SQL Server Integration Services vs Skyvia

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Our analysts compared SQL Server Integration Services vs Skyvia based on data from our 400+ point analysis of ETL Tools, user reviews and our own crowdsourced data from our free software selection platform.

Product Basics

SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS) is a data integration tool built within Microsoft SQL Server. It excels at orchestrating data movement and transformation tasks between diverse sources and destinations, making it ideal for data warehousing, ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) processes, and database management in Windows environments. Users praise its visual workflow editor, robust data transformation capabilities, and seamless integration with other Microsoft tools. Additionally, SSIS offers built-in security features and scalability for handling large datasets. However, its reliance on the Microsoft ecosystem, limited open-source compatibility, and potentially complex learning curve can be drawbacks. Pricing is part of the SQL Server license, ranging from affordable Express editions to more expensive Enterprise versions depending on user needs and server configurations. Overall, SSIS is a powerful and cost-effective option for organizations heavily invested in the Microsoft suite and primarily focused on Windows server environments. For those seeking open-source flexibility or broader platform compatibility, alternative data integration tools may be worth exploring.

Pros:
  • Visual workflow
  • Strong data transformations
  • Microsoft integration
  • Built-in security
  • Scalable for large volumes
Cons:
  • Windows only
  • Limited open source
  • Steep learning curve
  • Pricing with SQL Server
  • Closed-source ecosystem
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Skyvia is a cloud-based data integration solution from Devart. Hosted on Azure, it has query, connect and backup capabilities. Automated workflows and a visual query wizard simplify ETL and data pipelines.

Users can set it up to accept data when a user clicks on a website or makes a selection in an application. It’s called event-based data ingestion. The vendor offers monthly subscriptions based on the volume of processed data.

  • Pros
  • Easy to use
  • Visual data pipelines
  • User-friendly interface
  • Balance of features & ease
  • Cons
  • Limited coding options
  • Fewer integrations compared to some
  • May not be ideal for complex needs
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$300 Monthly
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$7 Monthly
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Tailored to your specific needs
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Product Insights

  • Maximize ROI: Performs complex transformations without needing a staging area. Persists data temporarily to a native raw format file using the file system. 
  • Connect to Data Sources: Draws data from Microsoft SQL Server, IBM DB2, Oracle, HP Vertica, MySQL, MongoDB and OData. Pull data from repositories that can’t be sourced directly like FTP, HTTP, MSMQ, Analysis Services and Server Management Objects (SMO). 
  • Integrate with SAP Products: Natively accesses the application model and relevant metadata in SAP Business Suite offerings. Reads data based on programming languages such as ABAP, IDocs, BAPI, RFC and SAP extractors. 
  • Extend As Needed: Write code to define connection objects, log providers, transforms and tasks. 
  • Maintain Data Quality: Handles data from heterogeneous data sources within the same package. Monitor errors through a variety of logging and auditing options. 
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  • Stay Competitive: Get excellent performance with high fault tolerance, thanks to the Azure cloud. It can scale by adding resources and can manage workloads efficiently.
  • Improve Decision-Making: Make informed decisions with accurate data, thanks to automatic updates, scheduled refreshes and incremental loading. Export reports to CSV files and FTP/SFTP servers.
  • Gain Timely Insights: Get accurate data from a single source of truth — a unified data store. Trust automated workflows to deliver data on time. Uncover new information with filters, joins, and string and date-time functions.
  • Act: Hit the ground running with pipeline templates or build new ones with the data flow designer. A visual query builder makes data access easy, while a code editor serves developers who want more control.
  • Secure Data: Encrypt data at rest and in motion and prepare record-wise logs for easy troubleshooting. GDPR, HIPAA and SOC compliance and access controls (MFA, SSO, RBAC) ensure that only authorized users see the necessary information.
  • Stay Connected to Data: Access from anywhere with an internet connection. It’s software-as-a-service, so it avoids the expense of on-premise infrastructure and software installation.
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  • Big Data Support: Connects to new, in-demand big data sources like databases, systems, files and unstructured content. Access mainframe sources and captured data changes in real time. Expand cloud support for big data with Microsoft Azure, Impala, Cassandra, OData and Apache Hive.
  • Import/Export Wizard: Move data from a variety of source types to disparate destination types, including text files and other SQL Server instances. Create packages that move data across systems seamlessly, without transformations. 
  • Build Integration Packages: Create and maintain integration packages through the SSIS Designer. Deploy the package and view the execution status at run time. Add functionality to packages through dialog boxes and windows. Configure the development environment through SQL Server Data Tools (SSDT). 
  • Built-in Data Transformations: Provides aggregation, pivot, unpivot, cache transform, fuzzy lookup, data conversion, data mining query and partition processing. Leverage a wide range of transform capabilities like fuzzy logic, data profiling, data and text mining and direct insert to SSAS. 
  • Secure Business Data: Provides threat and vulnerability mitigation, and access control. Sign packages with digital certificates that ensure customers open and run packages only from trusted sources. 
  • Precedence Constraints: Control task runs by defining precedence constraints. Connect tasks to control the workflow and configure to work based on an SSIS expression or the status of the preceding job. 
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  • Event-Based Data Ingestion: Pull data from several sources using Skyvia Automation. Set up ingestion tasks to trigger per a schedule or after an event happens.
  • Bulk Loading: Loads large volumes or full data dumps from a source into a database. The vendor provides a Use Bulk Import checkbox with every connection popup.
  • Bidirectional Updates: Tracks the latest modifications with change data capture (CDC). It keeps data updated in both directions—from the source to the target and from the target to the source.
  • Functions: Convert data to a usable format with string and mathematical functions. The vendor provides date-time, lookup, join and filter functions. Map a single table to several related tables and create new values as desired.
  • Audit Trails: Stores logs of successfully loaded records for specific integrations and connections. It also retains records of failed integration attempts.
  • Data Encryption: Use AES 256-bit encryption to hide sensitive data at rest and when it's on the move. Additionally, the TLS protocol secures the data end-to-end.
  • Role-Based Access Control: Set up role-based users — admin, developer, member and supporter — at the workspace level. Administrators can create custom roles if they want.
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Product Ranking

#8

among all
ETL Tools

#33

among all
ETL Tools

Find out who the leaders are

Analyst Rating Summary

90
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Data Quality
Data Transformation
Platform Security
Metadata Management
Workflow Management
Platform Security

Analyst Ratings for Functional Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

SQL Server Integration Services
Skyvia
+ Add Product + Add Product
Data Delivery Data Quality Data Sources And Targets Connectivity Data Transformation Metadata Management Platform Capabilities Workflow Management 88 100 76 100 93 0 91 84 27 65 68 16 79 71 0 25 50 75 100
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80%
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Analyst Ratings for Technical Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

we're gathering data
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User Sentiment Summary

Great User Sentiment 503 reviews
Excellent User Sentiment 430 reviews
84%
of users recommend this product

SQL Server Integration Services has a 'great' User Satisfaction Rating of 84% when considering 503 user reviews from 2 recognized software review sites.

96%
of users recommend this product

Skyvia has a 'excellent' User Satisfaction Rating of 96% when considering 430 user reviews from 5 recognized software review sites.

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4.8 (14)
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4.8 (220)
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4.8 (67)
4.3 (279)
4.8 (104)
4.1 (224)
4.8 (25)

Awards

SelectHub research analysts have evaluated SQL Server Integration Services and concluded it earns best-in-class honors for Data Transformation.

Data Transformation Award

Skyvia stands above the rest by achieving an ‘Excellent’ rating as a User Favorite.

User Favorite Award

Synopsis of User Ratings and Reviews

Visual Workflow: Drag-and-drop interface simplifies complex data flows, making integration tasks intuitive and manageable, even for users without extensive coding experience.
Robust Data Transformations: Cleanses, transforms, and validates data to ensure accuracy and consistency before integration, improving data quality and trust in downstream analytics.
Microsoft Integration: Seamlessly integrates with other Microsoft tools and platforms like SQL Server and Azure, streamlining data workflows within existing infrastructure and reducing the need for additional software.
Scalability and Performance: Handles large datasets efficiently with parallel processing and optimization techniques, minimizing processing time and ensuring smooth data integration for growing data volumes.
Built-in Security: Supports encryption, data masking, and role-based access controls for secure data handling and compliance with industry regulations, providing peace of mind and reducing security risks.
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Easy to Use: Many users praised its functionality for moving data from source to target systems and building pipelines independently.
Improved Data Integration: Users said readymade connections make it easy to pull data from cloud applications and databases.
Automated Data Workflows: Users appreciated the freedom to set up pipelines to run later. It frees them up to focus on high-level tasks.
Enhanced Data Accessibility: Users who reviewed data access said common storage gives everyone the same data to work with and avoids misdirected decisions.
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Limited Open Source: Relies heavily on Microsoft technologies and lacks extensive open-source integrations, potentially restricting customization and community support compared to more open platforms.
Steep Learning Curve: While the visual interface is helpful, mastering complex data flows and transformations can require significant training and experience, especially for users unfamiliar with the platform.
Windows Only: Limited to Windows environments, excluding non-Microsoft operating systems like Linux or macOS, hindering platform flexibility and potentially requiring additional infrastructure investment.
Closed-Source Ecosystem: Limited transparency into internal algorithms and processes can make troubleshooting and debugging complex issues challenging, requiring specialized knowledge or relying on Microsoft support.
Cost Tied to SQL Server: Pricing depends on the chosen SQL Server edition, potentially increasing costs for organizations already invested in other database solutions or needing only basic data integration functionalities.
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Limited Coding Options for Complex Transformations: While Skyvia boasts a friendly interface, complex data manipulations require coding knowledge. If teams don't know how to code, it can block them from performing deep analysis or building pipelines.
Fewer Integrations Compared to Some Competitors: It offers over 180 connectors, but if users need to connect to other sources, they might need workarounds.
May Not Be Ideal for Highly Scalable or Complex Needs: It works best with moderate data volumes, but users might need something more for large datasets and complex needs.
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User reviews of SQL Server Integration Services paint a contrasting picture. Proponents praise its intuitive visual workflow, robust data transformation capabilities, and seamless integration with the Microsoft ecosystem. This makes it ideal for organizations already invested in Microsoft tools and requiring efficient data movement within Windows environments. The built-in security features and scalability for handling large datasets are further pluses, offering peace of mind and ensuring smooth performance for growing data volumes. However, critics point to its heavy reliance on Microsoft technologies and limited open-source compatibility as major drawbacks. This can restrict customization and community support compared to more open platforms like Talend or Apache Airflow. The steep learning curve and Windows-only limitation can also be hurdles, requiring dedicated training and potentially hindering platform flexibility. Additionally, the closed-source nature can make troubleshooting complex issues challenging. Finally, pricing tied to SQL Server editions may not be cost-effective for organizations needing only basic data integration functionalities or using other database solutions. Ultimately, SQL Server Integration Services shines for its robust data handling, intuitiveness, and Microsoft integration within Windows environments. However, its limited open-source compatibility, steep learning curve, and reliance on SQL Server licensing make it less ideal for organizations seeking greater flexibility, affordability, or platform independence. Carefully weighing your specific needs and resources against its strengths and limitations is crucial before choosing SSIS for your data integration needs.

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Skyvia stands out for its user-friendly interface. With drag-and-drop features, anyone can connect to data sources and build pipelines, which is a big plus compared to some trickier tools that require coding.But there's a catch — the vendor keeps things simple, so it might not be the best for super complex data transformations. It has connectors for many popular apps, but some users felt the vendor should offer more options.It could be a problem for businesses that need to connect to specific data sources or want advanced functionality. Reviews also said it works great for medium data volumes.Its automatic workflows streamline data transfer and analysis while freeing workers for high-level tasks.Overall, Skyvia is a good fit for businesses that want an easy-to-use tool to integrate their data, automate tasks and gain insights without needing IT help.

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