Fivetran vs Informatica PowerCenter

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Our analysts compared Fivetran vs Informatica PowerCenter based on data from our 400+ point analysis of ETL Tools, user reviews and our own crowdsourced data from our free software selection platform.

Product Basics

Fivetran is a cloud-native data extraction tool that simplifies and streamlines the data analysis process with a zero-maintenance pipeline that ensures expedient, transparent delivery of data from source to warehouse. Built to empower analysts, it allows users to accelerate analytics and achieve faster time-to-insights without the need for complex engineering, promoting more efficient data-driven decision-making for users of all technical skill levels.

Suitable for small to large companies, it is a public-cloud hosted SaaS available through annual subscriptions, paid via invoice. Pricing is volume based with three tiers of plans, in ascending order of offerings and cost: Starter, Standard and Enterprise.

Pros
  • Easy to use interface
  • Connects to many data sources
  • Fast and reliable data pipelines
  • Centralized data management
  • Scalable for large data volumes
Cons
  • Limited customizability
  • Can be expensive for complex needs
  • Not ideal for real-time data
  • Limited support for data transformations
  • Learning curve for advanced features
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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
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$55 Monthly
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$5,000 Annually
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Tailored to your specific needs
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Product Assistance

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Product Insights

  • Five-Minute Setup: The platform boasts a zero-maintenance configuration process that can have users up and running in 10 clicks.
  • Data Simplified: Users can simplify their data stack with streamlined data extraction and preparation processes, allowing for more accurate and efficient access to analytics.
  • Optimized Loading: Automatic updates reduce data entry tasks and ensure real-time accuracy across storage facilities. The platform also reduces workloads on cloud data warehouses by putting the brunt of demand on their servers instead of the warehouses’. 
  • Centralize Data: The solution helps users to extract data from disparate sources and load it into their data warehouse to create a single, cohesive source of truth in the cloud.
  • Flexibility: Standing apart from many traditional data tools, Fivetran utilizes ELT (extract, load, transform) over ETL (extract, transform and load). By flipping the last two steps of the process and postponing data transformation, it ensures that stored data won’t be compromised by transformations, allowing users to perform analysis more deliberately and securely.
  • Smooth Integrations: Integration with other systems is intuitive and smooth with this platform. Its seamless data sync allows users to draw data from their CRM, ERP or other business solutions as well as a range of cloud data sources, allowing for real-time monitoring.
  • Data Security: The system has advanced security features and is compliant with PCI, HIPAA, GDPR and SOC 2 standards. It also encrypts data in motion and at rest, purging data after every sync. 
  • Built to Scale: The platform helps users navigate a world of exponential data growth, with instantly scalable cloud resources, optimized processes and pricing plans that keep up with companies as they grow. 
  • Free Trial: Interested buyers can receive a free 14-day trial of the platform to test connectors and features by signing up on the vendor’s website. Users can add up to two sources and set up an unlimited number of connectors for those sources, pointing to one destination. Users interested in adding more sources or destinations can contact the Fivetran sales team for more information.
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  • 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.
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  • Data Connectivity: The solution has data connectors for 100 sources, with the option for users to create their own data connector to APIs not yet natively supported. It directly pulls information from cloud applications. Users can also upload or email files into a cloud storage service and have that data loaded into their warehouse. The system reflects changes made to live files such as Google Sheets.
  • Extract Data: The solution connects natively to over 100 SaaS sources, automatically extracting information from those sources after an admin has granted the tool access through OAuth. The system normalizes, cleanses and standardizes data before loading.
  • Data Sync: Upon connection, the system performs a historical sync. From there, instead of arduously reloading full data dumps from APIs and databases, the solution optimizes loadings by incrementally updating data sources in batches, with data load time configurable as frequently as five minutes and as infrequent as every 24 hours.
  • Load into Cloud Data Warehouses: Fivetran supports modem cloud warehouses like BigQuery, Snowflake, Azure and Redshift.
  • Transform Data: The platform preps data, normalizing schemas from APIs, so that it can be analyzed instantly. Transformations always happen in the warehouse so that the raw data is always available alongside the transformed data; data will never be lost and the transformations can be edited and run again on the raw data.
  • Alerts: The system notifies users if there are delays or issues in any step of the process.
  • Dashboards: Users interact with the platform via dashboards that display information about ELT processes in a visual, easy-to-digest format.
  • System Logs: The solution maintains transparency with granular system logs of every sync that users can cross-reference in their own logging system.
  • Metadata Management: A suite of policies and procedures allows users to manage the data which describes other data such as file size, date of data creation, tags, titles, authors, etc.
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  • 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.
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Product Ranking

#7

among all
ETL Tools

#20

among all
ETL Tools

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Analyst Rating Summary

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Platform Capabilities
Platform Security
Metadata Management
Data Transformation
Data Sources and Targets Connectivity
Data Delivery
Data Quality
Metadata Management
Platform Security
Workflow Management

Analyst Ratings for Functional Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

Fivetran
Informatica PowerCenter
+ Add Product + Add Product
Data Delivery Data Quality Data Sources And Targets Connectivity Data Transformation Metadata Management Platform Capabilities Workflow Management 86 75 93 94 96 100 81 100 100 94 91 100 0 100 0 25 50 75 100
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we're gathering data
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Analyst Ratings for Technical Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

83%
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we're gathering data
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User Sentiment Summary

Excellent User Sentiment 28 reviews
Great User Sentiment 773 reviews
92%
of users recommend this product

Fivetran has a 'excellent' User Satisfaction Rating of 92% when considering 28 user reviews from 2 recognized software review sites.

85%
of users recommend this product

Informatica PowerCenter has a 'great' User Satisfaction Rating of 85% when considering 773 user reviews from 4 recognized software review sites.

n/a
4.4 (83)
4.64 (14)
n/a
4.6 (14)
4.5 (41)
n/a
4.3 (557)
n/a
3.9 (92)

Awards

Fivetran stands above the rest by achieving an ‘Excellent’ rating as a User Favorite.

User Favorite Award

SelectHub research analysts have evaluated Informatica PowerCenter and concluded it earns best-in-class honors for Workflow Management.

Workflow Management Award

Synopsis of User Ratings and Reviews

Effortless Data Integration: Connects to hundreds of data sources with pre-built connectors and minimal setup.
Automated Data Pipelines: Schedules and runs data transfers reliably, freeing up time for analysis.
Centralized Data Management: Provides a single source of truth for all your data, simplifying reporting and decision-making.
Scalable for Growth: Handles large data volumes with ease, adapting to your evolving needs.
Improved Data Visibility: Makes data readily available for everyone in your organization, fostering data-driven decision-making.
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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.
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Limited Customizability: Relies on pre-built connectors, making complex data pipelines or transformations challenging.
Costly for Advanced Needs: Pricing scales with data volume and complexity, becoming expensive for intricate ETL processes.
Batch-Oriented Transfers: Focuses on scheduled data refreshes, not ideal for real-time needs or low-latency pipelines.
Basic Data Transformations: Offers limited built-in transformations, requiring additional tools for complex data manipulation.
Advanced Feature Learning Curve: Mastering custom connectors, scripting, or other advanced features requires technical expertise.
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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.
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Users praise Fivetran for its ease of use and effortless data integration. "Setting up connectors is straightforward," one reviewer comments, "like plugging in appliances." This plug-and-play simplicity sets it apart from competitors like Stitch, often lauded for its flexibility but criticized for a steeper learning curve. However, Fivetran's strength in pre-built connectors comes at a cost: limited customizability. While users love its "seamless data movement," another user points out it's "not ideal for complex transformations," requiring additional tools that negate its initial ease. This lack of advanced ETL capabilities puts it behind platforms like Informatica PowerCenter, but at a fraction of the cost. Ultimately, Fivetran shines for its user-friendly approach and reliable data pipelines, perfect for businesses prioritizing simplicity and scalability. But for complex data manipulation or real-time needs, users might find themselves yearning for the power and flexibility of other ETL solutions.

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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.

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Screenshots

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