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Amazon Athena description
Amazon Athena is a service that lets you analyze large datasets stored in Amazon S3 using standard SQL queries. It's serverless, so there's no infrastructure to manage, and you pay only for the queries you run. This makes it a cost-effective way to get insights from your data without the complexity of traditional data warehousing.
Who is Amazon Athena best for
Amazon Athena is a serverless query service that allows you to analyze data in Amazon S3 using standard SQL. Ideal for data analysts and engineers, Athena offers a cost-effective, pay-per-query pricing model. Users praise its ease of use and fast query execution for smaller datasets, but some have noted occasional performance issues with larger datasets.
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Best for small to enterprise-level companies seeking efficient data analysis.
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Suitable for various data-heavy industries leveraging cloud storage.
Amazon Athena features
| Supported Athena supports standard SQL queries, including complex analyses like large joins and window functions. |
| Supported Athena is deployed and managed within the AWS cloud environment. |
| Supported Athena seamlessly integrates with popular data lake technologies like Amazon S3, Azure Data Lake Storage, and Google Cloud Storage. |
| Supported Athena automatically scales compute resources to handle workload fluctuations. |
| Supported Athena uses pay-per-query pricing, suitable for occasional analysis. |
| Supported Athena supports writing queries using standard SQL syntax. |
We evaluate the sentiment that users express about non-functional aspects of the software
Value and Pricing Transparency
Customer Service
Ease of Use
Reliability and Performance
Ease of Implementation
Scalability
Amazon Athena reviews
We've summarised 197 Amazon Athena reviews (Amazon Athena G2 reviews) and summarised the main points below.
- Serverless architecture; no infrastructure management needed.
- Cost-effective, pay-per-query pricing model.
- Easy to use for users familiar with SQL.
- Fast query execution for smaller datasets.
- Directly queries data in S3 without requiring ETL.
- Occasional performance lags, especially with large datasets.
- Limited SQL syntax support; some standard features are missing.
- Error messages could be more informative and precise.
- UI/UX could be improved, particularly for query history and navigation.
- Limited integration with other data sources besides S3.
Amazon Athena pricing
The commentary is based on 29 reviews from Amazon Athena G2 reviews.
Athena's serverless architecture and pay-per-query pricing model are frequently praised for their cost-effectiveness, especially for data analysis and querying large datasets in S3. However, some users mention potential cost concerns with complex queries or inefficient data scanning.
Users sentiment
See the Amazon Athena pricing page.
Amazon Athena alternatives
amazon-athena vs Microsoft SQL ServerBetter for managing structured data in traditional relational databases. Suitable for on-premise or cloud deployments. Wider industry applicability across various sectors like healthcare, finance, and manufacturing. Stronger support for SQL and T-SQL. Integrates well with other Microsoft products.Read more
amazon-athena vs SingleStoreBetter for real-time analytics and managing diverse data formats. A stronger fit for finance and technology industries. Easier to implement and more scalable.Read more
BoilingDataBetter for interactive data exploration and sharing. Specifically designed for companies facing slow and costly analytics with large datasets. An Amazon Athena competitor focused on efficient data loading.Read more
Google Cloud BigQueryBetter for users needing strong Google Cloud Platform integration and real-time analytics. More widely rated, with higher average ratings. Preferred by users for speed and ease of use, but disliked for higher and less predictable pricing.Read more
mSQLBetter for resource-constrained environments. Suitable for smaller businesses with basic SQL needs. Open-source and free. However, it has limited advanced features and potential scalability issues for large datasets.Read more
Amazon Kinesis Data AnalyticsBetter for real-time data stream analysis using SQL or Java. Processes data as it arrives, rather than in batches.Read more
Amazon Athena FAQ
What is Amazon Athena and what does Amazon Athena do?
Amazon Athena is a serverless interactive query service that makes it easy to analyze data in Amazon S3 using standard SQL. Pay only for the queries you run, with no infrastructure to manage. Athena is ideal for quick, ad-hoc queries and large-scale data analysis.
How does Amazon Athena integrate with other tools?
Amazon Athena integrates seamlessly with other AWS services, especially those within the data ecosystem like Amazon S3, Glue, and QuickSight. It supports various data formats and offers JDBC and ODBC drivers, enabling integration with business intelligence and data visualization tools.
What the main competitors of Amazon Athena?
Top alternatives to Amazon Athena include Snowflake, Google BigQuery, and Presto. These competitors offer similar serverless data warehousing capabilities with SQL-based querying for large datasets. They also provide varying degrees of scalability, performance, and integrations with other cloud services.
Is Amazon Athena legit?
Yes, Amazon Athena is a legitimate service offered by Amazon Web Services (AWS). It's a safe and reliable way to query data stored in S3 using standard SQL. It's serverless and cost-effective, making data analysis accessible without managing infrastructure. Users appreciate its ease of use and integration with S3.
How much does Amazon Athena cost?
Amazon Athena's pricing is based on the amount of data scanned per query, at a rate of $5 per terabyte. There are no upfront costs or reserved instances to consider. This makes it a cost-effective option for data analysis.
Is Amazon Athena customer service good?
Customer reviews suggest Amazon Athena's customer support is generally helpful and responsive. Users appreciate the readily available documentation and resources, which contribute to a positive support experience.
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.