Apache Flink vs. IBM DataStage

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Apache Flink
Score 9.0 out of 10
N/A
Apache Flink is a framework and distributed processing engine for stateful computations over unbounded and bounded data streams. Flink has been designed to run in all common cluster environments, perform computations at in-memory speed and at any scale. And FlinkCEP is the Complex Event Processing (CEP) library implemented on top of Flink. Users can detect event patterns in streams of events.N/A
IBM DataStage
Score 8.0 out of 10
N/A
IBM® DataStage® is a data integration tool that helps users to design, develop and run jobs that move and transform data. At its core, the DataStage tool supports extract, transform and load (ETL) and extract, load and transform (ELT) patterns. A basic version of the software is available for on-premises deployment, and the cloud-based DataStage for IBM Cloud Pak® for Data offers automated integration capabilities in a hybrid or multicloud environment.N/A
Pricing
Apache FlinkIBM DataStage
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Apache FlinkIBM DataStage
Free Trial
NoYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Apache FlinkIBM DataStage
Features
Apache FlinkIBM DataStage
Streaming Analytics
Comparison of Streaming Analytics features of Product A and Product B
Apache Flink
8.7
1 Ratings
8% above category average
IBM DataStage
-
Ratings
Real-Time Data Analysis10.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Data Ingestion from Multiple Data Sources7.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Low Latency10.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Data wrangling and preparation6.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Linear Scale-Out9.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Data Enrichment10.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Data Source Connection
Comparison of Data Source Connection features of Product A and Product B
Apache Flink
-
Ratings
IBM DataStage
9.5
10 Ratings
13% above category average
Connect to traditional data sources00 Ratings10.010 Ratings
Connecto to Big Data and NoSQL00 Ratings9.09 Ratings
Data Transformations
Comparison of Data Transformations features of Product A and Product B
Apache Flink
-
Ratings
IBM DataStage
8.0
10 Ratings
3% below category average
Simple transformations00 Ratings8.010 Ratings
Complex transformations00 Ratings8.010 Ratings
Data Modeling
Comparison of Data Modeling features of Product A and Product B
Apache Flink
-
Ratings
IBM DataStage
6.3
10 Ratings
23% below category average
Data model creation00 Ratings5.07 Ratings
Metadata management00 Ratings5.09 Ratings
Business rules and workflow00 Ratings6.09 Ratings
Collaboration00 Ratings6.010 Ratings
Testing and debugging00 Ratings6.010 Ratings
Data Governance
Comparison of Data Governance features of Product A and Product B
Apache Flink
-
Ratings
IBM DataStage
6.0
9 Ratings
31% below category average
Integration with data quality tools00 Ratings6.09 Ratings
Integration with MDM tools00 Ratings6.09 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Apache FlinkIBM DataStage
Small Businesses
IBM Streams (discontinued)
IBM Streams (discontinued)
Score 9.0 out of 10
Skyvia
Skyvia
Score 10.0 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Confluent
Confluent
Score 8.9 out of 10
IBM InfoSphere Information Server
IBM InfoSphere Information Server
Score 8.0 out of 10
Enterprises
Spotfire Streaming
Spotfire Streaming
Score 6.8 out of 10
IBM InfoSphere Information Server
IBM InfoSphere Information Server
Score 8.0 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Apache FlinkIBM DataStage
Likelihood to Recommend
9.0
(1 ratings)
8.0
(10 ratings)
Usability
-
(0 ratings)
8.0
(3 ratings)
Performance
-
(0 ratings)
9.0
(1 ratings)
Support Rating
-
(0 ratings)
9.6
(3 ratings)
User Testimonials
Apache FlinkIBM DataStage
Likelihood to Recommend
Apache
In well-suited scenarios, I would recommend using Apache Flink when you need to perform real-time analytics on streaming data, such as monitoring user activities, analyzing IoT device data, or processing financial transactions in real-time. It is also a good choice in scenarios where fault tolerance and consistency are crucial. I would not recommend it for simple batch processing pipelines or for teams that aren't experienced, as it might be overkill, and the steep learning curve may not justify the investment.
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IBM
Excellent Cloud data mapping tool and easy creating multiple project data analytics in real-time and the report distribution are excellent via this IBM product. Easy tool to provide data visualization and the integration is effective and helpful to migrating huge amounts of data across other platforms and different websites insights gathering.
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Pros
Apache
  • Low latency Stream Processing, enabling real-time analytics
  • Scalability, due its great parallel capabilities
  • Stateful Processing, providing several built-in fault tolerance systems
  • Flexibility, supporting both batch and stream processing
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IBM
  • Data movement
  • Seamless integration of scripts and etl jobs
  • Descriptive logging
  • Ability to work with myriad of data assets
  • Direct integration for Governance catalog
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Cons
Apache
  • Python/SQL API, since both are relatively new, still misses a few features in comparison with the Java/Scala option
  • Steep Learning Curve, it's documentation could be improved to something more user-friendly, and it could also discuss more theoretical concepts than just coding
  • Community smaller than other frameworks
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IBM
  • Connector Stages to Snowflake on the cloud. We had some issues initially but since then had been corrected.
  • Accessing tool from a browser (zero foot-print). Currently we need to either install locally or connect to a server to do ETL work.
  • Diversify ways of authenticating users.
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Usability
Apache
No answers on this topic
IBM
Because it is robust, and it is being continuously improved. DS is one of the most used and recognized tools in the market. Large companies have implemented it in the first instance to develop their DW, but finding the advantages it has, they could use it for other types of projects such as migrations, application feeding, etc.
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Performance
Apache
No answers on this topic
IBM
It could load thousands of records in seconds. But in the Parallel version, you need to understand how to particionate the data. If you use the algorithms erroneously, or the functionalities that it gives for the parsing of data, the performance can fall drastically, even with few records. It is necessary to have people with experience to be able to determine which algorithm to use and understand why.
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Support Rating
Apache
No answers on this topic
IBM
I believe that IBM generally has one of the worst and most complex assistance systems (physical and online) that exists.
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Alternatives Considered
Apache
Apache Spark is more user-friendly and features higher-level APIs. However, it was initially built for batch processing and only more recently gained streaming capabilities. In contrast, Apache Flink processes streaming data natively. Therefore, in terms of low latency and fault tolerance, Apache Flink takes the lead. However, Spark has a larger community and a decidedly lower learning curve.
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IBM
It's obvious since they both are from the same vendors and it makes it easier and can get better rates for licensing. Also, sales rapes are very helpful in case of escalations and critical issues.
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Return on Investment
Apache
  • Allowed for real-time data recovery, adding significant value to the busines
  • Enabled us to create new internal tools that we couldn't find in the market, becoming a strategic asset for the business
  • Enhanced the overall technical capability of the team
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IBM
  • Reduce development time by 65% compared with hand coding.
  • Reduces ETL process maintenance times.
  • Better data governance for technical and non-technical people.
  • Improve time to market for initiatives that require data integration.
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