Microsoft MDS vs SAP NetWeaver MDM [EOL] comparison

Why PeerSpot?

Microsoft and SAP are both solutions in the Master Data Management (MDM) Software category. Additionally, 92% of Microsoft users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 20% of SAP users who would recommend it.

Microsoft MDS

Read 24 Microsoft MDS reviews

3,858 Views
2,932 Comparison Views

92% willing to recommend

SAP NetWeaver MDM [EOL]

Read 7 SAP NetWeaver MDM [EOL] reviews

20% willing to recommend

Microsoft MDS

SAP NetWeaver MDM [EOL]

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Microsoft MDS and SAP NetWeaver MDM [EOL] based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about TIBCO, Qlik, SAP and others in Master Data Management (MDM) Software.

To learn more, read our detailed Master Data Management (MDM) Software Report (Updated: September 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Master Data Management (MDM) Software

September 2026

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Helped 917,433 peers since 2012

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

Microsoft MDS

Average Rating

7.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Master Data Management (MDM) Software (4th)

SAP NetWeaver MDM [EOL]

Average Rating

5.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Featured Reviews

Negha Agarwal

Data Management Consultant at a tech services company with 51-200 employees

Centralized master data has improved data quality but now requires a clearer future roadmap

An area where Microsoft MDS can be improved is that Microsoft has announced Microsoft MDS is being removed from SQL Server two thousand twenty-five. The future of the product is genuinely uncertain, and that's something any organization evaluating it needs to factor in seriously. Microsoft MDS is still supported on SQL Server two thousand twenty-two and earlier, but the trajectory is clear that Microsoft is not investing in Microsoft MDS going forward. I would also say that the cloud story is a gap because there's no native cloud version of Microsoft MDS. For clients who are moving workloads to Azure, that's an increasingly awkward conversation. Microsoft's direction for MDM in the cloud is through other capabilities like Azure Purview and Dataverse, but those are different products with different feature sets.

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RaviVerma

Senior Consultant at a tech consulting company with 1,001-5,000 employees

SAP MDM provides flexible data modeling , efficient data deduplication and capable data harmonization capabilities.Together with SAP BPM it provides an efficient solution.

* Match and merge performance and features - with more data volume the performance level goes severely down. Also the transformations cannot be mass downloaded or mass uploaded, as this leads to painfully pasting them one by one. No de-merge feature is also a point which will help going back to previous state after a wrong merge is done. * Change tracking - This is one tool which lacks and ease of use details which SAP ECC users are really used to.It is not user friendly,performance really goes down sharply as data growth happens. I would like to see improvement in the match and merge performance and I would also appreciate it if SAP can suggest certain ready to use usage and maintenance guides on change tracking. Currently there's only SAP notes and other documents are available but they are suggestive and leave plenty to be said.

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Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"The backup and restore functionality are the solution's most valuable aspects."

"The most valuable feature is the administration console."

"The zero incremental license cost plus the operational improvements from having clean, consistent master data, reduced errors, faster reporting, and cleaner compliance provide a solid ROI."

"The ROI is terrific and it means you can avoid building or purchasing a solution."

"It is very easy to deploy and provision a machine."

"The beauty with Master Data Services is that it's centralized in one place and the problem with other solutions is that most of them have been created in house."

"It gives you the flexibility to have in-depth experience; it allows you to collect data and save it as a golden record, and you have the flexibility for data stewardship."

"One of the main features I have found useful is the integration with Azure active directory."

More Microsoft MDS pros

"Maintaining the majority of the product master data in one single system, creating the golden record, and reducing the manual work in the receiving systems to a minimum."

"We have used this for management of SAP master data with enterprise wide workflows for objects material, such as banks, customers, and vendor, and for the creation and maintenance of product catalogs which are distributed to both SAP and non-SAP systems."

"The company that used it was an industrial distributor with over three million parts requiring rich data, and the system was the driving force behind the online product catalog, with its ability to update frequently while not disturbing live information listed on the ordering website making for seamless customer satisfaction."

"I have seen organizations realizing benefits of this product in terms of operational benefit as well as process improvement, data standards, and quality."

"Flexibility in data modeling is one of the most valuable feature of this product as it gives numerous options to design customized data models."

"It has helped standardise processes, enforcing strict workflow and audit control, as well as controlling data input, and reducing duplicates."

"With the ability to deploy cross-client front ends to allow visibility and data maintenance across multiple offices and clients, this has allowed the data accuracy to excel and produce much better results instead of bottleneck execution of updates."

Cons

"I would like to separate the website from the database side. By default, you have the webserver running on the same server as it is the database."

"Microsoft MDS isn't getting strong support because Microsoft is focusing more on cloud solutions."

"The Microsoft license cost could be lower."

"Most of the Microsoft partners, especially digitally, are separate. Personnel are business people, and they do not have technical expertise, so you end up as a company spending a lot of money training your staff and your engineers."

"The version that I work with is on-premises and it required an additional virtual machine on the cloud. It would be a better option to have an on-cloud version."

"The price of the program has gone up, so I would like to see better pricing."

"The duplication feature is not so good."

"If one system has reached capacity or has stopped, then the whole system stops and it is quite difficult to solve the problem."

More Microsoft MDS cons

"I would like to see future enhancements to the presentation layout as it looks dull, and should be easier on the eyes."

"It's in a maintenance phase with no further development. You should consider a move away from SAP MDM"

"During go-live the system crashed several times due to many concurrent end-users."

"Match and merge performance and features - with more data volume the performance level goes severely down."

"Having said this, the product still has some room for improvement in areas like matching/merging capability, data export operations, data import operations, and more integrated process for import (e.g. there is no concept of landing area, staging area etc)."

"It's obsolete, and not generally available."

"The core stability of NetWeaver MDM has been in question over the last 12 to 16 months with releases containing fatal flaws that should not have passed simple quality testing, or the introduction of old errors that had been fixed in prior releases."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"MDS is a part of the SQL Server enterprise license. I am not aware of any additional costs."

"SAP is more expensive than Microsoft."

"The solution does require a license and we have enterprise licenses."

"Microsoft MDS is an expensive solution."

"Product licensing is very complicated. It would be helpful to have an online calculator to estimate the cost of a license."

"I would like to see better pricing."

"The pricing of this solution is good."

"With Microsoft, we buy everything though an agreement, so we purchase volume licensing every year."

Information not available

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

11%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Outsourcing Company

10%

Construction Company

No data available

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	10
Midsize Enterprise	2
Large Enterprise	15

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Large Enterprise	7

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft MDS?

My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing shows that the licensing is one of Microsoft MDS's genuine advantages, as it's included in SQL Server Enterprise Edition at no additional cost....

See all answers

What needs improvement with Microsoft MDS?

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Microsoft MDS?

My main use case for Microsoft MDS is as a central master data repository for clients running SQL Server-based data environments. The typical scenario is a mid-sized organization that has product d...

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More SAP NetWeaver MDM [EOL] Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft MDS

October 2026

Download Microsoft MDS product report

Buyer's Guide

SAP NetWeaver MDM [EOL]

September 2026

Download SAP NetWeaver MDM [EOL] product report

Also Known As

Microsoft Master Data Services, Microsoft MDM, Microsoft SQL Server Master Data Services, MS MDS

NetWeaver MDM

Overview

Microsoft MDS is valued for its seamless integration with SQL Server and Azure Active Directory, dynamic data masking, and row-level security. It offers flexibility for data stewardship, supports data quality business rules, and features Excel integration while maintaining cost-effectiveness with SQL Server Enterprise Edition.

Microsoft MDS is primarily utilized for master data management, enabling the integration of data from multiple sources for analytics and ensuring data consistency across operations. It is suitable for maintaining customer databases and standardizing data variations. MDS supports data cataloging and harmonization, making it essential for process inventories and enterprise reference data management. Users leverage its capabilities for data stewardship and validation, facilitating the management of multiple identifiers and ETL process sourcing. Its flexibility allows for seamless data modeling and management without extensive manual intervention.

What are the key features?

Dynamic Data Masking: Ensures sensitive data protection during use and access.
Row-Level Security: Provides granular access control to database rows.
Data Quality Business Rules: Ensures data accuracy and consistency.
Excel Integration: Simplifies data interaction via a familiar tool.
Azure Active Directory Compatibility: Enhances secure user authentication.
SQL Server Integration: Offers seamless connectivity with database systems.

What benefits and ROI should users expect?

Cost-Effectiveness: Offers comprehensive features within SQL Server Enterprise Edition.
Ease of Installation: Quick setup reduces implementation time.
Strong Access Control: Enhances data security and compliance.
Data-Sharing Capabilities: Promotes collaboration across departments.
Workflow Support: Streamlines business processes for efficiency.

In industries like finance, healthcare, and retail, Microsoft MDS plays a critical role in managing large volumes of data while ensuring data accuracy and compliance with regulations. Organizations implement MDS to standardize customer data, track vital changes, and maintain reliable data inventories. The flexibility of MDS allows it to adapt to specific industry requirements, supporting the automation of data processes and enhancing overall data quality without significant manual efforts.

Microsoft

The SAP NetWeaver technology platform enables the composition, provisioning, and management of SAP and non-SAP applications across a heterogeneous software environment.

SAP

Sample Customers

ETA a.s., Apeejay Surrendra Group, Blue Star Infotech, Rotherham Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation, The Sydney Children's Hospitals Network, New Belgium Brewing

State of Indiana, Automotive Resources International (ARI), Alliander N.V., Chemion Logistik GmbH, Charit_ University Hospital Berlin, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital (SNUBH)

Buyer's Guide

Master Data Management (MDM) Software

September 2026

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