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IDERA ER/Studio vs PTC Windchill comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

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

IDERA ER/Studio
Ranking in Enterprise Architecture Management
9th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
38
Ranking in other categories
Database Development and Management (15th)
PTC Windchill
Ranking in Enterprise Architecture Management
21st
Average Rating
5.0
Reviews Sentiment
5.4
Number of Reviews
1
Ranking in other categories
Engineering Process (2nd), PLM Tools (1st)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2025, in the Enterprise Architecture Management category, the mindshare of IDERA ER/Studio is 4.3%, up from 4.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of PTC Windchill is 0.5%, down from 0.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Enterprise Architecture Management
 

Featured Reviews

Aaron Cutshall - PeerSpot reviewer
Used for data modeling and has a scripting language to write your own scripts
The solution has streamlined our data modeling processes quite a bit. It's a central focus in our data modeling and data cataloging efforts. The tool's reverse engineering capability to bring in existing database structures and create models from them has benefitted our data architecture needs. With the tool's data dictionary capability, we're able to maintain consistency in our models, name use, and actual data domains. The solution's reverse engineering helps with understanding legacy databases. In fact, I've been asked to reverse-engineer several more legacy databases so that we can have them modeled and cataloged. The solution is deployed on the cloud server, but it’s only within our network. The solution has a lot of capabilities. I like the fact that it has a scripting language that allows you to automate and write your own scripts. I think that's been a big bonus for us. I highly recommend the solution because of its capability for logical models, where you can put your business definitions and logic. While less expensive, some other tools can't do that. Overall, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.
JY
Pricy and tough to integrate with some solutions, though it provided essential support for workflows
Some parts of the system are exclusive, so we can't work with them. There are many programs, but ones from other companies' systems are hard to maintain. Though they are from the same neutral format, we cannot implement them. PTC Windchill should improve that. Moreover, the product is expensive. The scalability, stability, and the initial setup should be improved.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Straightforward setup."
"We use the solution to create data models which describe our company's data architecture"
"It was a very good tool at the time since it was complete."
"We found a lot of duplication, a lot of non-conformity in the way our databases were designed. By identifying these situations, we're able to go back in and try to create a more standardized solution."
"Data lineage tracking: It allows us to identify upstream and downstream systems using data."
"We have been able to quickly create models for our enterprise-wide databases, even when some of them are third-party databases."
"The reverse engineering is the most important feature."
"We can track changes to our data models and tie those changes back to specific tasks or efforts that we identify."
"I like how the product integrates with other technical solutions."
 

Cons

"The model diagram because very clumsy when you save it on the team server and the models are very big."
"when there are some links to the external databases, if this database is not structured it is not uploaded. It gives me errors and I cannot see the view that was created on this structure and I cannot change those views, even manually. It skips the views. I have to ignore those views. I cannot re-upload them because it gives me an error."
"It isn't easy to compare the thousands of tables in the model against the database. The tool should improve the synchronization within the large organization"
"The solution could be sped up, as it is a little slow (e.g., when it's doing its database compare)."
"I would like to see better documentation/help for the Data Architect tool. Creation of tutorials would be nice, as there are some features which are not as clearly defined as they should be."
"The solution's reporting could be improved because the report writer is terrible."
"The visual presentation is a little too colorful and seems that it is dumbed down."
"Whenever there is a new version, there are a lot of release notes on the technical side of it, but I would like to be told why are we doing the upgrade... What I would like to really see is how this benefits us from the business point of view. What are the real benefits that the user gets? I want some kind of way white paper. The release notes describe the technical enhancements but, from the layman's point of view, if someone asks me what are the business benefits of this upgrade, I don't have any documentation to explain it to the business."
"Some parts of the system are exclusive, so we can't work with them."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"At my previous company using ER/Studio, a database compare took four hours before using the product and 15 minutes after using the product."
"The solution’s pricing is high."
"The product is pricey."
"The price of this product is okay."
"Pricing is on point, but do your due diligence - not every developer needs the tool."
"On a scale of one to ten, where one is bad and ten is good, I would rate the licensing cost as a seven or eight. It's not too expensive for us."
"As an individual user, the renewal is a little costly."
"I feel the product's pricing is a good value."
"I rate PTC Windchill's pricing a seven out of ten since it is pricey."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
18%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Computer Software Company
10%
Government
7%
Manufacturing Company
24%
Computer Software Company
16%
Financial Services Firm
6%
Transportation Company
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with IDERA ER/Studio?
I cannot evaluate any areas for improvement at this time. I need more time to assess this aspect.
What do you like most about PTC Windchill?
I like how the product integrates with other technical solutions.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for PTC Windchill?
I rate PTC Windchill's pricing a seven out of ten since it is pricey. The costs are fixed, and there are no additional costs.
What needs improvement with PTC Windchill?
Some parts of the system are exclusive, so we can't work with them. There are many programs, but ones from other companies' systems are hard to maintain. Though they are from the same neutral forma...
 

Also Known As

IDERA ER Studio, ER/Studio, ER/Studio Enterprise Team Edition
Windchill, Atego Artisan Studio, Integrity Modeler
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Newmont Mining, Entrust, Accolade, TalkTalk, Catalina, Protective Life, NTT Data, dir systèmes, Microsoft; American Express, Astellas Pharma, AstraZeneca, Coriant, Fedex, GlaxoSmithKline, PepsiCo, Prudential, Wells Fargo
Bose, Valliant Group
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838,640 professionals have used our research since 2012.