LeanIX vs erwin Data Modeler by Quest comparison

erwin by Quest and SAP LeanIX are both solutions in the Enterprise Architecture Management category. erwin by Quest is ranked #3 with an average rating of 8.1, while SAP LeanIX is ranked #1 with an average rating of 8.3. erwin by Quest holds a 10.9% mindshare in AM, compared to SAP LeanIX’s 16.3% mindshare. Additionally, 95% of erwin by Quest users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 95% of SAP LeanIX users who would recommend it.

erwin Data Modeler by Quest

Read 39 erwin Data Modeler by Quest reviews

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2,219 Comparison Views

95% willing to recommend

LeanIX

Read 21 LeanIX reviews

6,018 Views
3,195 Comparison Views

95% willing to recommend

erwin Data Modeler by Quest

LeanIX

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 3, 2024

LeanIX and erwin Data Modeler by Quest are leading tools in enterprise architecture and data modeling, respectively. LeanIX stands out with its user-friendly approach and quick ROI, while erwin is known for its robust data modeling capabilities.

Features: LeanIX offers user-friendly interfaces for technical and non-technical users, enabling easy mapping of fact sheets and extensive customization. It provides powerful reporting and visualization, along with seamless integration with platforms like ServiceNow and Technopedia. Erwin Data Modeler excels in logical and physical data modeling, offering reverse engineering, versioning, and model synchronization to maintain database consistency across diverse environments.

Room for Improvement: LeanIX users suggest expanding its reporting capabilities, enhancing API integration and documentation, and improving data import functionalities. They also cite the high cost of third-party integrations as a concern. Erwin Data Modeler's users point to its outdated interface, less intuitive reporting, and poor integration with modern data platforms like big data, alongside sluggish performance on large models and a cumbersome comparison tool.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: LeanIX, being cloud-based, facilitates rapid deployment and easy scaling, coupled with excellent customer support through dedicated success managers. Erwin Data Modeler is primarily on-premises, which may hinder deployment in dynamic environments. While offering strong technical support, challenges arise in updating and managing complex setups.

Pricing and ROI: LeanIX's pricing is based on application count and may seem costly, but it delivers quick ROI through significant cost savings. Its competitive pricing model aligns well with its extensive functionality. Erwin Data Modeler is generally more expensive, especially with its concurrent licensing options, targeting specific user groups and providing value due to its robustness. However, its ROI may take longer to realize compared to LeanIX.

To learn more, read our detailed LeanIX vs. erwin Data Modeler by Quest Report (Updated: April 2025).

Buyer's Guide

LeanIX vs. erwin Data Modeler by Quest

April 2025

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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

erwin Data Modeler by Quest

Ranking in Enterprise Architecture Management

3rd

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Business Process Design (9th)

LeanIX

Ranking in Enterprise Architecture Management

1st

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Enterprise Architecture Management category, the mindshare of erwin Data Modeler by Quest is 10.9%, up from 9.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of LeanIX is 16.3%, up from 13.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Enterprise Architecture Management

Featured Reviews

JorgeSanz

Data Governance Senior Advisor at Abu Dhabi National Oil Company

Streamline data modeling and automate network changes for increased efficiency

The initial setup depends on the tool if you are using the data model environment. Stopping the server could be complex and require strong expertise. If you have everything set up and configured, Erwin is straightforward. You can deploy it in a few hours. In our case, it took a couple of months to address internal conditions, assign machines, and set up everything for the services. I rate the initial setup a six out of ten, where one is difficult and ten is easy.

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Umit Sengul

Enterprise Architect at E.ON

A platform that facilitates efficient IT architecture management and integration, improving organizational coordination and decision-making

LeanIX is primarily used to create and manage architectural models, link capabilities, activities, and products and generate comprehensive reports. It serves as a central platform for overseeing the IT landscape within EON, a large organization, streamlining operations and enhancing governance…

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Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"It's important to create standard templates — Erwin is good at that — and you can customize them. You can create a standard template so that your models have the same look and feel. And then, anyone using the tool is using the same font and the same general layout. erwin's very good at helping enforce that."

"It provides flexibility with the code. You can change the code as you want. Basically, you can change SQL based on what's best for your project."

"One of the best aspects of the tool is its reverse engineering capability."

"The generation of DDL saved us having to write the steps by hand. You still had to go in and make some minor modifications to make it deployable to the database system. However, for the data lineage, it is very valuable for tracing our use of data, especially personal confidential data through different systems."

"Any tool will do diagramming but I think the ability to put the stuff up in a graphical fashion, then think about it, and keep things consistent is what's valuable about it. It's too easy when you're using other methods to not have naming consistent standards and column consistent definitions, et cetera."

"It has centralized storage so that a data model can be shared by different teams."

"We use the Forward and Reverse Engineering tools to help us speed things up and create things that would have to be done otherwise by hand. E.g., getting a database into a data model format or vice versa."

"The most valuable features are being able to visualize the data in the diagrams and transform those diagrams into physical database deployments. These features help, specifically, to integrate the data. When the source data is accumulated and modeled, the target model is in erwin and it helps resolve the data integration patterns that are required to map the data to accommodate a model."

More erwin Data Modeler by Quest pros

"For the reporting capabilities, LeanIX provides dashboards for different levels, including CXO dashboards. There are plenty of dashboards for reporting."

"We've been able to develop some nice looking reports, and the dashboard's capability to map is very easy compared to Enterprise Architect."

"Ease of use is the most valuable feature. From an enterprise architecture perspective, it's not too cumbersome with too many functionalities, yet it has a lot of attributes for the content it covers."

"Among the most valuable features are the easy-to-use interface and the ability to get quick results... Many tools that I have seen are great for technical people and for giving technical and business information as well, but they're not as friendly and easy as LeanIX... It works well for both technical and business users. It provides a good combination, enabling you to quickly put valuable information in for both technical and non-technical people and derive results."

"Interfaces well with downstream systems of data."

"The most valuable features include the reporting capabilities and the LeanIX Academy's educational resources."

"LeanIX has a great application information architecture."

"My favorite feature of LeanIX is its ability to induct attribute-driven surveys."

More LeanIX pros

Cons

"The report generation has room for improvement. I think it was version 8 where you had to use Crystal Reports, and it was so painful that the company I was with just stayed on version 7 until version 9 came out and they restored the data browser. That's better than it was, but it's still a little cumbersome. For example, you run it in erwin, then export it out to Excel, and then you have to do a lot of cosmetic modification. If you discover that you missed a column, then you would have to rerun the whole thing. Sometimes what you would do is just go ahead and fix it in the report, then you have to remember to go back and fix it in the model. Therefore, I think the report generation still could use some work."

"I would like to see more support for working with the big-data world. There are so many new databases evolving and it's very hard for them to keep up with all of the new technologies. It would be good if they were able to dynamically support big-data platforms, other than Hive and Teradata."

"The solution's reporting side needs to be improved."

"The modeling product itself is far and above anything else that I've seen on the market. There are certain inconsistencies when it comes to keeping up with other platforms' databases in the reverse-engineering process. It should also support more database platforms."

"In terms of new features, it would be great to have a cloud base. We should be able to put it on the cloud for better collaboration and data models sharing."

"I would like to see improved reporting and, potentially, dashboards built on top of that. Right now, it's a little manual. More automated reporting and dashboard views would help because currently you have to push things out to a spreadsheet, or to HTML, and there aren't many other options that I know of. I would like to be able to produce graphs and additional things right in the tool, instead of having to export the data somewhere else."

"I'd really like to see the PDF function become available. It would make my life much easier than what it is at the moment because whenever I need to collaborate with people that do not have erwin, I have to go through the wonkiness of going to Word and then save it from Word into PDF. There's a lot of differences between erwin 4.4 and 2020."

"I find the UI very clunky and very difficult to use. If I add columns to a table the whole workflow could be so much easier. I get frustrated using it. I've tried other tools. I've tried to get off of erwin a few times. I always come back to it because every tool has its own set of problems, and it seems like if I have to pick my poison, I stay with erwin. But so many things that are clunky with it."

More erwin Data Modeler by Quest cons

"They should improve the out of the box connectors that they provide. They should see if clients are really ready to adapt them."

"The initial setup has room for improvement."

"What would make LeanIX better is more variety in terms of reporting, and more flexibility with its data importing feature."

"Another area for improvement is that when you're starting to look into more advanced information, using the solution's APIs and its customizations, documentation for that specific aspect is not very good. There is not too much support built into the offering for that aspect, for a developer."

"They're probably positioned pretty well. I hope that they would not focus that much on the business architecture, and they would focus more on the overall cloud strategy and how we can leverage multi-cloud and transition back and forth from other cloud providers. With a lot of current vendors, you get locked in with one cloud, and then you try to migrate to someone else, and it becomes very problematic. What they need to do is to look at the overall data strategy, and they probably need to amplify their data strategy, especially around multi-cloud."

"LeanIX should improve its support services."

"Not a ten because you always have that gap between complexity and easy to use. And the more complex the tool becomes, the more difficult it is to get the usability."

"I find LeanIX's pricing expensive for the functionality it offers. However, with the acquisition by SAP, the pricing might become more affordable due to scale and tiered application pricing. Currently, it offers different tiers for the first 400 applications: 400 to 600 and 600 to 1,000, making it expensive from a pricing standpoint."

More LeanIX cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I wish it wasn't so expensive. I would love to personally buy a copy of my own and have it at home, because the next job that I'm looking at is probably project management and I might not have access to the tool. I would like to keep my ability to use the tool. Therefore, they should probably have a pricing for people like me who want to just use the solution as an independent consultant, trying to get started. $3,000 is a big hit."

"I don't specifically know what we're paying now. About three years ago, in another organization, I have this memory of 6,000 AUD a seat or something like that, but I am not sure. In the mid-2000s, it was something like 1,200 AUD a seat. I get the impression that there was a price jump when it was spun off from CA as a separate company, which is understandable, but it could sometimes be a barrier in some organizations picking it up. I haven't talked to erwin people yet, but I'm going to suggest to them that they could perhaps think of having an entry-level product that is priced a bit lower, and then, you can buy the extra suite."

"erwin has this option where you pay a one-time fee and you have the license for six years, which makes sense because I don't upgrade my database engine every other year. I have an application that depends on it. This is something weird about PowerDesigner. There are no additional costs beyond the standard licensing fee."

"erwin is expensive compared to other solutions. We are paying almost $6,000 per seat a month."

"Price-wise, erwin Data Modeler is okay. You can purchase a single license and it is not very expensive."

"erwin Data Modeler by Quest is an expensive solution."

"The solution is expensive."

"Likewise, the solution is a little pricey."

More erwin Data Modeler by Quest pricing and cost advice

"I would rate the pricing a one out of ten, where one is cheap, and ten is expensive."

"The tool needs to include more flexible licensing options. We do not use the tool all the time. So pricing should be considered only when we use the tool."

"The pricing is very good. We definitely get good value for the money."

"There is a sweet spot of where they need to be on pricing right now. They could go up a little bit in pricing, but it has to do with the cost savings, and it has to do with the practitioners using it. I use it where I get cost savings and I can justify it, but they probably have the ability to flex a 10% up channel on their sales on that. So, they could increase their settle price, not their offering price, when they sell. They can probably hold that up a little bit higher than it is because there are cost savings that we can drive from it."

"LeanIX uses application-based account licensing, where the cost is multiplied by the number of applications in the software implementation."

"As the tool is cloud-based, its cost is more affordable."

"It cost me $91,000 a year for 300 applications. For any enterprise, 300 applications are minimal, as many have well over 1,000 applications."

"The solution's pricing is based on a licensing model that is competitive and in line with other products."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

19%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Government

Computer Software Company

Financial Services Firm

13%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Computer Software Company

11%

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

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.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for erwin Data Modeler by Quest?

The product is expensive. I rate the product’s pricing a nine out of ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive.

See all answers

What needs improvement with erwin Data Modeler by Quest?

As a documenting tool, it's solid, though its reporting could be more robust. The reporting mechanisms could be more intuitive regarding report creation. It can generate reports in CSV files, displ...

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Any experience with Strategic Project Portfolio Management Solutions?

Hi @Cheryl Joseph Looking at the crossover between Project and Portfolio management with EA, then Planview could be a good choice. If looking at Portfolio Management from an EA perspective then Le...

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What do you like most about LeanIX?

The ability to import data and generate reports from it. That's where its power lies.

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for LeanIX?

LeanIX is associated with high costs. It cost me $91,000 a year for 300 applications. For any enterprise, 300 applications are minimal, as many have well over 1,000 applications. The first pricing ...

See all answers

Comparisons

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Compared 30% of the time

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Compared 18% of the time

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Compared 15% of the time

Visio vs erwin Data Modeler by Quest

Compared 8% of the time

Visual Paradigm vs erwin Data Modeler by Quest

Compared 2% of the time

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ServiceNow vs LeanIX

Compared 22% of the time

Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect vs LeanIX

Compared 13% of the time

MEGA HOPEX vs LeanIX

Compared 10% of the time

SAP PowerDesigner vs LeanIX

Compared 8% of the time

erwin Evolve by Quest vs LeanIX

Compared 2% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

erwin Data Modeler by Quest

April 2025

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Buyer's Guide

LeanIX

April 2025

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Also Known As

erwin DM

No data available

Overview

erwin pioneered data modeling, and erwin Data Modeler (erwin DM) remains trusted, award-winning software for data modeling and database design, automating complex and time-consuming tasks. Use it to discover and document any data from anywhere for consistency, clarity and artifact reuse across large-scale data integration, master data management, metadata management, Big Data, business intelligence and analytics initiatives – all while supporting data governance and intelligence efforts.

erwin by Quest

LeanIX delivers collaborative Enterprise Architecture designed for modern IT. Our open, data-driven architecture management model helps organizations adapt to the evolving demands of digital. From agile to multi-cloud and beyond, architecture teams using LeanIX have the power to strategically support the business and report 45% reduction in time to value delivery. More than 90,000 users across enterprises worldwide rely on LeanIX to manage their IT landscape, including adidas, Bosch, 7Eleven, and Zalando.

SAP LeanIX

Sample Customers

Premera, America Honda Motors, Aetna, Kaiser Permanente, Dental Dental Cali, Cigna, Staples

adidas, Bosch, Chico's, Haworth, Helvetia, KuKa, Osram, Telekom, TUI, Santander, Swarovski, Vaillant, 7Eleven, and Zalando.

Buyer's Guide

LeanIX vs. erwin Data Modeler by Quest

April 2025

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