We used this solution to upload and document our database models from the legacy systems.
Senior IT Auditor at Banking
I like the graphic interface and responsive support team, but the solution is very difficult to set up
Pros and Cons
- "The principal feature that I liked is that the solution has a very graphic interface."
- "I would like the solution to be more user-friendly to deploy."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
The principal feature that I liked is that the solution has a very graphic interface.
What needs improvement?
I think the interface sometimes looks old-fashioned when compared to other solutions, so maybe that can be improved.
Also, I would like the solution to be more user-friendly to deploy.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
After those initial problems, the solution became stable.
Buyer's Guide
erwin Data Modeler by Quest
November 2024
Learn what your peers think about erwin Data Modeler by Quest. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: November 2024.
814,763 professionals have used our research since 2012.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution only works with one server and one database, so I don't think it's scalable enough.
How are customer service and support?
The solution has a good support center. They provide responses quickly, in about a day.
How was the initial setup?
The solution was a little hard to set up. We had to request help from our provider because we had some technical problems with getting the solution to work. There were some problems with configuration, and it took about three months to get the solution working.
What other advice do I have?
My advice to those considering this solution would be that they should first evaluate what they need. I suggest they maybe do a POC to evaluate their use cases and then work at finding a solution, and run all the necessary tests before starting to work with the solution.
I would rate this solution as a seven out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Data Modeler at a government with 10,001+ employees
The data comes to life to where customers understand exactly what they're asking for
Pros and Cons
- "It's a safeguard for me because I'm always concerned that somebody is free handing it and will forget a key coming from the parent. The migrating keys are a great feature. Identifying relationships, non-identifying relationships, and being visually right there to understand the differences are great features. erwin is key to being able to visually understand whatever the customer is requesting. They'll give you words on a paper, but once they can actually view it as a picture, it really comes to life. The data comes to life to where they understand exactly what they're asking for."
- "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."
What is our primary use case?
When I work from home, my use case for erwin is for when I get a request for a database upgrade. Usually, the request comes in with a whole bunch of tables and names so I'll go into the DM and I'll start building out what they're asking for. Once we actually get them to be able to view it and understand it, then we'll go back and forth with the developers and the requesters to make sure that it's exactly what they're looking for. We'll spend a few days making sure everything looks correct. Once that's finished, I'll send it out.
Unfortunately, I can't do a PDF straight from erwin so I'll copy everything into Word and then save my Word as a PDF. With that PDF, I'll be able to send it off to all the stakeholders, not just the developers and the requesters, so that everybody can see it, even the ones that don't have erwin itself.
My office use case is pretty much the same, except with the office, we add in Model Mart. We have our entire network, all the databases, and everything in Model Mart and it's over 1,500 different tables, relationships, attributes, and things like that. It's a really large model. Then, we break down that model into individual subject areas and we work through those. We go back to any new requests, we'll build them in Data Modeler and we'll go back and forth with the requesters, making sure everything looks like what they're expecting it to. They'll usually just send us either a spreadsheet of names and data types and then we build from there.
How has it helped my organization?
erwin brings data to life. We're currently working with a requester at that moment, who provided us with a spreadsheet of their ideas of tables and attributes with the metadata associated with each. Then they provided us a rudimentary diagram with tables and keys. I was able to put it into erwin along with the metadata that they were asking for, and it really brought questions to life. The people said, "We didn't realize the relationships were going to bring in these extra keys." And they didn't realize there were a lot of extra pieces coming in as well. Once we did that, we were able to show them exactly what they were asking for and it brought much more conversation between us.
We don't use DM's modeling support for Snowflake cloud yet. I am interested in cloud technology and I just came across that support that erwin has. It made me even more interested in cloud technology.
Its ability to generate database code from a model for a wide array of data helps another office in my company that uses it quite a bit.
What is most valuable?
The automatic build to the physical is a really nice feature. I like the fact that it will bring the keys down from one table to the next, from a parent to child table. Those two things make erwin a very easy to use product.
It's a safeguard for me because I'm always concerned that somebody is free handing it and will forget a key coming from the parent. The migrating keys are a great feature. Identifying relationships, non-identifying relationships, and being visually right there to understand the differences are great features.
erwin is key to being able to visually understand whatever the customer is requesting. They'll give you words on a paper, but once they can actually view it as a picture, it really comes to life. The data comes to life to where they understand exactly what they're asking for.
What needs improvement?
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. It's a learning curve for me. It could be easier to use, but it's not a Windows/Microsoft type of application. It's close to it but it's also not. Once I've used it enough and learned it, then I'll know where all the pieces are.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been a data modeler in my office for six years so I've been using erwin for six years. My office has been using erwin since the beginning of time. I'm not exactly sure when they started using it, but the office has been around for 20 years so they've probably been using it since erwin started.
It's on our secret network and I believe they've been going back and forth quite a bit with erwin's tech teams as far as getting it to work because I think our workstations are virtual workstations and there were some issues with the licensing and the license server. I've been watching that from the peripherals but not really getting in the weeds with them. I'm not sure exactly what they're doing.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I've only had it crash on me once. I can't remember what I was doing and when or how it crashed. It was one of those inconvenient times and so I started again. I don't think an auto-save was done. That happened three weeks ago.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I use it at home every day and there are days where I've used it almost an entire eight hour day. I'm using it quite heavily right now.
How are customer service and technical support?
The only time I've had to use erwin technical support was when I requested an extension on my trial license. They were really quick and good about it.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was straightforward. I was able to install it at home without a problem whatsoever. Within a few seconds, I was able to figure out how to start building a table. I had no problems whatsoever. I think my colleagues who are going into work might have a little bit of a different answer because of issues with service, license keys, and what have you.
The deployment took five to ten minutes. There wasn't a lot of customization necessary. It's been a couple of months now since I've started doing it. I can see from the tab that I'm on that I need to just click on the table, click the area there, and start building tables. I've also had experience with it, so that makes it easier as well. It's intuitive.
At the office, there's quite a bit of strategy on how they needed to deploy it and how they needed to have it totally set up in the virtual world. They were upgrading from an older version.
At our office, we have two or three different people that were truly involved, but we did have one main person doing the going back and forth with erwin as far as getting help and setting it up. That took a couple of weeks, if not longer, to actually get it set up working correctly.
We bought a total of 10 licenses, although I'm not so sure. It's less than 25.
What was our ROI?
I would definitely say that it's a time saver once you learn how to use the application. It takes a little while to teach people how to use it just like with any other application, but as far as time-saving afterward, it's invaluable. As far as taking the time to truly show a person the end result, we can show them exactly what we're talking about and that's really invaluable. I'm sure the deployment would say the same thing as far as being able to build the database off of it.
The accuracy and speed in transforming complex designs into well-aligned data sources make the cost of the tool worth it. At the same time, I don't do that.
It saves us a couple of hours of actually trying to build something. It's not something that my office does every day. However, when we do it, I could not imagine building tables or building a diagram from any other tools that are currently in the office. It's impossible to do it from PowerPoint or Word.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I don't think that the pricing for my office is horrible. However, from my home, there's absolutely no way I could afford erwin on my own as far as doing my own work.
There have been discussions between my office and the actual company that I work for and trying to decide on who would actually pay the bill. I'm the person stuck in the middle saying that I can't do my work here and luckily, I've been able to get one or two extensions on my free trial license from erwin. However, I'm afraid that I won't be able to get my company to pay for it and fairly soon the trial license will end up expiring on me.
I decided to build physical only but later on that kind of bit me and so I will start building logical first and then the physical. It would be nice to be able to build out my own set of tables and maybe a Model Mart type of situation but I don't see me being able to afford a copy at home for myself. I won't be able to continue keeping a trial copy forever and until COVID is over.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
When COVID started, I did start looking at home versions of other freeware because I had time to actually do some research. I found that most of the freeware wasn't really free. It was also still kind of clunky and one of the applications that I was using didn't automatically bring the keys down and for me, that was a killer right there. I would not suggest the application to anyone. From the trial copies of the other applications they use, I think that's where erwin really comes up ahead, above the other applications.
What other advice do I have?
The biggest lesson I have learned from erwin is the old cliche, that a picture is worth a thousand words. It is truly erwin in itself. When a person asks for a set of tables and they actually see that diagram visually, it really assists in any meeting that you will have. It is key to any meeting you have.
I would rate Data Modeler an eight out of ten. The reason for this rating is because I did a couple of dumb attributes and it took me forever to find how to truly delete it. It was a parent-child relationship and I deleted the parent and did not answer the question from the next box that popped up correctly. So I had an attribute hanging out in a table and it took me forever to find the dangling relationships. Because of that, I knocked it down a rating because it did take me a long time to find that.
I'm quite happy with the modeling tool. It does just about everything that I need it to do. I can't really think of what it doesn't do that I would need other than the PDF. I'm really happy with it.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Buyer's Guide
erwin Data Modeler by Quest
November 2024
Learn what your peers think about erwin Data Modeler by Quest. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: November 2024.
814,763 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Technical Consultant at a insurance company with 1,001-5,000 employees
The UI is very clunky and much more difficult to use that it needs to be
Pros and Cons
- "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."
- "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."
What is our primary use case?
I'm an application developer with a fair amount of database background so I mostly use the tool to do physical modeling to support our application development. I'm a firm believer in not just adding columns to a table but to actually think about it, put together an Erwin model, and look at the relationships. I used to like to generate the model and generate changes all through the tool but being honest, one of my biggest frustrations with Erwin is that it's very difficult to forward engineer and keep things in sync. It used to be so easy and now it's very difficult. It's very frustrating to use this tool for that.
We use it for data modeling but they also do a lot of logical modeling and architecture, and we also use the naming standards capability to force corporate standards across the models.
How has it helped my organization?
It has improved my organization because using a data modeling tool is forcing us to come up with better models.
Its code generation ensures accurate engineering of data sources. It should generate correct code, so I can't say it cuts development time just because it's doing what it's supposed to be doing correctly.
What is most valuable?
I think the ability to depict the model in a graphical fashion, 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.
This isn't specific to Erwin, it's specific to any data modeling tool but we also like:
- The ability to graphically depict how the relationships occur and the relationship lines.
- The fact that it migrates your foreign keys for you.
- The general principles of what a data modeling tool does.
Erwin does a lot of things well. It's just very frustrating in some areas that really should not be frustrating.
The people who don't use a data modeling tool but rather use spreadsheets or wing it typically have pretty poor data models. If you use a data modeling tool, the graphical nature of the data modeling tool forces you to think about relationships. It forces you to ask questions that you wouldn't ask if you were just creating tables and doing it off the top of your head. That's number one, in my opinion, from my own experience. The number one benefit of using a tool like Erwin, is that visual representation forces you to come up with a better model.
Its ability to generate database code from a model for a wide array of data sources is useful but we're 99% SQL Server, so the fact that it generates 60 other databases doesn't really help me too much. It doesn't support Postgres or Redshift which are the two other systems that we're using.
What needs improvement?
I find the UI very clunky and very difficult to use. The whole workflow of adding columns to a table could be so much easier. I get frustrated using it. Resizing dialog boxes, changing fonts, printing, scrolling around in the UI, etc is very clunky.
I've tried other tools. I've tried to get off of Erwin a few times. I always come back to it because every other 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.
My biggest frustrations with the product is forward engineering and keeping things in sync. A lot of times I need to change a column definition and all I want to do forward engineer it over to the database, it used to be so easy to do that, way back in the early days with Erwin before CA bought it, and now it's almost impossible. It's very frustrating to do. I've spoken to Erwin about this in the past, and I can understand why they're doing some of the things they're doing, but I'm more of a casual user than a power user, and for me, it's so clunky. It's so much easier using Embarcadero to forward engineer changes to a database than it is using Erwin.
This product has been on the market for years and I'm amazed at some of the quirky things that I still have to deal with in this product. I wish rather than adding new features, Erwin would fix some of these usability issues.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using erwin Data Modeler for around ten years before it was owned by CA.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Other than the bugs, it doesn't crash on me, so I guess the stability is good.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have somewhere around 20 uses. I use it as a developer and the data architects use it as well.
We use the Mart model, we break them out into areas, and there are many models in each area. So we have around a couple hundred models.
How are customer service and technical support?
I haven't used their support in quite a while, so I'll say neutral.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We previously used Toad and Embarcadero.
I've been using Erwin since it first came out, a long time ago. Back then it was a lot simpler to use and it was just so much easier. I think they tried to make it do everything for everybody and now it's very difficult to do some of the simplest tasks. It's very frustrating, and there are a lot of issues.
The forward engineering frustration I experience with Erwin is a thousand times easier in Embarcadero. If I want to just make a quick change to a column and forward engineer it to my database, it's a lot easier in other tools.
Some of the other tools were a lot better in the ease of use and stability of the UI but they also had their share of problems that are deal-breakers. For example, models won't print on one page. I keep coming back to Erwin. It was the lesser of the two evils. No product is perfect but I think Erwin tries to be everything to everybody, and sometimes when you do that, it's no good to anybody.
I don't use all the features, it's nice that they're there, but I wish the stuff that I did use was better usability-tested.
How was the initial setup?
I was not involved in the installation of this particular version. When we first started using erwin, we used to install it on our local machines, but now we're using the Mart model and it's installed on servers, so we have a group that maintains it. For years and years, it used to be that we all just installed it on our local machines and ran it that way.
It's a licensing thing. We have a concurrent license so by having it on a server, it's in one place, which is nice. That way, everyone's running the same version. Then, because we have concurrent licensing, if you have 30 people that need to use it, but people like me only use it once in a while, you don't have to buy me an expensive, dedicated license, so it's a lot cheaper to have a concurrent license for our company.
What was our ROI?
It's not necessarily erwin-specific, but by using a data modeling tool, it forces a better product, better application development, and better applications at our company. Using a tool like that is a must-have.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I like the concurrent licensing. That's phenomenal. I think that was a big win for us.
What other advice do I have?
Sometimes you have an initial idea for a data model and when you try to design it in Erwin you realize that you were wrong in how you approached it. Erwin enforces consistency and accuracy. Quite often I learn something by looking at the generated code. It's not like I create table statements all day long. I don't do that generally. So when I use the tool, it generates the correct code in scripts for me which we will then hand off to the DBAs who run them.
I would rate it a six out of ten. It's frustrating. It could be so much better.
The problem is mostly usability. It has little quirks about the way the screen refreshes, things move around, and the workflow when you're creating columns and tables could be so much better.
I have a love-hate relationship. I've used this product for years. I've actually gone to training on it at Erwin, so I know what I'm doing with it. I wish they would make it easier to use. I would think if Microsoft bought it, this would be a totally different product.
Interestingly enough, Microsoft has tried to come out with data modeling tools a few times, and they are all bad. They're basically toys. You can't use them for anything real, which is surprising to me. You would have thought that they would have had a tool that could compete.
There are only a couple of big players out there that Erwin competes with. I looked at just about all of them, and I keep coming back to Erwin, but I hate it nonetheless. There's nothing better. There are certain tools that are better in certain areas but far worse in others, and so you pick your poison.
Disclosure: PeerSpot contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor.
Data Management & Automation Manager at a consultancy with 11-50 employees
Different members can work on the same model, regardless of where they are located
Pros and Cons
- "The ability to collaborate between different members across the organization is the most valuable feature. It gives us the ability to work on the same model, regardless of where we are physically."
- "We had some data integration projects, where we needed to integrate it for about 100 databases. Doing that manually is crazy; we can't do that. With erwin, it was much easier to identify which tables and columns could be used for the integration. That means a lot in terms of time and effort as well as my image to the customer, because they can see that we are providing value in a very short time."
- "I am not so happy with its speed. Sometimes, it can have problems with connections."
What is our primary use case?
We use it in order to create models, do some reverse engineering in the case of existing databases, and for comparing models, e.g., what is in the design vs reality.
How has it helped my organization?
It provides us a visual of the database, which helps me with the complexity of the models. We can know if someone made changes to anything, which is very important from a development perspective. It helps us maintain control of the work.
We had some data integration projects, where we needed to integrate it for about 100 databases. Doing that manually is crazy; we can't do that. With erwin, it was much easier to identify which tables and columns could be used for the integration. That means a lot in terms of time and effort as well as my image to the customer, because they can see that we are providing value in a very short time.
The solution's code generation ensures accurate engineering of data sources. This accuracy affects our development time a lot. It is very easy to go into the graphical model to change something, e.g., generate scripts. It now takes minutes (less than an hour).
What is most valuable?
The ability to collaborate between different members across the organization is the most valuable feature. It gives us the ability to work on the same model, regardless of where we are physically.
I like the accuracy. It is very precise.
What needs improvement?
I am not so happy with its speed. Sometimes, it can have problems with connections.
erwin's automation of reusable design rules and standards is good, but it could be better.
For how long have I used the solution?
About 30 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is pretty good. I haven't had any problems with crashes, etc.
We have a consultant who is responsible for the maintenance.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution's scalability is good. However, there isn't a clear explanation of how to go from 10 to 20 users, which is something that customers ask us.
In my company, there are currently five data managers who use erwin.
How are customer service and technical support?
I like their technical support. They try very hard to solve the problem.
They are not supporting old versions of some databases anymore, so I don't always have the tools that I need. I would like them to keep the support for the older versions.
How was the initial setup?
The standard edition is quite straightforward to set up. It is just clicking, "Next, Next, Next." This takes less than an hour to set up.
It gets complicated when we set up the group edition. We need to start a database. Sometimes, erwin support is needed for the setup. The setup for the group edition can take two days to a week, depending on the database.
What about the implementation team?
We also sell erwin to some of our customers. Usually, we create some sort of implementation steps to ensure that it will work.
What was our ROI?
We have seen ROI in terms of time, e.g., consulting time and the ability to answer customers faster. This has improved the image of the company.
The solution’s ability to generate database code from a model for a wide array of data sources cuts development time from two weeks to one day or even hours. This is one of the features that I like.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price should be lower in order to be on the same level as its competitors.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I have worked with Toad, Sparx, and the free version of Oracle Data Modeler. erwin DM's competitors are cheaper, but the look and feel of erwin is more user-friendly, professional, mature, and enterprise level.
What other advice do I have?
I recommend using erwin Data Modeler. You should have a good business case to convince the finance team, as the price is high for Latin America.
I would rate this solution as nine out of 10.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
Consultant at Self Employed
Helps to create powerful technical scripts for models
Pros and Cons
- "The solution is good for organizing the data and the scripting part is very powerful. It's easy to create technical scripts for models."
- "The solution's reporting side needs to be improved."
What is our primary use case?
We use the product for data modeling.
What is most valuable?
The solution is good for organizing the data and the scripting part is very powerful. It's easy to create technical scripts for models.
What needs improvement?
The solution's reporting side needs to be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the solution for three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution breaks down sometimes.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I think the solution's cloud version is better because things become slower when the model grows bigger.
How are customer service and support?
The product's technical support is fast.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Though the solution is not cheap, it's worth the money.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate the product a seven-point five out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Chief Consultant at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Mature and robust, centralized storage facilitates collaboration
Pros and Cons
- "It has centralized storage so that a data model can be shared by different teams."
- "The erwin Data Modeler is quite complex to use."
What is our primary use case?
We are a reseller and erwin Data Modeler is one of the products that we provide to our clients.
What is most valuable?
This product is the strongest data modeler on the market.
It has centralized storage so that a data model can be shared by different teams.
What needs improvement?
The erwin Data Modeler is quite complex to use. However, if you are using the desktop version then you can use a small subset of the features and still get along very well. In this regard, it is similar to Microsoft Excel or Microsoft Word.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been working with the erwin Data Modeler for between two and three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
erwin DM is very robust.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We are satisfied with the scalability.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support is satisfactory.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Price-wise, erwin Data Modeler is okay. You can purchase a single license and it is not very expensive.
What other advice do I have?
The erwin data model is a very good product. It has more than 20 years of history and has improved since it was acquired by erwin a few years ago. It was originally a desktop application and since erwin acquired it, it has been converted into a web application. They have been working hard to improve it and it is difficult to say what can be done to improve it further.
Overall, it has been quite good.
I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:
Buyer's Guide
Download our free erwin Data Modeler by Quest Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros
sharing their opinions.
Updated: November 2024
Popular Comparisons
Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect
SAP Signavio Process Manager
Visual Paradigm
SAP PowerDesigner
No Magic MagicDraw
BiZZdesign HoriZZon
Avolution ABACUS
IDERA ER/Studio
Buyer's Guide
Download our free erwin Data Modeler by Quest Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros
sharing their opinions.
Quick Links
Learn More: Questions:
- Which would you choose - SAP PowerDesigner or erwin Data Modeler (DM)?
- Can you recommend a graphic illustration tool to model the architecture of IT systems?
- When evaluating Architecture Management, what aspect do you think is the most important to look for?
- Tools to Develop and Manage IT Infrastructure Road-maps
- Sparx system comparing with ARIS and IBM blueworks.
- What EA tool would you advise us to use?
- What are some business benefits associated with enterprise architecture?
- Any experience on newer/low-cost cloud based EA Modelling Tools?
- How to model an enterprise architecture? What tools and templates can I use?
- How to export IBM Rational System Architect data into Alfabet Enterprise Architecture Management (by Software AG)?