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SAP PowerDesigner vs erwin Data Modeler comparison

 
Comparison Buyer's Guide
Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 23, 2025
Review summaries and opinions
We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 ROI
Sentiment score
4.5
erwin Data Modeler improves efficiency, architecture documentation, and data governance, offering productivity gains and cost-effective solutions without precise ROI measurement.
Sentiment score
3.4
SAP PowerDesigner users report a 43% ROI, with improved efficiency and quick returns outweighing licensing costs.
It replaces manual charting in Visio with a structured tool, providing significant return on investment.
Data Architect at a energy/utilities company with 10,001+ employees
I cannot put a number on it, but if you think about developing software manually or using a tool to generate software and considering the license cost of SAP PowerDesigner, the ROI is pretty positive relatively quick because it's not that expensive.
Data Solution Consultant | Owner at a non-tech company with 1-10 employees
 Customer Service
Sentiment score
6.1
Erwin Data Modeler support is valued for expertise and proactive communication, despite occasional inconsistencies and regional presence limitations.
Sentiment score
5.8
SAP PowerDesigner support is efficient but has issues with slow response times, complex systems, and accessibility concerns.
The quality and speed of their support are excellent; everyone is very helpful, and they can solve problems quickly.
Senior Data Scientist at a consultancy with 10,001+ employees
Quest is committed to keeping the product robust.
Data Architect at a energy/utilities company with 10,001+ employees
Erwin Data Modeler requirements function at a standard level.
Data Modeler at Capgemini
It relies heavily on VBScript, which is something that will be end of life in a few years in Windows.
Data Solution Consultant | Owner at a non-tech company with 1-10 employees
Regarding technical support, after a recent licensing issue caused a temporary halt, we realized the importance of tracking licensing and version updates to avoid future disruptions in service.
Engineer at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
Until I get 16.7 and complete the migration, I'm not getting any help from them.
Principal Architect at Sopra Steria
 Scalability Issues
Sentiment score
6.6
Erwin Data Modeler efficiently scales for diverse environments, integrating with databases and supporting large data volumes with adaptability.
Sentiment score
7.3
SAP PowerDesigner is highly scalable, effectively supporting varied team sizes and models, with generally positive feedback on its performance.
I would rate it probably a nine, making it a leader in data modeling.
Data Architect at a energy/utilities company with 10,001+ employees
erwin Data Modeler had a very good standardization infrastructure and supported a controlled multi-user environment with check-ins and check-outs.
Data Metrics Engineer at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
Regarding scalability, erwin Data Modeler is performing well; from a few tables to 100 tables, it is working effectively so far.
Senior Data Scientist at a consultancy with 10,001+ employees
Currently, there are no scalability limitations in SAP PowerDesigner, allowing us to create numerous data models for various projects.
Engineer at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
The scalability of SAP PowerDesigner is very good.
Senior Advisor-Data Modeling at Suncor Energy
Our main objective is to upgrade to the supported version and be able to do whatever we are doing at the moment.
Principal Architect at Sopra Steria
 Stability Issues
Sentiment score
5.5
Erwin Data Modeler is stable but faces performance issues with large databases; appreciated for support and data governance evolution.
Sentiment score
7.0
SAP PowerDesigner is generally stable, though challenges may arise with remote access, complex models, and specific configurations.
This lack of an auto-save methodology can be improved so that if a system crash occurs, work can be saved and rework can be avoided.
Data Modeler at Capgemini
New versions often introduce enhanced features but may cause model crashes due to memory exhaustion.
Data Architect at a energy/utilities company with 10,001+ employees
Sometimes when I want to open the attribute editor, it stops working and the whole application freezes.
Senior Data Scientist at a consultancy with 10,001+ employees
If you use a lot of customizations, especially using VBScript, it becomes less stable.
Data Solution Consultant | Owner at a non-tech company with 1-10 employees
This may lead to frequent downtimes requiring server maintenance; thus, it is not suitable for highly complex solutions, but moderate complexities can be handled.
Engineer at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
The product is reliable.
Principal Architect at Sopra Steria
 Room For Improvement
Erwin Data Modeler requires better big data support, improved usability, enhanced integration, and dynamic reporting features for performance optimization.
SAP PowerDesigner faces challenges with high pricing, limited database integration, poor usability, and inadequate collaboration, requiring improvements.
There are many features, and I would expect good documentation detailing each feature, including when and how to use it, to be very useful because data modeling is not very popular in the data area and there aren't many educational videos regarding erwin Data Modeler.
Senior Data Scientist at a consultancy with 10,001+ employees
Erwin Data Modeler could improve in areas such as the interface, as there are features like copy and paste, creating duplicates, and the visualization elements and toolbars which feel quite old.
Data Modeler at Capgemini
Limited support for NoSQL or streaming systems.
Data Metrics Engineer at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
SAP PowerDesigner does not have a cloud option. It's only on-premise.
Data Solution Consultant | Owner at a non-tech company with 1-10 employees
I would like to see a feature added to SAP PowerDesigner where, upon extracting data from a source, it automatically identifies relationships between tables.
Engineer at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
The web portal is unstable and does not work. It freezes up all the time.
Senior Advisor-Data Modeling at Suncor Energy
 Setup Cost
Erwin Data Modeler's pricing is high but justified by robust features, offering flexible licensing and predictable yearly maintenance.
SAP PowerDesigner pricing varies, manageable for large firms but costly for small consultancies, considering licensing and setup expenses.
It is more targeted toward an enterprise level since organizations looking to store business information and relationship values may consider the pricing.
Data Modeler at Capgemini
One issue is the cost, as it is a high-priced tool coming from SAP.
Engineer at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
 Valuable Features
erwin Data Modeler excels in database visualization, integration, versioning, and simplifies complex data management for improved communication and collaboration.
SAP PowerDesigner is praised for its data modeling, customization, user interface, and collaboration features enhancing data management efficiency.
One of the key aspects of data governance is defining the data dictionary and clearly identifying which data is accessible by whom and what is not accessible, particularly regarding PII-related data.
SPM at Infosys
The way the data is organized and you have a visual of that organization helps a great deal in terms of trying to remember what you did and trying to retrieve the information.
Data Metrics Engineer at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
One of the best aspects of the tool is its reverse engineering capability.
Data Architect at a energy/utilities company with 10,001+ employees
The best features of SAP PowerDesigner, from my perspective, are its ability to keep the connectivity between the source database and the new system, data redundancy and availability, and impact analysis.
Engineer at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
SAP PowerDesigner doesn't only allow you to model the structure of your database, but you can also model data mappings or data flows or lineage.
Data Solution Consultant | Owner at a non-tech company with 1-10 employees
What I appreciate best about SAP PowerDesigner is that it is a very detailed and comprehensive tool.
Senior Advisor-Data Modeling at Suncor Energy
 Categories and Ranking
erwin Data Modeler
Ranking in Enterprise Architecture Management
3rd
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.0
Number of Reviews
43
Ranking in other categories
Business Process Design (9th), Data Governance (13th)
SAP PowerDesigner
Ranking in Enterprise Architecture Management
4th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.3
Number of Reviews
39
Ranking in other categories
Metadata Management (4th)
 Mindshare comparison
As of November 2025, in the Enterprise Architecture Management category, the mindshare of erwin Data Modeler is 8.3%, down from 10.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SAP PowerDesigner is 7.7%, down from 8.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Enterprise Architecture Management Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
erwin Data Modeler8.3%
SAP PowerDesigner7.7%
Other84.0%
Enterprise Architecture Management
 Featured Reviews
Khadarvalli Phatan - PeerSpot reviewer
Data Modeler at Capgemini
Helps map data relationships and document business logic through exportable visual diagrams
I would rate the visualization feature in erwin Data Modeler a six out of ten because the visualization is somewhat poor and some of the features are not user-friendly. You need to spend more time to make it a framework. There are areas where erwin Data Modeler can improve, such as scrolling and zooming in and out to see any particular columns. The visualization is average to above average, but not great. Erwin Data Modeler could improve in areas such as the interface, as there are features like copy and paste, creating duplicates, and the visualization elements and toolbars which feel quite old. The user interface resembles a 1998 Windows structure, so that can be enhanced.
Kopparapu Venkatesh Prasad - PeerSpot reviewer
Engineer at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
Data modeling tool improves data management and decision-making efficiency
The lineage analysis helps my organization understand data dependencies at an enterprise level. As a SAP PowerDesigner developer, I monitor data across the organization, creating data models that reflect not just one data warehouse but comprehensive organizational information. If you have a small company, lineage helps track employee data across different areas such as finance and HR. Data governance prevents duplicate records, so when tracking employee details, SAP PowerDesigner highlights where data exists in various areas, helping ensure we only use the appropriate sources. This functionality allows us to assess the impact of data deletions effectively. I utilize the reverse engineering capabilities in SAP PowerDesigner. Reverse engineering is helpful, especially since I have colleagues new to SAP PowerDesigner. They often do not know which columns are available where. In SAP PowerDesigner, we can reverse engineer existing data from its source and identify errors in production. For instance, by using Ali's example, if an error arises, I can trace it back to the table and environment it originated from using the reverse engineering feature. The best features of SAP PowerDesigner, from my perspective, are its ability to keep the connectivity between the source database and the new system, data redundancy and availability, and impact analysis. The first feature acts as a bridge between systems. The second allows us to see what data is already available and what new data can be brought in. The third, impact analysis, helps determine how many tables will be affected if a specific table is deleted. This critical point allows us to capture how much data will be lost if any table is removed. Currently, these features shape my daily work. SAP PowerDesigner primarily benefits business management units by offering three types of data modeling structures: conceptual, logical, and physical models. The conceptual model communicates high-level insights to top executives, while logical and physical models address complex queries faced by developers in analytics. SAP PowerDesigner enhances the clarity of our data management significantly, as around 80% of data can be searched quickly and maintained in our SAP systems. The tool enables mapping from end to end, making my work faster and more efficient than using other ER data modeling solutions. The interface allows easy creation of data models and searching for existing data, ensuring I can complete my tasks significantly quicker. The importance of SAP PowerDesigner's collaboration capabilities lies in fostering a unified data management approach. It acts as a unified tool, preventing the duplication of existing data in analytical processes, thus saving both effort and storage costs, which is essential for effective data management. We utilize collaboration capabilities in SAP PowerDesigner with various source systems such as PG admin, Postgres, Oracle, and Snowflake. Recently, we have added Snowflake for cloud data modeling and POC work, streamlining the collaboration process across different systems.
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 Answers from the Community
SN
Works at personal
Nov 30, 2021
Nov 30, 2021
15 years ago was the one time I chose to use PowerDesigner over Erwin Data Modeler was for a project where we have hundreds of pl/sql ETL scripts that needed to be run in a specific order for specific tables. PowerDesigner had the ability to store the pl/sql within the data model and prioritize/order the script run sequence. This meant that we could count on PowerDesigner to automatically gene...
See 2 answers
EB
Director of Community at PeerSpot (formerly IT Central Station)
Nov 29, 2021
Hi @George McGeachie, @Carel Van Der Merwe, @Peter Vlekkekn, @Tracy Hautenen Kriel , @Sharon Allen, @Jose Luis Leon ​and @Pam Rivera, Can you please share your professional opinion/experience with our community?
TH
Architecture Sr. Manager, Data Design & Metadata Mgmt at a insurance company with 10,001+ employees
Nov 30, 2021
15 years ago was the one time I chose to use PowerDesigner over Erwin Data Modeler was for a project where we have hundreds of pl/sql ETL scripts that needed to be run in a specific order for specific tables. PowerDesigner had the ability to store the pl/sql within  the data model and prioritize/order the script run sequence. This meant that we could count on PowerDesigner to automatically generate the ddl and pl/sql code in the correct run order, rather than manually maintaining a spreadsheet with the script order and running each script manually, a VERY labor intensive process. I don't know if PowerDesigner still has that capability.  With all of the ways we have to program and perform ETL, Erwin Data Modeler has been my tool of choice for any other project throughout the years. Protecting intellectual property and transparently sharing data model information with other modelers by saving the the models in a centralized location (i.e. Model Mart) is important for any company. Making the data model diagrams transparently accessible via Web Portal is another important step in ensuring both technical and business users understand the structure and relationships of the data contains within a data store. Lastly, making the data model metadata available via the Erwin Data Intelligence Suite enables both technical and business users to completely understand everything about the data and data store: Business Glossary, Reference Data, Governance, Data Quality, Data Mapping, and especially automating data lineage and impact analysis.
 Top Industries
By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
18%
Government
9%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Computer Software Company
7%
Financial Services Firm
23%
Government
11%
Computer Software Company
7%
Manufacturing Company
7%
 Company Size
By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business14
Midsize Enterprise3
Large Enterprise32
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business18
Midsize Enterprise6
Large Enterprise18
 Questions from the Community
What do you like most about erwin Data Modeler by Quest?
Forward engineering, DDL generation, reverse engineering, and reporting are the most valuable features of the solution.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for erwin Data Modeler by Quest?
Regarding pricing, I am unsure what the exact price is for erwin Data Modeler, but I believe it is not useful for an individual. It is more targeted toward an enterprise level since organizations l...
What needs improvement with erwin Data Modeler by Quest?
I would rate the visualization feature in erwin Data Modeler a six out of ten because the visualization is somewhat poor and some of the features are not user-friendly. You need to spend more time ...
What do you like most about SAP PowerDesigner?
It allows us to have proper documentation in terms of the databases.
What needs improvement with SAP PowerDesigner?
It was a long time back when my company purchased it, but I am now participating in upgrading it to the latest version. I found customer support to be tedious during the upgrade process to the late...
 Also Known As
erwin DM
Sybase PowerDesigner
 Overview
 Sample Customers
 Premera, America Honda Motors, Aetna, Kaiser Permanente, Dental Dental Cali, Cigna, Staples
Medtronic, Cirque du Soleil, Antarc, B&G Manufacturing, EarlySense, eBay, Ferrero, James Austin Company, Lenovo, Sagem, RAK Ceramics, Vodafone
Find out what your peers are saying about SAP PowerDesigner vs. erwin Data Modeler and other solutions. Updated: November 2025.
875,455 professionals have used our research since 2012.