The Informatica On Demand Data Replicator lets companies integrate data between Salesforce.com and two in-house databases: Oracle Corp.'s Database and Microsoft Corp.'s SQL Server.
Informatica, best-known for its PowerCenter suite of enterprise data integration software, first announced that they were working on this on-demand service last year.
The service requires only the use of Web browser to configure. It can be used by IT staff or business users, and setup can be completed in less than an hour, according to John Hegstrom, director of product management for Informatica On Demand.
"You don't need to write any code, you don't need to install any developer tools," he said.
Informatica will add connectivity to other databases such as IBM's DB2 and MySQL if there appears to be customer demand, Hegstrom added.
Peter O'Kelly, an analyst at Salt Lake City-based Burton Group Inc., said the product appears to be the first of its kind in the market. He said that's key for Informatica, which is one of the few pure-play data integration vendors left. Database vendors such as Microsoft, Oracle, Sybase and IBM are tightly tying strong data integration products into their database offerings.
Data Replicator, which costs US$1,500 a month, is being offered as a 30-day free trial. The system "will be the first of many services in our on-demand strategy," Hegstrom said. Those are likely to include connecting more different SaaS applications to additional on-premise applications, and could involve, for instance, a data quality service, said Hegstrom.
Hegstrom, a former Salesforce.com executive recruited to Informatica last summer, said comparing the Data Replicator with PowerCenter involves "apples to oranges" because the latter offers so many more features. He said while cannibalization of PowerCenter sales is "certainly possible," he also felt the two solutions targeted different needs and buyers within companies.