Likelihood to Recommend It's well suited for large, fastly growing, and frequently changing data warehouses (e.g., in startups). It's also suited for companies that want a single, relatively easy-to-use, centralized cloud service for all their data needs. Larger, more structured organizations could still benefit from this service by using Synapse Dedicated SQL Pools, knowing that costs will be much higher than other solutions. I think this product is not suited for smaller, simpler workloads (where an
Azure SQL Database and a Data Factory could be enough) or very large scenarios, where it may be better to build custom infrastructure.
Read full review First, get the database on Oracle. If you are in an Oracle stack, it would be much better to use the Oracle products. If you are driving a Ferrari, you wouldn’t put a Mercedes engine in it. If you are writing a query, you cannot rely on other brands. Since I'm an architect, when I look for a product, I look for performance. The installation is easy because it comes out-of-the-box and you just start using it. Previous to Oracle Exadata, we were using a normal Oracle RAC service. We were just waiting for this product to come out. I'm currently writing a data warehouse on Exadata. Before this solution, we were aiming for this to be completed by 8 a.m., when our ETLs would finish. With the help of Exadata's special features, this was reduced to 3 a.m. This solution allows us to bring more data within the same time period. It provides us with more subject areas that provide more reports to our users. Our ETL times reduced to 65%, then to 50%. Read full review Pros Create data pipelines to connect with multiple data workspace(s) and external data Ability to connect with Azure Data Lake (sequentially) for data warehousing Being able to manage connections and create integration runtimes (for onPrem data capture) Read full review Customize-able for specific functionality optimized for combination of online transaction or analytical processing. Ability to serve mix workloads with resource management feature enables prioritizing allocation for certain workload. Scale-able on-premise with compatibility for cloud deployment offers flexible solution for organization considering to transition from on-premise solution. Read full review Cons It takes some time to setup a proper SQL Datawarehouse architecture. Without proper SSIS/automation scripts, this can be a very daunting task. It takes a lot of foresight when designing a Data Warehouse. If not properly designed, it can be very troublesome to use and/or modify later on. It takes a lot of effort to maintain. Businesses are continually changing. With that, a full time staff member or more will be required to maintain the SQL Data Warehouse. Read full review Patching can often become quite involved and convoluted. It should be more transparent and straightforward. Storage metrics can be difficult and time consuming to obtain. Basic administrative functions can be hard to repair when discovered. Vendor support can take a while to obtain. Generally several attempts are necessary to reach the right area of vendor expertise. Read full review Usability The data warehouse portion is very much like old style on-prem SQL server, so most SQL skills one has mastered carry over easily. Azure Data Factory has an easy drag and drop system which allows quick building of pipelines with minimal coding. The Spark portion is the only really complex portion, but if there's an in-house python expert, then the Spark portion is also quiet useable.
Read full review Support Rating Microsoft does its best to support Synapse. More and more articles are being added to the documentation, providing more useful information on best utilizing its features. The examples provided work well for basic knowledge, but more complex examples should be added to further assist in discovering the vast abilities that the system has.
Read full review Alternatives Considered When client is already having or using Azure then it’s wise to go with Synapse rather than using
Snowflake . We got a lot of help from Microsoft consultants and Microsoft partners while implementing our EDW via Synapse and support is easily available via Microsoft resources and blogs. I don’t see that with
Snowflake Read full review Oracle Exadata Database Machine had the best performance overall hands down. It clearly beat the competition and we were seeing 1000X improvement on
SAP HANA . Oracle Exadata Database Machine beat that without us refactoring our code. To achieve that in HANA, we had to refactor the code somewhat. Now this was for our limited POC of 5 use cases. Given the large number of stored procedures we had in Sybase, we need to capture more production metrics but we are seeing incredible performance.
Gene Baker Vice President, Chief Architect, Development Manager and Software Engineer
Read full review Contract Terms and Pricing Model Basically, the billing is predictable, and this all about it.
Read full review Return on Investment We have had an improvement in our overall processing time Cost was much lower than most of its competitors Our reporting needs have grown and housing the data here has been great Read full review Single support from a single vendor with both machine and database from Oracle, which is costing us less. With Exadata, we need less technical manpower and less technical support. A business transaction with the integrated and centralized database helps us focus on other business needs. We don't need to buy additional licenses and Hardware for the next 3 to 5 years. Habeeb Akbar Sr. Product Manager/Consultant for Software Technologies and Infrastructure
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