If you mean massive-scale migration from on-prem databases/files/mainframes into a cloud data lake/warehouse, my default enterprise recommendation would be Qlik Talend Data Integration (formerly Qlik Replicate/Talend), with Informatica IDMC as the strongest alternative.
My shortlist
| Tool | Best fit | My take |
|---|
| Qlik Talend Data Integration | Massive on-prem → cloud migration, CDC, heterogeneous environments | My #1 for your scenario |
| Informatica IDMC | Very large enterprises needing integration + governance + data quality + MDM | #1 if governance is paramount |
| Fivetran | Cloud-first ELT, lots of SaaS/databases, minimal engineering | Excellent, but I'd scrutinize economics at extreme volumes |
| **Microsoft Fabric / Azure Data Factory | Azure-centric enterprise | Very compelling if you're already heavily invested in Microsoft |
| **AWS Glue / DMS | AWS-centric environments | Strong when AWS is the strategic cloud |
| Matillion | Cloud warehouse/lakehouse ELT | Excellent cloud-native option, less compelling for complex legacy migration |
Why I'd lean Qlik Talend
For a migration of very large on-prem datasets, the critical capability isn't simply "ELT." It's high-throughput data movement + CDC + initial bulk load + ongoing synchronization.
Qlik Talend's Data Movement capability specifically supports on-prem-to-cloud movement, including full loads and log-based CDC, while keeping the data movement gateway close to the source. It supports targets including Snowflake, Databricks, BigQuery, Redshift, Azure Synapse and Microsoft Fabric.
An especially attractive architectural property is that the on-prem gateway initiates outbound connections, so you don't have to expose your databases to the public internet.
For a migration, I'd architect it roughly as:
ON-PREMISES
┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐
│ Oracle │ │ SQL │ │ Mainframe│
│ │ │ Server │ │ / Files │
└────┬─────┘ └────┬─────┘ └────┬─────┘
│ │ │
└─────────────┼─────────────┘
▼
Qlik Data Movement
Gateway
│
Full Load + CDC
│
▼
┌───────────────────┐
│ Cloud Lake/Warehouse│
│ Snowflake / │
│ Databricks / etc. │
└─────────┬─────────┘
│
▼
ELT / Transform
│
▼
Analytics / AI
The important distinction is that initial migration and ongoing replication are different problems. You want the tool to do the enormous initial load efficiently and then switch to CDC so you don't repeatedly move terabytes/petabytes unnecessarily.
Qlik currently positions its platform for ELT, ETL, batch and real-time integration, with CDC and transformation capabilities in the same platform.
When I'd choose Informatica instead
I'd pick Informatica IDMC over Qlik Talend if this is really an enterprise-wide integration modernization program, rather than primarily a data migration.
For example, if you also need:
- Data quality
- Master data management
- Data catalog/governance
- Hundreds of heterogeneous applications
- Complex ETL/ELT
- API/application integration
- Multi-cloud integration
- Extensive business-user tooling
- Long-term enterprise data management
Informatica explicitly supports ETL, ELT, replication and CDC, across cloud and on-prem/hybrid environments.
One important caveat about Fivetran
Fivetran is arguably the easiest answer if you say "we want modern ELT and don't want to operate pipelines." But for massive on-prem migrations, I'd benchmark it very carefully against Qlik/Informatica.
At hundreds of terabytes or petabytes, connector efficiency, CDC behavior, network utilization, initial-load performance, and consumption-based pricing can dominate the decision. The "easiest" tool isn't necessarily the cheapest or fastest at enormous scale.
Bottom line
For your exact wording — "massive amounts of data from on-premise systems to the cloud" — I'd start with Qlik Talend Data Integration.
If you tell me (1) source systems (Oracle, SQL Server, SAP, mainframe, etc.), (2) target cloud (AWS/Azure/GCP), (3) target technology (Snowflake/Databricks/BigQuery/etc.), and approximately how much data (10 TB, 500 TB, 10 PB…), I can give you a much more definitive Qlik vs Informatica vs Fivetran vs native cloud tooling recommendation, including the architecture I'd use.
Qlik currently positions its platform for ELT, ETL, batch and real-time integration, with CDC and transformation capabilities in the same platform.
When I'd choose Informatica instead
I'd pick Informatica IDMC over Qlik Talend if this is really an enterprise-wide integration modernization program, rather than primarily a data migration.
For example, if you also need: