Ellucian Ethos vs. HCL DataConnect

We live in the world where one system cannot solve all of your business problems, because of that we want to make sure that information is exactly the same across multiple systems and Ethos allows this to happen. Your identity and everything related to you will be exactly the same in all systems across the board. With cloud solutions coming up at the speed of light, it is imperative that every solution you acquire has accurate data in order to be efficient and cost-effective.

Incentivized

I wouldn't recommend Data Integrator over SSIS, but it may be a better tool than other ETL offerings. Having a background in the Microsoft Stack, I am hesitant to recommend any other products especially in a Microsoft-centric company. If this was the only option to use, I think it does a good job at integrating systems after taking time to learn the approach. "Maps" in Data Integrator is definitely different than "process flow" philosophy in SSIS.

Incentivized

• Ethos Integration obfuscates database access from the developers and functional users.
• Ethos Integration provides common-denominator data model between different systems on campus.
• Ethos Integration has good management tool - API Management Center.
• Ethos Identity allows easy federated access with our Shibboleth IDP provider.

Incentivized

• Map multiple source and destination tables - what would be done in many steps in SSIS can be done in one or two "maps" in Data Integrator.
• Platform independent, cloud based, no client software.
• Conversion of data types, write flat files - this helps us with integrating systems.
• Fairly straightforward to use if the user has ETL experience.

Incentivized

• It is expensive
• Getting Ellucian Ethos does not mean you get all functionalities, other modules like workflow and analytics have to be purchased separately
• Takes a while to set it up

Incentivized

• Integration Manager needs better scheduling improvements. Like dependencies, and not running a process again if the prior run is still running.
• New connector development does not seem a priority.

Incentivized

Support from Ellucian for Ethos Integration was generally good. The help in building Ethos was adequate, and resolving issues were handled professionally. However, for Ethos Identity module, the support in building the cluster failover architecture was lacking. After over a month of open engagement, the issue still has not been resolved.

Incentivized

The integrations with Banner and other systems are currently done by home-grown systems.

Incentivized

As I stated earlier, DataConnect makes a head-to-head run against the others. It has advantages and disadvantages compared to the competitors. The choice really comes down to pricing and specific requirement needs for the project you are planning. Questions such as On-premise or Cloud, Security, and Specific Connectors available will drive your decision.

Incentivized

• Our ROI is nonexistent at this time as we are still implementing. However, the minimal cost signifies that it will be a significant help.

Incentivized

• Our customer likes the consistent reliable integrations we have built so we [got] a definite return on investment.
• Problems are fairly easy to handle and rework.

Incentivized