Fast and Simple. All-in-one package
Updated August 17, 2015
Fast and Simple. All-in-one package
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Software Version
6.2.1.1.
Modules Used
- Everything
Overall Satisfaction with Centerprise Data Integrator
We purchased Centerprise to be our ETL tool for our new "CloudNet" Crop Insurance Policy system. It was our tool to do our nightly loads to our Data Warehouse for all of our reporting needs. It was also our tool for sending and receiving all our daily RMA files to the government.
- Once you get the feel around the interface, Centerprise is a real easy and fast tool to get up and running. You can have a Dataflow up and running in mere minutes compared to some other tools on the market. The interface is simple and pretty much everything is all in once place and easy to understand.
- The Preview data on each object is a lifesaver. To be able to set up a Dataflow and preview it's data immediately without having to run or set up a workflow is a very time-saving benefit.
- You can run Dataflows. They do not need to be incorporated into a Workflow in order to run.
- You have the ability to pass in and out parameters to Dataflows. Very handy if you need specific information about a Dataflow (or data in that flow) in order to continue on processing the next step.
- The scheduler is extremely nice and easy.
- Centerprise is an all in one package. Everything is together. You do not need a separate scheduler or bits and pieces of other products in order to get full use of Centerprise. You can Read, write and parse files. You can send emails and/or FTP to government (any) sites. You can schedule your jobs or have your System (we had .NET) call and trigger a job for you.
- Our main concern is backward compatibility with QA testing. We had a few releases of new code, changes or fixed that broke existing code which took us over 90 hours to run thru and refresh all our flows. We like the enhancements, but we don't have time to back thru everything, everytime there is a release to retest and refresh all the Flows. It's not feasible for us.
- Help documentation. There needs to be a lot more with a lot of examples (so we aren't calling and bugging support all the time). Although, they were extremely helpful, but I'm sure they have other things to do than teach us how to use the product.
- Pretty much any enhancement we needed at the time (or asked for) was given to us in a pretty timely manner. The Cobol objects were fixed/enhanced. The out variables were added. The only thing we didn't get to use that we asked for was the REST service calls. We had a lot more we wanted to do with the product.
- 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.
After the purchase of the new company, we were required to go with their software choices until after TSA. The ETL product they had in use was Informatica. I'm sure Informatica has some great benefits for huge companies, but I am having a hard time adjusting to their style. Centerprise has Dataflows (Informatica has Mappings). You can run a Dataflow all by itself (Informatica you cannot run a Mapping by itself therefore requiring a workflow to run which doubles up your objects and maintenance). With Centerprise you can preview your data in every object in the Dataflow saving development time (with Informatica you cannot). Centerprise has a very nice scheduler to use (An Informatica consultant suggested not using the scheduler in Informatica because it wasn't very good thus, requiring a 3rd party purchase | we are using JAMS). Centerprise is a stand-alone product (Informatica had to be put on an Unix Box--thus requiring unix knowledge). Centerprise can pass variables quick easily between Flows (Informatica has to read parameter files from a stored/LAN location). Both products have the exact same project set up for the Government file transmissions: Centerprise had a total of 112 objects (DataFlows and Workflows). Informatica has 651. The once nice thing about Informatica is that you can call unix jobs to run (not sure if this was available in Centerprise)
Using Centerprise Data Integrator
2 - Data Warehousing, Cobol conversion and Government files
2 - Analytical
Evaluating Centerprise Data Integrator and Competitors
- Price
- Product Features
Price, Support and usability to get what we needed. We aren't a big company so we can't afford the big prices but we needed a product to get us what we needed.
After working with another product after Centerprise, I wouldn't change anything. Centerprise is the way to go.
Centerprise Data Integrator Support
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
Quick Resolution Good followup Knowledgeable team No escalation required Immediate help available Support understands my problem Support cares about my success Quick Initial Response | Problems left unsolved |
Yes - I think we did. it was a new product, so we used the support for a lot of help in training
Yes - we had a lot of bugs. and they did great.
Mike always gave us great support (even when I was impatient and pushy). They also went out of their way to give us exactly what we needed (enhancements)
Using Centerprise Data Integrator
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
Like to use Relatively simple Easy to use Well integrated Consistent Quick to learn Convenient Feel confident using | Lots to learn |
- Setting up the basic Source to Target mappings/Flows are easy.
- Scheduler is very nice and easy.
- Help documentation. The help available is not that great. So, getting up-to-speed there was a lot of questions, but after that, things are easy.