What is our primary use case?
I mainly use it to run queries, deploy servers, and make connections across data. I help clients with data warehousing and analytics.
How has it helped my organization?
It's quite quick for querying, even with large datasets, and it's scalable. It's also flexible to use, so it's easy to update and get data quickly without wasting time.
What is most valuable?
The feature I like depends on what I'm doing. I go online to check how to do something and then use the features I need. They're all quite helpful.
I use it for data warehousing, so the SQL pool is a good feature to start with, and the pipeline easily aggregates data in the data flow. I also use the data flow tool, the pipeline, and connect it to PySpark for analytics.
What needs improvement?
One area that could be improved is the schema management. For instance, with Azure Data Lake, I sometimes try to create mappings. In MySQL or MongoDB, I can easily see the datasets and create connections without knowing the exact schema beforehand. I'm not as familiar with that process in Azure Synapse Analytics. It might be possible through tutorials, but it would be helpful to have more integrated tools for data scanning and schema exploration within the studio itself. This could help streamline the workflow and reduce the need to switch between different applications.
So, I'd like to have additional tools for data scanning and schema exploration within the Azure Synapse Analytics studio.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using it for a year now. I'm a student, and I also use it for freelance work with clients.
I work with the latest version, I guess it is version 3. I use it on my MacBook.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I would rate the stability a seven out of ten. There's been a failure at one point.
For me, it's been quite good. I haven't really had a problem with it.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I will rate the scalability an eight out of ten. It depends on how much you scale it, but it's been proven to be quite scalable for what I'm working with.
Around eight end users are using this solution. The usage frequency depends on the job. Sometimes, it could be almost every day, depending on if we're receiving a lot of information. And at some point, it's quite slow, so we have to be on it almost every few days to check and update.
So, in the future, we may use it more than we are using it now.
How are customer service and support?
When we have issues, customer service, and support get back to us with solutions. That's good enough.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I've used AWS and Google Cloud but for different purposes. I used AWS for learning, and Google Cloud was used for educational purposes. I helped a friend with AWS for their business on Amazon.
However, this is the first solution I've used for data warehousing. There are a lot of Google Cloud products, but for this job, we're focused on Azure.
How was the initial setup?
I would rate my experience with the initial setup an eight out of ten, where one is difficult, and ten is easy because it is quite easy to set up. It is a user-friendly tool; even a new user can find a workaround.
I have not seen any complexity related to the setup. It is quite easy. It took a couple of minutes to set up.
What about the implementation team?
For deployment, basically, I navigate to the Azure portal. I have my container ready, and I connect it to my repository. I use a deployment pipeline to deploy the solution. Sometimes, I use the Azure CLI to put in my code and connect it. It really just depends on where I'm getting my data from. It doesn't take me long, just a few minutes. It just depends on how I'm trying to access the data.
I work with one other person, so it's not just me. So, two people were involved in the process.
What was our ROI?
We did see an ROI. Before, there were issues with the data warehouse and its use. My clients have seen improvements in the efficiency and implementation of the data. They can use the data much better and utilize it for solutions.
I would rate the ROI a nine out of ten, where one is zero value and ten is 100% value.
What other advice do I have?
It's about how it integrates into your work. If it's easy to integrate into your workflow, then I'd recommend it. It's quite easy to use, scalable, and has good processing time. Those are the major things for me. It's easy to use, scalable, and integrates well, then it's a good choice.
Overall, I would rate the solution an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Hybrid Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Microsoft Azure