

SAP PowerDesigner and erwin Data Modeler compete in the data modeling category, with SAP PowerDesigner having an edge due to its comprehensive database documentation and integration capabilities.
Features: SAP PowerDesigner offers customizable data model validation, reverse engineering for thorough documentation, and seamless transformation from conceptual to physical data models. It integrates well with Microsoft environments and has robust capabilities for data modeling and impact analysis. Erwin Data Modeler excels in effective visualization, ease of making global changes, and support for both forward and reverse engineering processes. Its ability to handle large data models efficiently makes it well-suited for complex data environments.
Room for Improvement: SAP PowerDesigner could benefit from enhanced cloud options, a less complex repository system, improved integration with open-source technologies, and better visualization in BPMN modeling. Connectivity on web portals also needs improvement. Erwin Data Modeler faces challenges with the Complete Compare feature, client performance, and complex model merging. It requires better support for big data platforms like Hadoop and Hive, and could improve user-friendliness and interface design.
Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Both SAP PowerDesigner and erwin Data Modeler primarily deploy on-premises, though SAP offers limited hybrid cloud options. SAP's customer service experiences mixed reviews, often citing slow response times and unresolved issues. Erwin also faces challenges in support responsiveness and the complexity involved in resolving technical issues.
Pricing and ROI: SAP PowerDesigner is seen as competitive but potentially expensive for small consultancies, offering straightforward but costly licensing. Despite high costs, it provides a positive ROI due to operational efficiencies. Erwin Data Modeler is often considered more expensive, suitable for enterprise use due to licensing costs. Both tools are noted for the value they deliver, with erwin's pricing perceived as high.
It replaces manual charting in Visio with a structured tool, providing significant return on investment.
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.
The quality and speed of their support are excellent; everyone is very helpful, and they can solve problems quickly.
Quest is committed to keeping the product robust.
Erwin Data Modeler requirements function at a standard level.
It relies heavily on VBScript, which is something that will be end of life in a few years in Windows.
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.
Until I get 16.7 and complete the migration, I'm not getting any help from them.
I would rate it probably a nine, making it a leader in data modeling.
erwin Data Modeler had a very good standardization infrastructure and supported a controlled multi-user environment with check-ins and check-outs.
Regarding scalability, erwin Data Modeler is performing well; from a few tables to 100 tables, it is working effectively so far.
Currently, there are no scalability limitations in SAP PowerDesigner, allowing us to create numerous data models for various projects.
The scalability of SAP PowerDesigner is very good.
Our main objective is to upgrade to the supported version and be able to do whatever we are doing at the moment.
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.
New versions often introduce enhanced features but may cause model crashes due to memory exhaustion.
Sometimes when I want to open the attribute editor, it stops working and the whole application freezes.
If you use a lot of customizations, especially using VBScript, it becomes less stable.
This may lead to frequent downtimes requiring server maintenance; thus, it is not suitable for highly complex solutions, but moderate complexities can be handled.
The product is reliable.
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.
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.
Limited support for NoSQL or streaming systems.
SAP PowerDesigner does not have a cloud option. It's only on-premise.
I would like to see a feature added to SAP PowerDesigner where, upon extracting data from a source, it automatically identifies relationships between tables.
The web portal is unstable and does not work. It freezes up all the time.
It is more targeted toward an enterprise level since organizations looking to store business information and relationship values may consider the pricing.
One issue is the cost, as it is a high-priced tool coming from SAP.
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.
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.
One of the best aspects of the tool is its reverse engineering capability.
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.
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.
What I appreciate best about SAP PowerDesigner is that it is a very detailed and comprehensive tool.
| Product | Market Share (%) |
|---|---|
| erwin Data Modeler | 8.3% |
| SAP PowerDesigner | 7.7% |
| Other | 84.0% |


| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 14 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 3 |
| Large Enterprise | 32 |
| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 18 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 6 |
| Large Enterprise | 18 |
Erwin Data Modeler provides an effective approach to visualizing and managing data models. It assists in creating, reversing, and synchronizing data models with ease, supporting logical and physical transitions while enhancing understanding across teams.
Erwin Data Modeler is a comprehensive tool designed for professional database management. It offers capabilities to organize and enforce standards, automating script generation with robust reverse engineering and DDL output. Users can manage complex data environments, capitalize on integration with data intelligence, and maintain large-scale databases smoothly. Despite its strengths, improvements in multi-language support, database integration, and reporting features are needed. Users benefit from extensive support for conceptual, logical, and physical database modeling, enhancing architectural design and data governance for platforms like SQL Server, Oracle, and Teradata.
What are the key features of Erwin Data Modeler?Erwin Data Modeler finds application in industries focused on robust data management, implementing it for enterprise data warehouses, business domain models, and operational systems. It supports architectural design and governance, aligning with business applications demanding precise data representation and visualization.
SAP PowerDesigner is a valuable solution for developing several different types of data models according to business process needs. Data models can be logical, conceptual, and physical, and can also include dimensional and relational models. PowerDesiger has the ability to integrate a designed business process model with the actual database design to ensure that all the data process steps are included in the logical model. PowerDesigner is able to use the physical model to create the actual database, and from there, design various physical iterations from a single logical model.
PowerDesigner can perform excellent reverse-engineering of existing databases to create a model diagram. The solution integrates well with many of today's most recognized database management systems (DBMS). Some of the solution’s featured outputs include custom or standard reports of every object in the design (relationships, field, and tables), design impact analysis, and entity-relationship (ER) designs.
PowerDesigner offers intuitive capabilities such as metadata management, link and sync, and data modeling. Users can instantly view architecture layers and essentials, access the robust metadata repository, and share findings with the user’s entire team.
SAP PowerDesigner Features
SAP PowerDesigner Benefits
Reviews from Real Users
“The most valuable feature of SAP PowerDesigner is the testing of the models, it has the best function. Reverse engineering is very helpful too. I use SAP PowerDesigner for data modeling and documentation. It interacts well with the other tools. Additionally, we use it for all of the business requirements, such as CDM and PDM.” - Saadat T., Emerging Cloud Solution Architect at a tech services company
“It's a great tool for documentation. A new data scientist can easily understand the data just by looking at it. Once you are managing your physical data with a logical data model, by looking at this data model, you can understand what it means, the business meaning of the elements which are maintained by the relational database.” - Michael R., DA
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