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Alation description
Alation is a data intelligence platform that helps you understand and manage your company's data. It's like a map for your data, showing you what you have, where it lives, and how it's used. This helps your team find the right data for projects, ensures data quality and compliance, and can even help build AI models you can trust. Alation is used by many large companies and integrates with many data tools you may already be using.
Who is Alation best for
Alation is a data intelligence platform that helps organizations understand and manage their data. Users praise its user-friendly interface and robust search capabilities but note difficulties with setup and documentation. Ideal for large, data-driven businesses seeking data governance, analytics, and AI solutions.
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Best fit for large enterprises seeking robust data governance and AI solutions.
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Suitable for data-heavy industries needing advanced data management and analytics.
Alation features
| Supported Alation integrates with data governance tools like Snowflake Horizon and supports open data quality initiatives. |
| Supported Alation provides a data catalog with technical and business metadata. |
| Supported Alation supports data lineage tracking, including automatic and manual options. |
| Supported Alation offers data governance features, including access controls, audit trails, and likely data retention policies. |
| Supported Alation offers AI-powered data discovery with natural language search and a data catalog. |
| Supported Alation offers embedded governance ensuring data security, compliance, and accessibility within a unified platform. |
We evaluate the sentiment that users express about non-functional aspects of the software
Ease of Use
Ease of Implementation
Alation reviews
We've summarised 65 Alation reviews (Alation G2 reviews) and summarised the main points below.
- User-friendly interface simplifies data discovery and access.
- Robust search capabilities empower quick information retrieval.
- Collaborative features foster effective communication and knowledge sharing.
- Flexible and adaptable for organizations of all sizes.
- Excellent customer support and onboarding experience.
- Difficult setup and configuration, especially for data governance policies and external tool integrations.
- Overwhelming documentation and navigation, making it hard to find specific information or troubleshoot.
- Limited lineage capabilities, though improvements are planned.
- Backend not user-friendly, requiring research for some tasks.
- Limited data quality capabilities built-in.
Alation pricing
The commentary is based on 10 reviews from Alation G2 reviews.
Alation's pricing model is considered complex and expensive by some, particularly regarding data steward costs and column-level lineage features. Others find it cost-effective, but licensing and add-on connector costs are a concern. Read-only user limitations are also a drawback for some users.
Users sentiment
See the Alation pricing page.
Alation alternatives
Databricks Data Intelligence PlatformBetter suited for software and IT companies and open-source ecosystems. Has faster growth momentum. Higher ratings and more positive reviews. Offers superior customer service and scalability. Easier to use, but implementation can be more challenging.Read more
InfoveaveBetter fit for smaller companies. Has less momentum. Lacks robust data governance and lineage features.Read more
Informatica Intelligent Data Management CloudBetter suited for organizations with complex data pipelines in various industries. More AI-powered automation features. Broader range of pre-built connectors. Easier implementation. Has more momentum. Alation alternative; Informatica competitor.Read more
TableauBetter for visualization and broader industry application. Easier to use but more expensive and has slower momentum. A strong Tableau alternative for data governance.Read more
SnowflakeBetter for Software, IT & Telecommunications, and general industries. A Snowflake alternative, it has broader industry applicability but lacks specific data governance integrations. It is growing faster and has better ratings.Read more
ExploBetter for smaller companies and embedding analytics in your product. Easier to implement and use with excellent customer support. Positive pricing sentiment. Has more momentum. Alation alternative; Alation competitor.Read more
Alation FAQ
What is Alation and what does Alation do?
Alation is a data intelligence platform providing a data catalog, data lineage tracking, and governance features. It helps businesses understand their data, ensuring data quality and compliance, and facilitating data discovery for analytics and AI. Alation is user-friendly but can be complex to set up and configure.
How does Alation integrate with other tools?
Alation integrates with data governance tools like Snowflake Horizon and supports open data quality initiatives. It offers AI-powered data discovery with natural language search and a data catalog. Alation also supports data lineage tracking, both automatically and manually.
What the main competitors of Alation?
Top alternatives to Alation include Databricks Data Intelligence Platform, Infoveave, Informatica IDMC, Tableau, Snowflake, and Explo. These competitors offer similar data management, analytics, and governance features, catering to various business sizes and data needs.
Is Alation legit?
Alation is a legitimate data intelligence platform used by many large companies. It offers robust features like AI-powered data discovery and a user-friendly interface. However, some users find the setup and documentation challenging. Consider exploring alternatives if ease of implementation is a top priority.
How much does Alation cost?
Alation does not publicly disclose pricing information. Contact their sales team for a customized quote based on your specific data catalog needs. Consider factors like data volume and user count to determine if Alation is worth the investment.
Is Alation customer service good?
Alation's customer service receives positive feedback. Users highlight the helpfulness and responsiveness of the support team, contributing to a great customer experience, particularly during onboarding. Some users mention slow issue resolution and limited transparency regarding upcoming features.
Reviewed by
Michal has worked at startups for many years and writes about topics relating to software selection and IT management. As a former consultant for Bain, a business advisory company, he also knows how to understand needs of any business and find solutions to its problems.
Tymon is a seasoned CTO who loves finding the perfect tools for any task. He recently headed up the tech department at Batmaid, a well-known Swiss company, where he managed about 60 software purchases, including CX, HR, Payroll, Marketing automation and various developer tools.