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Pentaho VS SQL Server 2017

Compare Pentaho VS SQL Server 2017 and see what are their differences

Pentaho logo Pentaho

Pentaho is a Business Intelligence software company that offers Pentaho Business Analytics, a suite...

SQL Server 2017 logo SQL Server 2017

Jul 1, 2017 - Learn about tools and services for mobile and paginated Reporting Services reports and Power BI reports on premises.
  • Pentaho Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-08-03
  • SQL Server 2017 Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-09-20

Pentaho features and specs

  • Comprehensive Data Integration
    Pentaho offers robust data integration capabilities, enabling ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) processes from various data sources.
  • Open-Source Flexibility
    As an open-source platform, Pentaho allows for significant customization and has a large community for support and plugin development.
  • User-Friendly Interface
    Pentaho provides a user-friendly, drag-and-drop interface, making it accessible for users without extensive technical backgrounds.
  • Strong Reporting Tools
    The platform offers powerful and flexible reporting tools, enabling the creation of detailed reports and dashboards.
  • Scalability
    Pentaho's architecture supports scalability, allowing enterprises to use it for both small-scale and large-scale data projects.

Possible disadvantages of Pentaho

  • Learning Curve
    Despite its user-friendly interface, Pentaho can have a steep learning curve due to its extensive capabilities and features.
  • Performance Issues
    Some users report performance bottlenecks and slow processing speeds when handling very large datasets.
  • Cost of Enterprise Edition
    While the community edition is free, the enterprise edition comes with a significant cost, which may be prohibitive for smaller organizations.
  • Limited Native Integration
    Although it supports many data sources, Pentaho may require additional configuration or plugins to integrate with some modern data platforms and technologies.
  • Documentation
    Some users find the official documentation to be lacking in detail, making it difficult to solve specific issues without community support.

SQL Server 2017 features and specs

  • Cross-Platform Support
    SQL Server 2017 offers cross-platform support, enabling it to run on Windows, Linux, and Docker containers, providing flexibility and integration into various environments.
  • Graph Database Capabilities
    Introduces graph database capabilities, allowing the modeling of complex data relationships easily and efficiently, expanding its use cases.
  • Advanced Analytics
    Integrates with Microsoft R and Python services, facilitating advanced analytics and machine learning directly within the database, which helps organizations to perform sophisticated data analysis.
  • Adaptive Query Processing
    Includes adaptive query processing features to optimize query performance automatically, improving application speed and efficiency.
  • Enhanced Security
    SQL Server 2017 continues to enhance security with features like Always Encrypted, Dynamic Data Masking, and Row-Level Security to protect sensitive data.

Possible disadvantages of SQL Server 2017

  • Cost
    Licensing and support costs for SQL Server can be relatively high, particularly for enterprise editions, which may not be cost-effective for smaller organizations.
  • Complexity
    SQL Server 2017 includes a vast array of features and configurations that can introduce complexity, requiring substantial expertise to manage and optimize.
  • Resource Intensive
    Requires significant system resources for optimal performance, which may necessitate additional investment in hardware to operate efficiently at scale.
  • Limited NoSQL Functionality
    While SQL Server 2017 introduces some NoSQL features through its support for JSON and graph databases, it still lags behind dedicated NoSQL databases in terms of flexibility and scalability for unstructured data.
  • Version-Specific Features
    Some advanced features are only available in the latest versions or specific editions, which may necessitate upgrades or specific licensing to access the full capabilities, leading to additional expenses.

Analysis of Pentaho

Overall verdict

  • Pentaho's community edition is considered a good option for businesses and developers who are looking for a cost-effective, flexible, and comprehensive business intelligence tool without the need for extensive vendor support. Its ability to handle complex data processing and visualization tasks makes it a strong contender among open-source BI tools.

Why this product is good

  • Pentaho is an open-source business intelligence suite that offers data integration, OLAP services, reporting, dashboarding, data mining and ETL capabilities. It is especially appreciated for its flexibility, extensibility, and comprehensive set of features, which enable users to execute a wide range of data processing tasks. The community edition, supported by Hitachi Vantara, has a strong user base and active community forums where users can seek help and share knowledge, making it a valuable resource for those who prefer open-source solutions.

Recommended for

    Pentaho is recommended for small to medium-sized businesses, developers, and data professionals who have a technical background and are comfortable with troubleshooting and seeking support from community forums. It is also suitable for organizations that require a customizable and scalable BI solution without the cost of commercial licensing.

Pentaho videos

Pentaho Business Analytics 2-Minute Overview

More videos:

  • Review - pentaho Data Integration review
  • Review - Pentaho Business Analytics Overview

SQL Server 2017 videos

SQL Server 2017 – Everything you need to know

More videos:

  • Review - SQL Server 2017 Features

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Pentaho and SQL Server 2017)
Business Intelligence
86 86%
14% 14
Data Dashboard
84 84%
16% 16
Data Integration
100 100%
0% 0
Data Visualization
83 83%
17% 17

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Pentaho and SQL Server 2017

Pentaho Reviews

10 Best ETL Tools (October 2023)
An open-source platform offered by Hitachi Vantara, Pentaho is used for data integration and analytics. You can select either Pentaho’s free community edition, or purchase a commercial license for the enterprise edition.
Source: www.unite.ai
Top 14 ETL Tools for 2023
Pentaho (also known as Kettle) is an open-source platform offered by Hitachi Vantara and used for data integration and analytics. Users can select either Pentaho’s free community edition or purchase a commercial license for the enterprise edition. Like Integrate.io, Pentaho comes with a user-friendly interface that lets ETL newbies build robust data pipelines.
Top 10 Tableau Open Source Alternatives: A Comprehensive List
This business suite is offered in two variants with the first one being Pentaho Community Edition which is a free and open-source Business Intelligence software that includes almost all of the features and options needed to create comprehensive analytical reports whereas the other one is Pentaho Enterprise Edition which is a subscription-based edition with slightly more...
Source: hevodata.com
Top 7 ETL Tools for 2021
Pentaho (also known as Kettle) is an open-source platform offered by Hitachi Vantara used for data integration and analytics. Users can select either Pentaho’s free community edition, or purchase a commercial license for the software’s enterprise edition. Like Xplenty, Pentaho comes with a user-friendly interface that lets even ETL newbies build robust data pipelines.
Source: www.xplenty.com
The 28 Best Data Integration Tools and Software for 2020
Description: Hitachi Vantara’s Pentaho platform for data integration and analytics offers traditional capabilities and big data connectivity. The solution supports the latest Hadoop distributions from Cloudera, Hortonworks, MapR, and Amazon Web Services. However, one of the tool’s shortcomings is that its big data focus takes attention away from other use cases. Pentaho can...

SQL Server 2017 Reviews

We have no reviews of SQL Server 2017 yet.
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Pentaho and SQL Server 2017, you can also consider the following products

Matillion - Matillion is a cloud-based data integration software.

JasperReports - JasperReports Server is a stand-alone and embeddable reporting server.

Talend Data Integration - Talend offers open source middleware solutions that address big data integration, data management and application integration needs for businesses of all sizes.

Telerik Reporting - Deliver Reports to Any Application. Add reports to any business application. View reports on mobile devices and in web, desktop and cloud apps. Export reports to any format.

Talend - Talend Cloud delivers a single, open platform for data integration across cloud and on-premises environments. Put more data to work for your business faster with Talend.

Crystal Reports - Save up to 25% when you buy or upgrade. Discover SAP Crystal Reports to take control of complex data and monitor business performance to achieve results.