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SAP PowerDesigner vs Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 3, 2024
 

Categories and Ranking

SAP PowerDesigner
Ranking in Enterprise Architecture Management
5th
Average Rating
7.8
Number of Reviews
35
Ranking in other categories
Metadata Management (3rd)
Sparx Systems Enterprise Ar...
Ranking in Enterprise Architecture Management
2nd
Average Rating
7.8
Number of Reviews
98
Ranking in other categories
Business Process Design (5th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of November 2024, in the Enterprise Architecture Management category, the mindshare of SAP PowerDesigner is 8.6%, up from 8.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect is 15.2%, down from 19.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Enterprise Architecture Management
 

Featured Reviews

JorgeSanz - PeerSpot reviewer
Apr 18, 2024
Effective in terms of validating everything, but sometimes they don't allow us some flexibility and GUI could improve
I would recommend SAP PowerDesigner to others for data architecture management. It provides all the functionalities in terms of data modeling, so it's also a good tool for that. I see trends in terms of data classification, but I don't see this tool with the intelligence to do that automatically. So, like, with artificial intelligence. Overall, I would rate the solution a six out of ten because there are too many validations. Also, I found some gaps in terms of relationships; they didn't appear when you do reverse engineering. Also, this tool lacks artificial intelligence that should be very good in terms of automatically identifying the classification of elements and maybe also to incorporate some artificial intelligence in providing descriptions for each data element included in the solution.
Anthony Houghton - PeerSpot reviewer
May 15, 2022
Easy to set up and had no issues with stability, but it's not a very friendly tool, and its database modeling and entity-relationship modeling functions need improvement
I didn't find any valuable features in Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect because you cannot use it for re-engineering. I wanted to re-engineer the database, and it was almost impossible. I couldn't find a way. One room for improvement in Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect is that it's not very friendly. Another room for improvement in the tool is that it doesn't enable you to import the metadata from a database very easily, so reverse engineering of a database was very difficult. Its database modeling and entity-relationship modeling functions need improvement. An additional feature I'd like to see in the next release of Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect is the re-engineering of databases into logical models, if that feature's not yet there, because I haven't checked.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The most useful feature has been the detailed possibility to model almost anything regarding physical databases."
"I like the property sheet capability and the user-defined attributes that you can set up."
"Has a specific template that's very helpful for importing metadata."
"The solution is a very pragmatic tool. It's quite easy to use."
"In PowerDesigner, I primarily use BPM and modeling standards. I find it beneficial for process analysis, although I use data modeling to a lesser extent."
"It's a great tool for documentation."
"The initial setup was very easy."
"The most valuable feature is that it is a very fast reverse engineering process. It does a very expansive comparison."
"The features I find most valuable is the ability to create a document and then put it into a OneCare artifact."
"It's a stable and scalable solution. I like that it's similar to Rational Rose."
"Large variety of profiles and frameworks available out-of-the-box without the need for customization."
"The most valuable feature of Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect is the value streams."
"Sparx has got a range of modeling features, and I am comfortable with all its offering. I've used a lot of tools over the phone. I found EA Spark, probably the most feature rich product all in all compared to other products. The solution is very cost-effective and that is its best feature. It's a very good delivery architecture tool, which also has enterprise architecture capabilities, and it's got full life cycle processes and software development. So for me, it's a pretty comprehensive tool"
"It is a handy tool for visual modeling that provides opportunities for analysis, design, and support of models using ArchiMate, UML."
"The solution saved a lot of time, about 30%."
"Provides a single repository for all architecture work."
 

Cons

"In terms of improvement, the pricing is a bit high."
"It would be helpful if there were glossary, catalog and governance tools. It would help make it a true end-to-end product."
"SAP PowerDesigner could improve by making the repository easier to understand. It is difficult to understand how the repository works because when I used logical models as part of the team, we wanted to use them together and update the older versions of the data model version but it was confusing. The repository needs to be explained."
"This product does not have a good BPMN Modeler."
"Based on my experience with SAP PowerDesigner, I'd like to see improvements in the DMM feature."
"Technical support needs improvement."
"This product lacks artificial intelligence that should be very good in terms of automatically identifying the classification of elements."
"Connectivity can be improved because it's not very good."
"It would be great if we could decrease the use of different parts of the Toolbox."
"No way to implement data integrity and referential integrity constraints."
"The user interface is not so good. It's not easy for someone to use it at first. The product takes some getting used to."
"The window froze for five or ten seconds. You can click and click again and it takes a second to come up. It might have been specific to a version."
"Inconsistent UI elements must be tidied up with the toolbox gaps removed."
"It really did not work for logical modeling. The look is very old-fashioned. You can't make the diagrams easy on the eye, so we ended up drawing them again in Visio anyhow."
"I think that collaboration can be better."
"I would like to see integration with Confluence or any other TRM, and the capability to integrate with the data storage, such as a repository similar to GitHub."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I would like SAP to prove free licenses to professionals that are using the solution. The free version is limited."
"Regarding costs, SAP PowerDesigner is pricey, as I've heard from my team manager, which is why the company has been thinking of bringing another solution on board."
"The pricing varies based on functionality and users."
"The price of the solution is too expensive. When we asked for certain licenses in different countries it was unattainable."
"I bought the software outright and do not pay a licensing fee."
"The ROI has been 43%."
"The price of the solution is low."
"When you purchase the license for SAP PowerDesigner, you have to buy one year of support. The tool is worth the money."
"The pricing is reasonable."
"Its price is very good for the value that you get with it."
"It’s the best deal in town, by far."
"We had a yearly license."
"The solution is quite expensive."
"In terms of cost, Sparx EA is probably one of the cheapest tools I have ever used."
"Pricing and licensing is very attractive, simple, and straightforward."
"There is a license for this solution. When comparing this solution to others it is priced well."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
25%
Government
14%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Computer Software Company
9%
Educational Organization
16%
Government
11%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Computer Software Company
9%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

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?
Based on my experience with SAP PowerDesigner, I'd like to see improvements in the DMM feature. Even if I have an ETL tool, I'd like the DMM options to directly connect to ETL tool repositories lik...
What do you like most about Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect?
The stability has been good and satisfactory. I would rate the stability a ten out of ten.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect?
The pricing is reasonable, with the ultimate version costing around 290 Euros for renewal and the initial purchase around 600 Euros. There are no additional costs for maintenance or support, as the...
What needs improvement with Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect?
The product could be improved in terms of its ease of use and documentation. While it offers a lot of functionality, it can be difficult to grasp how to utilize these features effectively.
 

Also Known As

Sybase PowerDesigner
No data available
 

Learn More

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Overview

 

Sample Customers

Medtronic, Cirque du Soleil, Antarc, B&G Manufacturing, EarlySense, eBay, Ferrero, James Austin Company, Lenovo, Sagem, RAK Ceramics, Vodafone
OmniLink
Find out what your peers are saying about SAP PowerDesigner vs. Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect and other solutions. Updated: October 2024.
814,649 professionals have used our research since 2012.