Alation Data Catalog vs. data.world

Alation is pretty easy to implement. We were able to do it ourselves with Alation's help, no 3rd party needed. We are currently migrating to Snowflake, and it has been helpful with prioritizing what gets migrated. It's great for searching for tables and views. I even use it when I'm trying to find fields in a large table. If I'm not sure if the field is called first_name, firstname, or fname, I can use Alation's table page, filter for fields with "name", and easily find it.

Incentivized

Well suited

• For quickly discovering, preparing, and sharing relevant data from a wide range of
  sources.
• Easily managing numerous file formats.
• For contributing and discussing data in one place to aid fast, efficient collaboration.
• For joining datasets from many sources.
• Integrating datasets with other platforms.

Less appropriate

• For full data management.
• For those unfamiliar with database concepts and SQL.
• Very limited chart builder

Incentivized

• Ability to link objects using the @ symbol. It allows us to easily provide a way to get more information or context. So if the business concept is part of a hierarchy, we can link to the other terms in that hierarchy.
• The customization is really helpful. Most object types have robust customization options. Others are less so, but it is improving. We've created multiple custom fields to support our data governance framework.
• The search feature with filtering is helpful in narrowing down what you're looking for.

Incentivized

• Ingest data from almost any source
• Join disparate datasets
• Integrate with other platforms
• Create subsets of data and share across teams

Incentivized

• The lineage UI is not ready for primetime. I would not recommend this feature for my users at this time because it's too complex to understand and is visually difficult to track down specific paths.
• The underlying infrastructure of the on-premise version of the software is fragile and unnecessarily complicated, using too many modules and technologies.
• The license model of the on-premise version contains too many add-ons. I would like to pay one price and get all of the features.

Incentivized

• Organize queries/datasets by categories
• Allow data edits for admins
• Requires knowledge of SQL - visual SQL builder would help with accessibility

Incentivized

It's a great tool in terms of user experience.

Incentivized

It's a very user-friendly platform for those familiar with database concepts and SQL. Documentation is extensive but for those with no prior knowledge it can be daunting. The lack of ability to organize queries and datasets by category can also be frustrating and sometimes difficult to navigate.

Incentivized

From the RightStart Program to the Customer Success team to technical support, Alation has it all covered. They respond quickly and expertly to answer my questions and fix my problems.

Incentivized

Support has always been excellent.

Incentivized

Alation provided the right balance of connection with systems in use, trusted reputation and affordability. The product integrates with current ways of working and does not require reorganisation within other lines of business.

Incentivized

I haven't looked at any other products.

Incentivized

• Provides a place where people can go to find things
• When we first implemented, someone was concerned that people would now see what a mess our data environment was. I consider that a feature. We can't clean up if we can't see what we have.

Incentivized

• Minimized the organizational reliance on Excel & email
• Provides more effective validation & standardization
• Allows staff easy access to data
• Slow adoption across the organization due to learning curve

Incentivized