Informatica PowerCenter Reviews & Pricing

by Informatica Corporation | Founded 1993, Redwood City, CA

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What is Informatica PowerCenter?

Industry Specialties: Serves all industries

Informatica PowerCenter is data integration software for enterprises of all sizes with connectors and metadata. It relies on robust business logic to deliver data on demand.

For cloud users, the vendor offers connectivity to Amazon S3, Microsoft Azure Blob Storage and Google Cloud Storage. It also reads data residing on mainframe systems using PowerCenterExchange and connects to big data platforms like Hadoop and HDFS.

The vendor enables businesses to move PowerCenter loads to the cloud. What's more, AI and automation can drive 95% of cloud upgrades if businesses opt for them. It scales to validate data quality, perform fuzzy matches and identify data anomalies in the cloud.

Pros

User-friendly
Wide range of connectors
Scalable and reliable
Robust security features
Integrates with Informatica suite

Cons

Steeper learning curve
Can be expensive
Performance issues with large datasets
Limited cloud app support
Complex to manage

PRICE

COMPANY SIZE

DEPLOYMENT

PLATFORM

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User Sentiment

Based on 773 reviews:

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Informatica PowerCenter Pricing

Based on our most recent analysis, Informatica PowerCenter pricing starts at $5,000 (Annually).

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Starting From: $5,000
Pricing Model: Annually
Free Trial: Yes, Request for Free

Training Resources

Informatica PowerCenter is supported with the following types of training:

Documentation
In Person
Live Online
Videos
Webinars

Support

The following support services are available for Informatica PowerCenter:

Email
Phone
Chat
FAQ
Forum
Help Desk
Knowledge Base
Tickets
Training
24/7 Live Support

Informatica PowerCenter Benefits and Insights

Why use Informatica PowerCenter?

Key differentiators & advantages of Informatica PowerCenter

Automate Workflows: Ditch the manual grind and leave the nitty-gritty to automation. Once set up, it performs ETL without needing the IT team.
Accelerate Insight: Make informed decisions based on hardcore data. Readymade connectors and a graphical UI speed up otherwise complex data integration tasks.
Reduce Costs: Cut the overheads due to bad data and grow your business with accurate and reliable insight. Minimize errors and related costs, thanks to its inherent data quality features. Reduce testing time by 50 to 90 percent with automation.
Improve Outcomes: Grab opportunities with confidence and turn them into profit-making ventures. Thanks to data quality checks, it pushes accurate and reliable data to downstream processes.
Streamline Decisions: Drive a data culture and encourage users to work independently with reports and dashboards. Promote decision-making across the organization.
Enhance Offerings: Deliver tailored products based on buyer needs and preferences. This approach combines information from several sources, giving a complete picture of how people perceive the product.

Industry Expertise

Industries across the board use it to tackle data silos. Government agencies can provide better citizen services, manage budgets and analyze public data. Financial institutions rely on it to manage risk.

In healthcare, it improves care by keeping patient records in one place and drives research. Higher education institutes use it to combine student data for admissions and managing courses. It supports claims processing in insurance and research in life sciences.

Retailers can track customer behavior to improve their offerings. Manufacturers rely on it to manage their supply chains and enhance processes.

Informatica PowerCenter Reviews

Average customer reviews & user sentiment summary for Informatica PowerCenter:

773 reviews

85%

of users would recommend this product

Synopsis of User Ratings and Reviews

Based on an aggregate of Informatica PowerCenter reviews taken from the sources above, the following pros & cons have been curated by a SelectHub Market Analyst.

Pros

User-Friendly: Dragging and dropping fields and screen elements make daily data tasks simple, though building custom functions might require more effort.
Extensive Connectivity: Pre-made connectors seamlessly link to databases, files, cloud apps and legacy systems.
Data Quality Management: Built-in tools find and fix errors and duplicates in data, keeping it accurate and reliable.
Scalability: Works efficiently with massive volumes of data using parallel processing and optimization techniques, making it perfect for big businesses.
Data Security: Access controls, encryption and activity tracking protect sensitive information.

Cons

Learning Curve: While it’s easy to perform basic tasks, mastering some advanced features and fixing complicated problems can be tricky.
Cost: It can be expensive, especially for smaller companies. Though small businesses don’t have vast data sizes, the deployment model and selected features can inflate the price.
Slowdown with Big Data: It might slow down with large data sizes. It’s advisable to ask for demos with high data loads.
Needs Tech Experts: Managing the infrastructure requires IT people and system administrators.

Researcher's Summary:

Informatica PowerCenter has a reputation for easy adoption. The drag-and-drop interface makes it a breeze to move data around and connect to different sources.

It seamlessly connects to cloud apps, databases, and legacy systems, saving businesses a ton of manual work. The wide range of connectors and smooth integration with other Informatica tools seem valuable enough to justify the cost.

However, it isn't perfect. Compared to similar software, there’s a steeper learning curve, especially for advanced features. The cost can also be a sticking point, especially for businesses with small data loads.

Performance is another area with mixed reviews. While PowerCenter has traditionally been reliable for everyday tasks, its performance can lag while handling massive amounts of data.

Key Features

Prototyping: Test data flows by building a preview version before creating the final workflow.
In-Production Testing: Identify issues early by checking data quality in production workflows.
Data Transformation: Interpret various data formats like XML, PDF, JSON and IoT data.
Live Analytics: Respond to market changes proactively using the latest insight, thanks to change data capture. Handles large volumes with dynamic partitioning and scalability.
Scalability: Handle growing data sizes, types, sources, projects and users without breaking into a sweat.
Collaboration: Gain visibility into where data originated and which processes it underwent before reaching the system. Analyze the possible impact of a decision before signing off on it. Keep business and IT teams on the same page with shared metadata.
Early Warning: Spot glitches and improper usage of resources early on. Get alerts when something goes wrong with data integration processes.

Approach to Common Challenges

Increasing Business Demands: Several connectors and a zero-latency engine assist in handling large volumes. It supports parallel processing to handle large datasets efficiently.
Historical Data Updates: It tackles outdated historical data with an Update Strategy tool. It analyzes each data row and flags it for an insert, update, delete or reject action. This ensures target tables have the most accurate information, even for historical data.
Slowly Changing Dimensions (SCD): Matching customer data across different points in time can be tricky due to name changes and relocations. It helps track changes over time and ensures data consistency.
Contradictions Between Systems: Data profiling helps identify errors and null and duplicate values. Error handling logic helps update incorrect information. Lookups validate data against external databases.
Lack of Transparency and Collaboration: Metadata makes data definitions accessible to all, and its ease of use enables everyone to check for data quality. Thanks to version control, teams can work seamlessly by tracking changes. Audit logs record all activity.
Manual Coding: A graphical interface and a rich library of transformations help teams work faster. Reusable mappings save developers’ time.

Cost of Ownership

Frequently asked questions regarding PowerCenter pricing include:

Q: What’s the pricing model?

A: Pricing for the Standard and Advanced editions isn’t available publicly. The Premium version costs $5,000 annually.

The vendor offers a 30-day free trial.

PowerCenter is also available as a part of the Informatica Data Management Cloud (IDMC) as a pay-as-you-go model starting at £74,999. The cost depends on the Informatica Processing Units (IPUs) consumed.

Q: How are IPU costs calculated?

A. Review Informatica's Measurement Guide to understand its pricing and how actions affect IPU consumption. Users can request a quote from the vendor based on the anticipated load. Consider the free IDMC trial to gauge typical usage for specific needs.

Q: Which edition is best for small businesses?

The Informatica Marketplace offers a free, single-user edition, PowerCenter Express. It includes a graphical interface and helpful cheat sheets and videos for a smooth learning curve.

Ready connectors are available, but restrictions can exist for data volumes, processing power and sources. Plus, it might not scale as business needs become more complex. In such a case, upgrading to a paid edition might be a viable solution.

Limitations

At the time of this review, these are the limitations according to user feedback:

Can be complex and challenging to use, especially for new users.
Is resource-intensive.
Might not be cost-effective for smaller organizations.

Training Resources

Fast-Track Learning: Dive into the vendor's website and discover a detailed tutorial created for first-time users. This interactive guide walks users through the initial setup and core functionalities.
Unveiling the Secrets: Download the official Getting Started document. This comprehensive resource delves into detailed explanations, including how to set it up. Keep this valuable guide close at hand for ongoing reference.
Upskill: Embark on a learning adventure with courses on platforms like Udemy. They cover several topics, from installing and setting up servers to tackling complex data tasks. Users can find a course tailored to their specific needs.
See it in Action: Head to the vendor's YouTube channel and explore a library of engaging demo videos. These visual aids showcase PowerCenter in action, demonstrating real-world applications and how the platform tackles data integration challenges.
Become a Data Integration Guru: Consider investing in the dedicated developer's guide. Available for purchase on Amazon, this comprehensive guide delves into advanced topics and functionalities.

FAQs

Frequently asked questions regarding PowerCenter include:

Q. How does PowerCenter perform data transformations?

It achieves data transformations through mappings. These are blueprints showing how data flows between the source and the target. They include the logic for filtering, sorting, aggregations, joins and data-type changes.

Q. What are sessions?

Sessions use mappings to run workflows. Users specify which mappings to run and in what order, along with the error-handling logic. They can schedule sessions to run at specific times or on triggering. A session can contain one or more mappings.

Q. How can I set up PowerCenter workflows to run automatically?

The Informatica Scheduler allows setting up workflows to run later. Users can set up a script that runs the Scheduler or use an extension, ActiveBatch. It provides ready steps for everyday tasks and allows linking to a calendar.