Which ETL tool to choose

Hi,

we're looking for an ETL tool to setup and maintain a Datawarehouse on an Oracle 8i Database platform.
Currently we have 2 possible partner solutions:

• Informatica with a product called PowerMart and PowerCenter
• Information Builders with the SmartMart suite.

Both products are very capable to maintain a Datawarehouse but they have a big difference in price. Informatica's solution is 2 to 3 times expenser than Information Builders solution.
We've asked Informatica why they are so expensive compared to Information Builders and this is their answer:

start quotation:

    I worked at IBI and CopyManager is primarily a very simple tool that extracts from any IBI (thru EDA/SQL) supported source and can write to any EDA/SQL supported write driver (RDBMS, VSAM, IMS....etc). Weakness':
· no real metadata other than file layouts (master file descriptions) & there isn't any integration between the IBI products to manage these file layouts
· no GUI capability to import file layouts for COBOL or flat files (crude FOCUS language character-based utilities that can analyze lots of non-relational sources but each source type is a different analyzer product!)
· there are no built in transformations or functions · no graphical representation of the data flow, just a simple generated SQL statement thru point & click
· code-based, anything remotely complex will need to be written in either MODIFY which is IBI's legacy update language (the new language is MAINTAIN) or FOCUS
· no MX or TX capabilities whatsoever....not even between their own products!
· they cannot write to two targets in a single pass of the data · the GUI doesn't even begin to comprehend LOOKUP transformations, let alone the ability to lookup against a source, target or completely unrelated RDBMS · can only support INSERT unless code is written etc etc etc

IBI will try to position themselves as the complete end-to-end solution with the middleware infrastructure (EDA - which is a very strong product), ETL using Copy Manager/Copy Server (part of EDA), a front-end FOCUS Six (which is awful in a 3-tier client/server environment) or WebFOCUS (which is pretty good), Fusion as a multi-dimensional db (which is basically FOCUS - the db - with external index support). They were trying to get some 3rd party arrangement with metadata and potentially data mining software firms but I'm not sure if that will ever materialize if it hasn't already. I can't believe it would mature beyond the announcement stage other than being able to say that yes they do metadata and data mining. Integration into their current tool set is out of the question. They will also try to create all kinds of FUD about how long they have been around (supported primarily thru MIPS upgrades and mainframe residuals) and how difficult it is to coordinate between a multi-vendor solution. However, their internal structure is so fragmented that all of the IBI products have a different look and feel.
Basically, if you can put together a nice demo with ERWin, a little more complex than the usual PowerMart demo (include a LOOKUP and an UPDATE strategy & maybe write to two Targets at least), and a Brio or Business Objects front-end, you should be able to make the prospects eyes light up. Especially if they've been IBI customers for awhile and haven't seen whats out there in the world.

end quotation

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Is there anybody who can confirm this or proof the opposite.

please send e-mail to erik.meel_at_atlascopco.be

thanks in advance,
Erik Meel
Atlas Copco Airpower
Belgium