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SAP PowerDesigner pros and cons

Vendor: SAP
3.9 out of 5
Badge Leader

Pros & Cons summary

Buyer's Guide

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Prominent pros & cons

PROS

SAP PowerDesigner provides excellent tools for big data management, allowing users to handle large and complex databases effectively.
It offers the flexibility to customize and extend features, enabling it to fit user-specific modeling processes.
The reverse engineering capability is highly valued for its speed and thoroughness in database structure analysis.
SAP PowerDesigner supports operational efficiency and return on investment by saving time and enhancing data management clarity.
Detailed documentation and modeling capabilities allow for comprehensive logical and physical data management, facilitating the generation of DDL files for Oracle.

CONS

Pricing is considered high and not competitive with offers from competing tools.
Technical support and customer service are noted as needing improvements.
Integration with other products like Collibra and enhancement of features such as DMM are suggested.
Connectivity issues and repository difficulties are frequently mentioned by users.
Lack of focus on open source database integration and reverse engineering ALTER statements should be addressed.
 

SAP PowerDesigner Pros review quotes

it_user931305 - PeerSpot reviewer
Enterprise Architect at a consumer goods company with 201-500 employees
Sep 29, 2018
It has helped me to develop the as-is state, design its to-be state, and track the capital investment according to gap analysis.
MahdiJalali - PeerSpot reviewer
Founder at Rozhmaan
May 22, 2019
This solution has good tools for big data, where you can manage large and complex databases.
it_user1124850 - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Consultant at Mibcon DIMA
Jul 2, 2019
It can automate many routine tasks and save human resources to focus on real problems.
Learn what your peers think about SAP PowerDesigner. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: December 2025.
879,310 professionals have used our research since 2012.
PV
Team leader and Data / Information Architect at a tech services company with 201-500 employees
Feb 18, 2020
The solution is a very pragmatic tool. It's quite easy to use.
it_user1344669 - PeerSpot reviewer
PowerDesigner and ER/Studio Consultancy and Training Specialist at a tech services company with 1-10 employees
Jun 3, 2020
The most valuable feature is the way you can extend it and customize it. With most modeling tools, you fit your modeling process to fit the tool. In PowerDesigner, you can make the tool fit the way you want to work.
CV
CEO at Abellard
May 27, 2020
I do a data-centric design, so for me, the data analysis and design tools are the most valuable features.
reviewer1365882 - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Principal IT Architect -- MDM Architecture at a healthcare company with 10,001+ employees
Jun 30, 2020
I like the property sheet capability and the user-defined attributes that you can set up.
reviewer1318779 - PeerSpot reviewer
Data Architect at a pharma/biotech company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Jul 13, 2020
The most valuable feature is that it is a very fast reverse engineering process. It does a very expansive comparison.
FA
Manager, Data Architecture at DFS Singapore Pte Ltd
Aug 2, 2020
Very good repository features.
MN
Chief Architect at Imagic Consultancy Limited
Sep 22, 2020
It offers a lot of features in one solution. You would have to get multiple other products to bundle together all of the capabilities that you get in just this product.
 

SAP PowerDesigner Cons review quotes

it_user931305 - PeerSpot reviewer
Enterprise Architect at a consumer goods company with 201-500 employees
Sep 29, 2018
The data governance should be improved, like ER/Studio.
MahdiJalali - PeerSpot reviewer
Founder at Rozhmaan
May 22, 2019
This product does not have a good BPMN Modeler.
it_user1124850 - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Consultant at Mibcon DIMA
Jul 2, 2019
There should be a better usage of current hardware including multicore CPUs, higher resolutions, and multiple displays.
Learn what your peers think about SAP PowerDesigner. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: December 2025.
879,310 professionals have used our research since 2012.
PV
Team leader and Data / Information Architect at a tech services company with 201-500 employees
Feb 18, 2020
It would be helpful if there were glossary, catalog and governance tools. It would help make it a true end-to-end product.
it_user1344669 - PeerSpot reviewer
PowerDesigner and ER/Studio Consultancy and Training Specialist at a tech services company with 1-10 employees
Jun 3, 2020
Pricing for small consultancies needs improvement. They sustain prices to competing tools. The competing tools tend to do special offers. PowerDesigner SAP doesn't pay much attention to the pricing of it and there are no special offers.
CV
CEO at Abellard
May 27, 2020
In the future, I would like to see data manipulation capability where you can actually write SQL queries and manipulate data from directly within the tool.
reviewer1365882 - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Principal IT Architect -- MDM Architecture at a healthcare company with 10,001+ employees
Jun 30, 2020
Checking-in models to the repository, especially when working remotely, is a slow process than can sometimes have problems with models being corrupted.
reviewer1318779 - PeerSpot reviewer
Data Architect at a pharma/biotech company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Jul 13, 2020
In terms of improvement, the pricing is a bit high.
FA
Manager, Data Architecture at DFS Singapore Pte Ltd
Aug 2, 2020
UI could be improved by enabling simpler navigation.
MN
Chief Architect at Imagic Consultancy Limited
Sep 22, 2020
The solution is very, very expensive. It would be ideal if it was a more affordable product.