Alation VS Microsoft Purview
As of 4 November 2026, Microsoft Purview is named by 1,328 companies and Alation by 291; Alation skews to companies under 200 people (27% vs 26%), Microsoft Purview to companies over 1,000 (45% vs 52%).
As of 4 November 2026 · refreshed daily · counts move as websites, DNS and career sites are re-read.
The website-and-DNS footprint is not comparable between a marketing suite and a CRM: Alation's script and mail records show on hundreds of thousands of small sites, Microsoft Purview rarely leaves a trace outside its own apps. Compare on the job-posting numbers; use the footprint for reach.
- Alation: 2–200 employees
- 27%
- Microsoft Purview: 2–200 employees
- 26%
- Alation: 1,000+ employees
- 52%
- Microsoft Purview: 1,000+ employees
- 45%
- Postings per company, 90 days
- 2.6 · 2.5
- Website or DNS footprint
- 0 · 0
Who chooses which
Share of each tool's companies in every segment. "Leans" marks a gap of more than two points.
| Segment | Alation | share | Microsoft Purview | share | Leans |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Self-employed | 3 | 1% | 12 | 1% | even |
| 2-10 employees | 12 | 4% | 48 | 4% | even |
| 11-50 employees | 27 | 9% | 101 | 8% | even |
| 51-200 employees | 41 | 14% | 197 | 15% | even |
| 201-500 employees | 33 | 11% | 199 | 15% | Microsoft Purview |
| 501-1000 employees | 24 | 8% | 177 | 13% | Microsoft Purview |
| 1001-5000 employees | 68 | 23% | 279 | 21% | Alation |
| 5001-10000 employees | 23 | 8% | 104 | 8% | even |
| 10,001+ employees | 60 | 21% | 211 | 16% | Alation |
| Segment | Alation | share | Microsoft Purview | share | Leans |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Technology & software | 99 | 34% | 405 | 30% | Alation |
| Business & finance services | 78 | 27% | 370 | 28% | even |
| Manufacturing & industry | 43 | 15% | 164 | 12% | Alation |
| Health care | 13 | 4% | 54 | 4% | even |
| Utilities & infrastructure | 13 | 4% | 58 | 4% | even |
| Commerce & trade | 12 | 4% | 37 | 3% | even |
| Media & content | 7 | 2% | 20 | 2% | even |
| Hospitality & travel | 6 | 2% | 18 | 1% | even |
| Transport, logistics & rental | 6 | 2% | 31 | 2% | even |
| Consumer services & leisure | 5 | 2% | 36 | 3% | even |
| Public, community & associations | 4 | 1% | 74 | 6% | Microsoft Purview |
| Property & construction | 3 | 1% | 45 | 3% | Microsoft Purview |
| Segment | Alation | share | Microsoft Purview | share | Leans |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 196 | 67% | 736 | 55% | Alation |
| United Kingdom | 20 | 7% | 119 | 9% | Microsoft Purview |
| Canada | 10 | 3% | 69 | 5% | even |
| Australia | 8 | 3% | 35 | 3% | even |
| Germany | 8 | 3% | 61 | 5% | even |
| France | 7 | 2% | 35 | 3% | even |
| Spain | 6 | 2% | 17 | 1% | even |
| Brazil | 4 | 1% | 16 | 1% | even |
| Belgium | 3 | 1% | 16 | 1% | even |
| Portugal | 3 | 1% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Switzerland | 2 | 1% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| India | 2 | 1% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Netherlands | – | – | 31 | 2% | outside top 12 |
| Sweden | – | – | 22 | 2% | outside top 12 |
| Denmark | – | – | 12 | 1% | outside top 12 |
| Segment | Alation | share | Microsoft Purview | share | Leans |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data & AI | 682 | 76% | 1,147 | 29% | Alation |
| Product, program & project management | 53 | 6% | 57 | 1% | Alation |
| IT operations & business systems | 25 | 3% | 1,838 | 47% | Microsoft Purview |
| Software engineering | 21 | 2% | 76 | 2% | even |
| General management & consulting | 19 | 2% | 52 | 1% | even |
| Legal, compliance & risk | 6 | 1% | 49 | 1% | even |
| Customer service & success | 4 | 0% | 11 | 0% | even |
| Sales | 4 | 0% | 97 | 2% | Microsoft Purview |
| Marketing & communications | 3 | 0% | 11 | 0% | even |
| Engineering (non-software) | 2 | 0% | 34 | 1% | even |
| Business development & strategy | 1 | 0% | 10 | 0% | even |
| Design & UX | 1 | 0% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Finance & accounting | 1 | 0% | 7 | 0% | even |
| Human resources | 1 | 0% | 5 | 0% | even |
| Quality, safety & environment | 1 | 0% | 2 | 0% | even |
| Administration & office | – | – | 15 | 0% | outside top 12 |
| Facilities cleaning and security | – | – | 13 | 0% | outside top 12 |
| Unclassified | – | – | 8 | 0% | outside top 12 |
| Research and science | – | – | 5 | 0% | outside top 12 |
| Education & training | – | – | 3 | 0% | outside top 12 |
| Construction and civil | – | – | 2 | 0% | outside top 12 |
| Healthcare clinical | – | – | 2 | 0% | outside top 12 |
| Arts media and entertainment | – | – | 1 | 0% | outside top 12 |
| Logistics warehouse and transport | – | – | 1 | 0% | outside top 12 |
| Skilled trades and field service | – | – | 1 | 0% | outside top 12 |
| Social care and community | – | – | 1 | 0% | outside top 12 |
The companies behind each column
Companies using Alation →
Companies using Microsoft Purview →
data governance quality mdm ranked →
Quote the sentence with the date and the link. The numbers change daily; the link always shows the current ones.
Microsoft Purview is named by 1,328 companies in job postings and Alation by 291; 185 name both. (Breaknorm, 4 November 2026, https://breaknorm.co/compare/alation-vs-microsoft-purview)
Read from the source, not self-reported
Every number on this page can be traced to a page we crawled or a posting we read. Full methodology →
- Job postingsRead hourly from career sites. A tool counts when the employer's own text names it as the team's system; both tools can count for one company.
- Website and DNSScripts and embeds on the company's pages, plus SPF, DKIM, MX and CNAME records of its domain that point at the vendor.
- SegmentsCountry, size and industry from the company profile built from its website.
- Not a reviewNo ratings, prices or feature claims. For those, read the vendors.
Alation vs Microsoft Purview: questions
Which is more used, Alation or Microsoft Purview?
By companies naming it in their own job postings, Microsoft Purview (1,328) over Alation (291). By website-and-DNS footprint, Microsoft Purview (0 vs 0), because its scripts and mail records sit on many small company sites.
Who chooses Alation?
27% of Alation companies have 2 to 200 employees, against 26% for Microsoft Purview. 52% of Alation companies have over 1,000 employees, against 45% for Microsoft Purview.
Do companies run both?
185 companies name both in their postings, usually Alation in marketing and Microsoft Purview in sales, or during a migration.
Where do these numbers come from?
From the employer's own text in job postings read hourly from career sites, and from scripts found on company websites in our crawl. No vendor data, no surveys.
Get either list your way
The same data as a search, over MCP and the API, as bulk files, or pushed to you as it changes.
Every company on either tool,
with the person who owns it
Filter on Alation or Microsoft Purview. Start free, no card.