cloud, I would want it to have better standard connectors."
What is our primary use case?
We use Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics for analytics.
What needs improvement?
If I'm looking for something good in the cloud, I would want it to have better standard connectors.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics for two years.
We are up-to-date with the latest version.
How are customer service and support?
I have been working with Microsoft, and they have been very helpful.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
It's the only product I've used. I'm not sure what's wrong or what could be done better.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I don't know about the price, but I'm trying to get a sense of the cost. I believe having a good comparison would help.
What other advice do I have?
This is the only product I've ever used, as such, it's extremely difficult for me to say anything about it. For example, if I needed a bike, and now I have one and am riding it. If you ask me some questions, it's difficult for me to say, "Oh, I really missed this one on my first bike," unless I've ridden a few bikes. I'm not sure why everything is the way it is. I had a need, and I'm only using it now.
I'm trying to understand what else is out there and how it compares to what is out there.
I am able to use it. If I am able to use it, I would rate Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics an 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.
Chief Data Architect - Europe at a computer software company with 10,001+ employees
Seamlessly integrates with Azure services, but should support cross-database queries
Pros and Cons
- "Its seamless integration with Azure services is most valuable. If somebody wants to use all Azure services, it is the best solution."
- "Its stability is an issue. They have been releasing a version every six months to one year, which means that there are many versions available, and clients are not up to speed on the latest one that they're offering. From a stability point of view, they could do better. They're still upgrading their Synapse Analytics workspace, and it is not that stable. Its scalability can also be better."
What is our primary use case?
It is useful for Azure services. I am using its latest version.
What is most valuable?
Its seamless integration with Azure services is most valuable. If somebody wants to use all Azure services, it is the best solution.
The ability to integrate with different Azure services from within the Synapse Analytics workspace is also valuable.
What needs improvement?
Its stability is an issue. They have been releasing a version every six months to one year, which means that there are many versions available, and clients are not up to speed on the latest one that they're offering. From a stability point of view, they could do better. They're still upgrading their Synapse Analytics workspace, and it is not that stable. Its scalability can also be better.
I would like to see support for cross-DB queries.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with this solution for three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Its stability is an issue because they're still upgrading the Synapse Analytics workspace.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is scalable to a certain limit. It is not as scalable as Snowflake, but it is scalable.
What other advice do I have?
There are many available versions of Azure Synapse, such as Azure Synapse SQL Datawarehouse, Azure Synapse Analytics, and Azure Synapse Analytics workspace. You need to be aware of the features that you are looking for and accordingly choose the offering.
I would rate it a five out of 10.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Intwgrator
Data Warehouse Architect and Developer at a wholesaler/distributor with 51-200 employees
Overall operates well and reliable
Pros and Cons
- "The solution has been working well overall."
What is our primary use case?
I am using Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics with Snowflake.
What is most valuable?
The solution has been working well overall.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics for approximately four years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics is stable.
How are customer service and support?
I have not needed to contact the support, everything seems to work.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The solution could improve by having better costing information.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics a nine 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.
Data Platform Architect at APN Promise
Scalable and comprehensive, with easy Microsoft integration
Pros and Cons
- "Fills the gap between big data and classic data warehouses."
- "Comes with a pretty steep learning curve."
What is our primary use case?
My primary use case of this solution is as a data warehouse.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature of this solution is its filling of the gap between big data and classic data warehouses. As a solution, Synapse allows you to do almost everything.
What needs improvement?
An area for improvement would be advanced analytics. The product also comes with a pretty steep learning curve, which could be improved. In the next release, I would like an improvement in internal security, which currently doesn't work at all.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been working with this solution for about two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Initially, the product had some issues with stability, but these seem to have improved with time.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Scalability is one of the main advantages of this solution.
How are customer service and support?
Tech support is ok but more difficult tickets can take a long time to solve.
How was the initial setup?
The setup was complicated because the data must be organized differently from the classic SQL database. There are also different techniques for query performance and managing caches, which makes the process more complicated.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Synapse is a very costly solution, and other products are available for less.
What other advice do I have?
One of the main pros of Synapse is the ability to work with the classic data warehouse and the big data. Another is the ability to use the Spark engine for preparation. Before implementing this product, consider whether it will provide the results you want. If you are already using Microsoft products, Synapse is easy to integrate. I would score this solution as eight out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Enterprise architect at a computer software company with 201-500 employees
Very cost effective with virtualization to Power BI; overall deployment and integration is quick
Pros and Cons
- "Overall deployment and integration is pretty fast."
- "Could have more connectors and better integration for Hadoop."
What is our primary use case?
We're using this solution for analytics and its modeling capabilities. It allows you to have your visualization on top of your synapse analytics. We are partners with Microsoft.
What is most valuable?
I like that the overall deployment and integration is pretty fast and then you also have virtualization to Power BI so it's also quite cost-effective.
What needs improvement?
For improvement, I would like to see more connectors and better integration for Hadoop. There are currently limitations for Hadoop on-prem. I'd like to see better integration and more flexibility.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using this product for almost a year.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
This is a stable solution. We have four companies who are customers of this solution and we have a team that deals with any problems.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The product is scalable.
How are customer service and technical support?
The technical support is very good.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward and takes around two hours.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
There is a license for Azure, and whether it's a monthly or annual payment depends on the agreement you have with Microsoft. A long-term plan is more cost effective.
What other advice do I have?
I rate this solution a nine out of 10.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner

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Updated: August 2025
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Learn More: Questions:
- What are the benefits of having separate layers or a dedicated schema for each layer in ETL?
- Which solution do you prefer: KNIME, Azure Synapse Analytics, or Azure Data Factory?
- Which is better - Azure Synapse Analytics or Snowflake?
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- Which ETL or Data Integration tool goes the best with Amazon Redshift?
- What are the main differences between Data Lake and Data Warehouse?
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- What are the key reasons for choosing Snowflake as a data lake over other data lake solutions?
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- What cloud data warehouse solution do you recommend?