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Microsoft MDS pros and cons

Vendor: Microsoft

3.7 out of 5

23 reviews
91% willing to recommend

Pros & Cons summary

Microsoft MDS integrates seamlessly with SQL Server and Azure Active Directory, offering an Excel plug-in for direct data management. Despite being easy to deploy and valued for its administration console, it could better integrate with other Microsoft products. The stability is sometimes fragile, lacking modern updates as Microsoft shifts focus to cloud solutions, and it requires additional tools for true MDM capabilities due to missing components for data matching and merging.

Buyer's Guide

Get pricing advice, tips, use cases and valuable features from real users of this product.

Prominent pros & cons

PROS

Microsoft MDS offers excellent technical support.

The administration console is a highly valuable feature.

It integrates seamlessly with SQL Server and SSIS for ETL processes.

Its compatibility with ETL tools like SSIS simplifies operations for end-users.

It is an adaptable choice for master data management across various industries.

CONS

Microsoft MDS lacks integration with other Microsoft products and a true MDM component, requiring additional tools like DQS and SSIS.

The lack of an on-cloud version limits users seeking more flexible deployment options.

Support and updates for Microsoft MDS are diminishing as Microsoft focuses more on cloud solutions.

The stability of Microsoft MDS can be fragile, with potential issues arising if not properly managed.

Microsoft MDS is considered outdated, lacking modern capabilities and ease of use.

Microsoft MDS Pros review quotes

GM

Data Architect at World Vision

Jul 20, 2021

The ROI is terrific and it means you can avoid building or purchasing a solution.

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Chief Data Officer at a tech company with 11-50 employees

Nov 1, 2017

This product provides a robust, flexible, and secure way for my organization and our customers to manage master data without the need to write code.

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Data Architect at a government with 10,001+ employees

Jul 31, 2019

Technical support is very good.

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Free Report: Microsoft MDS Reviews and More

Learn what your peers think about Microsoft MDS. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: March 2026.

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reviewer1153395

Decision Consultant at a consultancy with 1-10 employees

Oct 6, 2019

The most valuable feature is the administration console.

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reviewer1222620

System Engineer at a university with 1,001-5,000 employees

Dec 15, 2019

It is very easy to deploy and provision a machine.

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PO

Owner at PARA SYSTEMS LTD

Jan 12, 2020

What I like about Microsoft, is that it has a huge database with many users.

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SJ

Sr. Database Developer at Hill Physicians Medical Group

Mar 4, 2021

It has a very good feature called Excel plug-in. You just have to install the plug-in, and then it directly connects to the MDS instance where you can maintain and manage your data and publish it right through Excel. You don't need to go to the front end to make any changes. It has easy integration with SQL Server, and you can use SSIS to do the ETLs. It is a part of the Microsoft stack. It works with most of the Microsoft stuff.

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AM

Global Data Architecture and Data Science Director at FH

Apr 1, 2021

It's very easy to use.

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reviewer1545213

Individual Contributor at a pharma/biotech company with 1,001-5,000 employees

Apr 15, 2021

One of the main features I have found useful is the integration with Azure active directory.

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Technical Lead at a computer software company with 5,001-10,000 employees

Oct 12, 2021

Enables non-technical people to directly interact with the BI system.

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Microsoft MDS Cons review quotes

GM

Data Architect at World Vision

Jul 20, 2021

In my 30+ years in IT I've never experienced a tool that only allows you to create reactive rules that identify bad data but never prevent it from getting saved. In a large enterprise I would rule this as a show stopper.

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Chief Data Officer at a tech company with 11-50 employees

Nov 1, 2017

The business rules definition interface could be improved.

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Data Architect at a government with 10,001+ employees

Jul 31, 2019

The solution could be better integrated into Microsoft's other products.

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Free Report: Microsoft MDS Reviews and More

Learn what your peers think about Microsoft MDS. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: March 2026.

884,976 professionals have used our research since 2012.

reviewer1153395

Decision Consultant at a consultancy with 1-10 employees

Oct 6, 2019

In the next version, I would like to see integration with Azure.

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reviewer1222620

System Engineer at a university with 1,001-5,000 employees

Dec 15, 2019

Most of the Microsoft partners, especially digitally, are separate. Personnel are business people, and they do not have technical expertise, so you end up as a company spending a lot of money training your staff and your engineers.

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PO

Owner at PARA SYSTEMS LTD

Jan 12, 2020

The price of the program has gone up, so I would like to see better pricing.

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SJ

Sr. Database Developer at Hill Physicians Medical Group

Mar 4, 2021

The only drawback is that it does not have the matching, merging, and all true MDM components. For these, you have to use another competent called Data Quality Services (DQS). You need to plug it in and use it along with MDS for true MDM. Both of these are integrated together, but you have to do them separately, whereas, in Profisee, there are a couple of screens where you can configure the matching process, create matching rules, and other things, and everything is in one product, which is not the case with MDS. In order to implement a true MDM, you need MDS, DQS, and SSIS. You have to use MDS to store your golden records, DQS to configure and standardize all your rules and matching percentages, and SSIS to load the data to DQS and MDS. At the same time, you also need Melissa Data to clean up your addresses to validate and standardize the addresses. That's the main component of true MDM. It would be good if they can create a true matching component inside MDS and merge MDS and DQS.

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AM

Global Data Architecture and Data Science Director at FH

Apr 1, 2021

It would be a better option to have an on-cloud version.

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reviewer1545213

Individual Contributor at a pharma/biotech company with 1,001-5,000 employees

Apr 15, 2021

I do not like using Silverlight and Internet Explorer. The new 2019 version gets rid of that, which is one of the reasons why we are looking to switch.

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Technical Lead at a computer software company with 5,001-10,000 employees

Oct 12, 2021

There are occasions when the solution maintains SD and we get duplications of MDS.

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Show 10 more reviews (out of 21)

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