Astera Centerprise vs. IBM DataStage

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Astera Centerprise
Score 8.8 out of 10
Mid-Size Companies (51-1,000 employees)
Centerprise Data Integrator is an integration platform that includes tools for data integration, data transformation, data quality, and data profiling.N/A
IBM DataStage
Score 8.6 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
Astera CenterpriseIBM DataStage
Editions & Modules
Centerprise Enterprise
Contact rep
Lifetime License per Seat
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Astera CenterpriseIBM DataStage
Free Trial
YesYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
YesNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional DetailsDiscounts are provided for 10 pack, 20 pack, 50 pack, and enterprise wide Centerprise Professional licenses.
More Pricing Information
Features
Astera CenterpriseIBM DataStage
Data Source Connection
Comparison of Data Source Connection features of Product A and Product B
Astera Centerprise
8.1
31 Ratings
1% below category average
IBM DataStage
9.1
9 Ratings
10% above category average
Connect to traditional data sources9.031 Ratings9.59 Ratings
Connecto to Big Data and NoSQL7.31 Ratings8.88 Ratings
Data Transformations
Comparison of Data Transformations features of Product A and Product B
Astera Centerprise
8.6
32 Ratings
3% above category average
IBM DataStage
9.5
9 Ratings
13% above category average
Simple transformations9.932 Ratings9.89 Ratings
Complex transformations7.330 Ratings9.39 Ratings
Data Modeling
Comparison of Data Modeling features of Product A and Product B
Astera Centerprise
8.5
30 Ratings
4% above category average
IBM DataStage
9.0
9 Ratings
10% above category average
Data model creation9.919 Ratings9.46 Ratings
Business rules and workflow9.928 Ratings8.18 Ratings
Collaboration6.41 Ratings9.09 Ratings
Testing and debugging7.927 Ratings9.59 Ratings
Metadata management00 Ratings8.78 Ratings
Data Governance
Comparison of Data Governance features of Product A and Product B
Astera Centerprise
8.2
1 Ratings
0% below category average
IBM DataStage
8.9
8 Ratings
8% above category average
Integration with data quality tools8.21 Ratings8.88 Ratings
Integration with MDM tools8.21 Ratings9.08 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Astera CenterpriseIBM DataStage
Small Businesses
Skyvia
Skyvia
Score 9.6 out of 10
Skyvia
Skyvia
Score 9.6 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
IBM InfoSphere Information Server
IBM InfoSphere Information Server
Score 8.1 out of 10
IBM InfoSphere Information Server
IBM InfoSphere Information Server
Score 8.1 out of 10
Enterprises
IBM InfoSphere Information Server
IBM InfoSphere Information Server
Score 8.1 out of 10
IBM InfoSphere Information Server
IBM InfoSphere Information Server
Score 8.1 out of 10
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User Ratings
Astera CenterpriseIBM DataStage
Likelihood to Recommend
9.0
(45 ratings)
8.8
(9 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.2
(7 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Usability
8.7
(9 ratings)
9.0
(2 ratings)
Availability
8.7
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Performance
8.5
(2 ratings)
9.0
(1 ratings)
Support Rating
8.6
(21 ratings)
9.6
(3 ratings)
Implementation Rating
8.6
(4 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Configurability
9.1
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Contract Terms and Pricing Model
8.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
9.0
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
7.7
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Professional Services
9.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
9.0
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
9.0
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Astera CenterpriseIBM DataStage
Likelihood to Recommend
Astera Software
I have only been using Astera Centerprise for about 6 months and I am still learning the ins and out of it. A scenario where it seems to do well is in generating reports from SQL queries that we already had and no longer have to run the reports manually. The SQL Query Source object has been the most useful tool for me thus far. I have yet to fully stress test the server side of Astera Centerprise, but currently there have been some version updates that required me to re-set up all the scheduled jobs that we have. We only have 8 jobs thus far but have plans to expand this into the hundreds and those same updates would require exponential amounts of work.
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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
Astera Software
  • API integrations vis REST Web Service transformation
  • Stored Procedure integration via SQL statement Lookup transformation
  • Bulk imports and exports to and from tables
  • Data dumps from SQL tables to excel, csv, text files etc...
  • EDI Integrations like 810, 856, 940, 945 etc.. via Astera Centerprise Data Integrator plus EDI Connect
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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
Astera Software
  • When purchasing Astera Centerprise you are given options on how you would like to be trained and each option comes with a different price tag. We chose to be trained using online meetings over several days. The training went too fast and it was not always easy to understand until I started using the product.
  • I am a person that wants to learn how and why something works so that I can use the knowledge in the future. When contacting the support team they take the problem, create a solution for you and send it back. The solutions always work, but when I get the solution I have to review every field and function to understand how it works so that I can re-create it for another solution I need. I would much rather have the support team explain what I had done incorrectly and what they changed or I would like to find a solution with them instead of having it handed to me.
  • Astera uses license keys to allow their customers rights to only the functionality that was purchased. Each user and server has its own key and each key is only good for one year. There have been 2 different times that we received keys that had less functionality that we purchased. It wasn't until it created problems that we noticed and had to request new keys. This year our sales representative made sure she was available when we updated our keys so that if there was a problem she could fix it right away; however, there were not issues this year. I believe this is something they pay closer attention to now.
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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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Likelihood to Renew
Astera Software
We've been using Astera Centerprise application for the last 6 years and we've already added EDI connect to it. Both applications are working really well for our enterprise needs so far with no issues, so we'll continue renewing the licenses.
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IBM
No answers on this topic
Usability
Astera Software
Centerprise is highly usable; however the version we are currently using could be a little more intuitive in some areas though by no means unworkable. I think some of the issues we have have been addressed and solved in the latest version.
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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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Reliability and Availability
Astera Software
In most cases Astera is stable. However, our client experiences the error from time to time. Mostly they are related to cdc file and ServerAdminConfig.xml file.
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IBM
No answers on this topic
Performance
Astera Software
I think the performance for Astera is great when compare with other similar software.
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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
Astera Software
Support is great! No matter if you need technical assistance or you have general questions about the tool - the support is very responsive and provides solutions quickly. They are available via various channels, which makes it very convenient to get in touch with them (Support portal, direct email contact, LinkedIn).
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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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Implementation Rating
Astera Software
Astera support provided us implementation/installation tutorial and we were able to perform all the activities. Also one of the support was there to shadow us to make sure the process was smooth with no issues
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IBM
No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
Astera Software
We looked at continuing to use SSIS as an alternative. Although we own SSIS as part of our SQL licensing, we found that it takes a much higher skill level to create solutions. It also does not have the ability to parse unstructured data the way that Centerprise Data Integrator can. We also looked at Datawatch Monarch as a possibility but found it over-all to be cost-prohibitive. We also looked at a cheaper alternative called SimX but did not have a strong confidence in the product as we evaluated it. We landed on Centerprise Data Integrator as it met all of our business requirements and we know we could leverage it for many uses across our enterprise.
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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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Scalability
Astera Software
I think Astera can do multiple things. However, we are not sure what it can do. We only know the basic features. If they can give us some kind of training, then we maybe able to benefit for it. We are planning to use their Azure connection in the future. If they can provide the training for it, it will be wonderful.
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IBM
No answers on this topic
Return on Investment
Astera Software
  • It is tough to say on how Centerprise would have helped us with ROI. Unfortunately our project (after 3 years) was scrapped (put on hold) due to the impromptu purchase of another Crop Insurance company. But with that, Centerprise was huge in getting our warehouse loaded for our BI Team to make important decisions about our policies.
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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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ScreenShots

Astera Centerprise Screenshots

Screenshot of Centerprise's UI that is designed to enable business users to work with data easily.Screenshot of the library of Centerprise Connectors, which is preconfigured to provide a plethora of integration options.Screenshot of Centerprise's data profiling feature, that ensures that only quality data is delivered to end users.Screenshot of a variety of write strategies available for workflows.Screenshot of where the user defines how data moves and behaves with the workflow component.