Informatica PowerCenter

Informatica PowerCenter is a unified enterprise data integration platform for accessing, discovering, and integrating data from various systems, in any format, and delivering that data throughout the enterprise.

PowerCenter provides a solid infrastructure to build applications on a repeatable, reusable and flexible platform, at the same time implanting resiliency, recovery, restart and failover capabilities.

Informatica might not be as recognizable as IBM generally in IT tools market but it's a significant player in the data integration market. Founded in 1993, Californian Informatica is one of the most known companies in software industry though. For users interested in dedicated data integration solutions, Informatica offers whole suite. Informatica Platform, which is the name of the suite, consists of PowerCenter, PowerExchange, Data Services, Data Replication, Ultra Messaging, and Cloud Data Integration. The last one being a response to a new demand of the market - cloud computing.

Informatica data integration - strengths

  • functionality range
  • different data integration styles support
  • new market demands following
  • easy changes of DI style
  • wide range of uses
  • one of the leaders in large deployments
  • range of connectivity
  • transformation capabilities
  • scalability
  • vendor support

One of key features of Informatica Platform is its support for different data integration styles followed with easy changes between one and another style. Users can therefore quickly adapt Informatica Platform to their sophisticated needs or preferences. Additionally, the platform is updated on regular basis so it follows the newest market trends for data integration. Among its bests are bulk-batch ETL, real-time data flow, data federation and efficient messaging. What is more, changes between different data integration styles aren't accidental. They're facilitated thank to diverse alignment points and can be used to benefit from synergy effects.

Once Informatica Platform is being often chosen for the largest deployments, its wide choice of uses is considered one of its best sides. Range of connectivity, transformation capabilities, scalability, and developer productivity, being the core of the Informatica platform, are what the system is praised for too. Followed with good support by vendor and service on the required level, it makes Informatica Platform one of the most interesting choices in data integration market.

What else is important, is the attitude of the company which is constantly working on product development. Therefore Informatica Platform is considered one of the most timely tools in the data integration market. Its regular updates help ensuring that users can use the platform regardless of how new and fresh their ideas are.

Informatica ETL - Weaknesses

  • not as good as required focus on conservative customers
  • too much attention paid to the newest trends
  • not enough integration between different Informatica products
  • work environment that requires some work
  • pricing model
  • total cost of ownership

What some people consider the best side of Informatica's approach to data integration is considered its most meaningful disadvantage at the same time. The question is its approach to the newest trends in DI. Informatica's point of view is to focus on the new trends so that the customers could have their data integrated according to the newest standards. However, there is quite a lot of people involved in data integration processes in their companies who consider old, conservative methods much better. Informatica on the other hand, seems to disregard their needs from some point of view. Beside this, it's often highlighted that the integration between different products, which systems developed by Informatica consist of, is below the expectations. If worked out better, could significantly improve the position of Informatica in customers' hierarchy of vendors.

Eventually, there is a question of costs which also aren't the best aspect of Informatica products. It is generally thought that the cost of purchase and - furthermore - the cost of ownership are way too high in comparison to other vendors' offers. However, it seems that Informatica is aware of the issue and it's preparing itself to release new solutions for customers who pay more attention to costs.

Informatica list of products & services


  1. Application ILM
    1. Data Archive
    2. Data Subset
    3. Data Warehouse Advisor
    4. B2B Data Exchange
    5. B2B Data Exchange
    6. B2B Data Transformation
  2. Cloud Data Integration
    1. Complex Event Processing
    2. RulePoint
  3. Data Masking
    1. Dynamic Data Masking
    2. Persistent Data Masking
  4. Data Replication
    1. Data Replication
    2. Fast Clone
  5. Data Integration
    1. PowerCenter
    2. PowerExchange
    3. Data Services
    4. Data Quality
    5. Data Explorer
    6. Data Quality
    7. AddressDoctor Software Library
    8. Identity Resolution
  6. Master Data Management

Informatica Powercenter tutorials