SAP PowerDesigner Reviews

I was working with Bosch, where I was part of the enterprise data modelling team, and we used SAP PowerDesigner as a data modelling tool. We mainly concentrated on the manufacturing domain, so we followed the data modelling approach using Data Vault 2.0. So the organization told us to use SAP PowerDesigner as a data modelling tool. There are competitors for SAP PowerDesigner tools like Urban and many more, but our organization decided on SAP PowerDesigner. With this tool, a framework was designed by one of the organizations in Germany, and Bosch partnered with them to generate scripts automatically. SAP PowerDesigner also provides the flexibility to create logical and conceptual data models. As a team, we were mainly focused on creating physical data models using SAP PowerDesigner.

Once you create physical data models, you can check out the DDL scripts and implement them on your Oracle databases. We used Oracle databases, but SAP PowerDesigner supports a lot of databases.

It is hard for a new person to learn how to use SAP PowerDesigner, but once they understand and practice, it's pretty simple to use SAP PowerDesigner, and it's easy to take out the DDL scripts.

The user interface could be more user-friendly. We have not worked with other models, but the user interaction or the visualization of the tool should be improved because it looks like an old tool, even though it provides good features. A visualization feature would attract users and make it easier to use.

The automation could be improved because it does not provide the framework or automation but provides data modelling capability. So you have to do it on your own or get a third-party contractor to develop the automation. For us, a company integrated with Bosch and generated a stable framework. Other tools provide automation capability available on cloud.

There was a pain point when we downloaded, configured and installed the software in our local systems. So we thought to put this particular software somewhere in a central system where we can directly access using Citrix workspace because when you install this in your local systems, there is a probability that you will not be able to check in your developments to the central repository.

Organizations that are using SAP PowerDesigner or are thinking of using it may have a big problem if they are moving particular projects to offsite centers or offsite nations. We faced many issues with check-ins of our models where the central server was sitting in Germany. We were located in India, and it was hard or near impossible to check in our models after our developments. We were dependent on our German colleagues to check in our models. We used to send requests via Outlook or Microsoft Teams, and then they would check in the models on our behalf. So we started using Citrix workspace, and there was a central system where SAP PowerDesigner was installed for us. We used it to develop our models and to do the check-ins and checkouts.

We used this solution at my previous employer for about two years.

It is a stable solution, and I rate the stability a seven out of ten. We were initially facing technical issues due to authentication only. Aside from that, there were scenarios where we could not check in because we had to check in our models only using the checked-out models. We could copy our models, create a new copy, and then check in. So there are some technical things that developers should understand because you have to check in the model, but you cannot check in the same model with a different identity.

There will be a different number that the schedule gets generated for each model, and you can rename a new model and try to check in, but it will not. So, developers should know how to use the tool rather than guessing and playing. There were scenarios where other colleagues faced other issues, but I believe most issues we faced were related to authentication. Aside from that, we have not faced any major issues.

It is upon an application, and it is based on licensing. So it is just a tool for developing your data model. So scaling depends on the number of licenses the organization purchases and how many users there are. So if they purchase 20 licenses and 30 people are using them, they will face an issue. I believe about 40 users were using it.

We had no direct connection or contact with the SAP PowerDesigner team. Some of my colleagues have a few connections in Germany, but if we had faced any issues, we would have reached out to my colleagues, and they internally would have reached out to SAP.

I rate the setup a five out of ten. It was difficult to set up because we had to apply a lot of patch files one after the other. In addition, there was an issue with using the SAP PowerDesigner in our local systems and checking in to a central server or a central repository in Germany or some countries. I am unsure if this was an issue with the Bosch team or if other organizations had the same issue. PowerDesigner should work towards fixing this and providing access to the users through Citrix workspace or other version machines.

We completed the setup ourselves. Some guidelines were written by colleagues who had used the solution earlier, so we followed them and implemented them. It takes a long time to install, and you will not be sure whether it works fine. So organizations should prefer to go via virtual machines because if your local system crashes, you must start from scratch to install the software. But if that particular software is installed somewhere on a server, it would be better than installing it in local systems.

I rate this solution a six out of ten.

I used SAP PowerDesigner as a tool for document folder flow charts and other features.

SAP PowerDesigner is helpful because you can create any type of document.

The most valuable features of SAP PowerDesigner are the creation the flow charts and folders. It is a powerful tool.

SAP PowerDesigner can improve the ease of use. It is not the best tool on the market because it is tough to navigate and use. A beginner would not be able to use it well, it requires some experience. If the solution was more user-friendly it would be able to be used by more audiences. I do not think many people are aware of this solution and they should use it.

In a future release, more features should be added. Other solutions have more features.

I have been using SAP PowerDesigner for approximately two years.

I rate the stability of SAP PowerDesigner a seven out of ten.

I rate the scalability of SAP PowerDesigner a six out of ten.

We have approximately 200 to 300 in the company but not everyone uses it. We will increase usage depending on the company's requirements.

The support from SAP PowerDesigner is great.

I rate the support from SAP PowerDesigner an eight out of ten.

Positive

I did not use other solutions similar to SAP PowerDesigner.

The initial setup of SAP PowerDesigner requires some training before they can work on it. It would be beneficial for those who want to work with the took to take a one month or 20-day training course.

The price of the solution is low. 

I rate the price of SAP PowerDesigner an eight out of ten.

I have not evaluated other solutions before using them. I use whatever the client specifies.

We use 10 to 20 experienced people for the maintenance of the solution. However, the amount of people needed depends on what needs to be worked on. We have other teams that work on the tool, such as developers.

My advice to others is they should try out the solution, it's a good tool. This solution is priced low and if it works for their use case then it is better than paying for a more expensive solution. If your requirements are too high, you can't expect this tool to meet all of your needs, it does not have all the features. You have to go for other options if your requirement needs more features.

I rate SAP PowerDesigner a seven out of ten.

In one company we used SAP PowerDesigner for documentation and building logical data models and a new platform in the company. Additionally, it was used for documents and resources for the data warehouse. It was a resource and module company and we had to describe every source, table, et cetera. 

SAP PowerDesigner is good because you can generate physical data models after you have a logical data model. It helped us a lot.

The most valuable features of the solution are it's built very well, easy to use, and simple to describe freely what is needed in logical and physical data models.

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.

It would be helpful to have a checking system on the objects that are generated from the physical data model on the specific database to help see if there is a difference on the database side and on the SAP PowerDesigner documentation side.

I have been using SAP PowerDesigner for approximately five years.

SAP PowerDesigner is a highly stable solution. I have been using this solution in many different companies for over five years with no stability concerns.

I rate the stability of SAP PowerDesigner a ten out of ten.

The scalability of SAP PowerDesigner is good. This solution is used in platforms that are more likely to expand over time.

There are 10 people in the company that is using this solution and it is used frequently.

I rate the scalability of SAP PowerDesigner a ten out of ten.

I have not used the support from SAP PowerDesigner.

I have used Erwin Data Modeler and it was not as intuitive as SAP PowerDesigner. I was attempting to use Erwin Data Modeler by myself and it was difficult to learn.

The main advantage of SAP PowerDesigner compared to other solutions is the various sources of database it can connect and deliver data models, and do reverse engineering. Not every modeler tool can do reverse engineering, forward engineering, versioning, version control, and additional properties on the objects, such as core physical options. I'm using Oracle connectors. You have everything you want to have and you can deliver every object code in SAP PowerDesigner.

It is easy to set up because after you download the installer you click next multiple times and you are finished. You can install every specification test and feature. It has many features, and you can install everything, instead of everything individually, it is easier.

If you want to build logical or physical data models for fun, experience, or studying, it's easy to install and set up.

I rate the initial setup of SAP PowerDesigner a nine out of ten.

We did the implementation of the solution in-house.

It would be beneficial if this tool became more popular for developers in the future.

I rate SAP PowerDesigner a ten out of ten.

I'm using SAP PowerDesigner to build and maintain an enterprise-wide relational data model for one of the largest banks in Israel.

As a central DA, I can't do all this work. We distribute our work to different people in different applications, and you have to teach them to use it. SAP PowerDesigner is much easier to use and much easier to teach. We have hundreds of people using SAP PowerDesigner, and you have to teach them, and you have to get them to maintain their own data models.

SAP Powerdesigner helps build proper data models based on the methodology of relational databases, which are now 40 years old. I think the big advantage of Powerdesigner over erwin is its intuitive Microsoft like usability. 

It's much easier to use PowerDesigner than erwin. It's also a cheaper product, and it supports many different relational databases. I think PowerDeisgner is more practical, easier, quicker, and more intuitive. I prefer to use Powerdesigner over erwin for large enterprise applications. 

It's a great tool for documentation. A new data scientist can easily understand the data just by looking at it. Once you are managing your physical data with a logical data model, by looking at this data model, you can understand what it means, the business meaning of the elements which are maintained by the relational database.

Connectivity can be improved because it's not very good. I would expect data catalog types of products to connect to the database, the repository of PowerDesigner, and get the metadata out more easily. 

I think as a company, once Sybase purchased SAP PowerDesigner, SAP's investment decreased. I think the number of new features and the product's development is much slower than before.

SAP PowerDesigner is a stable solution. I would say the quality of the software is good. No issues, visibility is very high, and almost no problems.

We didn't have any problems with scalability. We maintain hundreds of data models in the repository of PowerDesigner, and we are maintaining many versions in each model, sometimes maybe even ten. Sometimes even over a hundred different versions in one model, and we still didn't have any problems.

I think technical support is okay, but it could be better. As they are in France, it's a little difficult to reach them. But it's not much of a problem. For instance, if you need to resolve an issue, you have to provide them with the data model. You have to send them the data model as a problem. To do this with a bank's data model, you need to go through security, and you need to get all the approvals. This part is a huge problem. It's a huge headache, and it usually takes time. It would help if technical support is handled differently and made more accessible. 

I worked with erwin for maybe a year or two. Then we switched to SAP PowerDesigner because of the quality of the product and the price. The cost of the product is cheaper, and the bank was very sensitive to the price. I am happy with the switch to PowerDesigner.

The initial set up of SAP PowerDesigner was okay. But it really depends. For example, the initial setup for a startup would be an easy task. If it's a bank, you can't install it by yourself.
In my experience, it took months to set up and deploy SAP PowerDesigner for one of my banking clients. 

SAP PowerDesigner is cheaper than eriwin.

Before choosing SAP PowerDesigner, we actually evaluated erwin.

I would highly recommend this product to be used in each and every application system where you have to design a relational database. It doesn't matter which relational database as you can use it for MSSQL, Oracle, Postgres.

There are over 50 or 60 different tools like SAP PowerDesigner, but most of them are limited to maintaining a few relational databases like Oracle or MSSQL. But PowerDesigner, as well as erwin can be sued with many different relational databases. This makes it easy to switch and maintain the logical level and then create the DDL for Oracle, MSSQL, MySQL, for DB2, or DB2W.

I am using just part of SAP PowerDesigner as a tool. This is because it offers some additional capabilities, like business engineering. Other additional capabilities that I never used because there were additional tools for that.

Whether we use Powerdesigner or some other different tool, it's impossible to build an enterprise data model for big application systems. For example, a CIF covering the count and the post.

If it's loans, once we have a database with over ten entities, it's very hard to do it manually. You have to work with a tool to create a proper data model, and then a proper database with properly defined entities, primary keys, relationships, and foreign keys. You must have a tool. It's impossible to do it manually.

Once such a data model is created, it becomes the source. When trying to understand the beats revolving around magnetic media, you don't have to use the relational data model and the logical data model to understand the data. Once you understand the data, you know the application system. The data is basically a PowerDesigner. The main usage is to design and maintain the data model, the logical data model, and the physical data model.

The physical data model is achieved by pushing a button, and the tools will automatically create the DDL. You would just have to implement it as it is. You don't have to write the DDL manually. The business understanding and the business requirements are translated into the physical design one by one. The implementation is according to the business requirement, as a business understanding of the system.

On a scale from one to ten, I would give SAP PowerDesigner a nine.

I have been creating physical, logical models for data warehousing for a major bank in the Czech Republic. We have been converting these physical models into external files, generating the DDLs for objects and then deploying objects into those environments. We have 20 users in our business who use this solution but there are additional users across various branches of the bank. 

The most useful feature has been the detailed possibility to model almost anything regarding physical databases. The main goal was to create a data model for financial services in Teradata including a column description, primary case indexes and object relations. 

You have the possibility to complete a connection for abbreviations if you are creating columns or names of the tables. In the Citrix environment, this has been lagging to the point where the PowerDesigner was not usable. Various patches to fix this have not worked. Ultimately, we have abandoned PowerDesigner on Citrix. 

After working with SAP to resolve this, we found that this could be an issue with VPNs or with a firewall inside a bank institution. We haven't concluded on this for certain but definitely need an improvement when using PowerDesigner on the Citrix Server. 

In a future release, we would like to have the ability to improve the visibility of changes when doing check-ins. I have been working on a model for a few days and in those few days the repository got updated by up to 20 people. We would like to have a list of changes, the name of the user which created a change, or the login of the user who created this change in the change book. This would save us a lot of time. 

I have been using this solution for three years. 

This solution is stable but only on local devices. I have had some issues with the Citrix Server. For example, the solution has worked well when we have had users on holiday and when not running at full capacity. However, when our full operation is running, PowerDesigner does not perform well. 

This is a scalable solution. There is a lot of possibility to create many models and scale its use. 

At some point, we had an issue with the abbreviation file and we couldn't solve it on our side. We had to connect to the SAP user support and they resolved the issue for us in half a day. Overall, the support we received was really good. 

The initial setup is straightforward now but initially took some time to get used to. I've been using it as a user, not as an administrator. We connected to a repository and the name and user login was automatically remembered so it took about one minute.

At one point, we observed an error when two users have been doing check-ins of this model at the same time.

This solution offers good documentation and some cool usage types. I would rate this solution an eight out of ten because learning how to use this solution is easy. However, there have been some difficulties, especially with visibility of changes. I haven't been using other modeling tools so it makes it challenging to compare this solution to others.

We use this solution for business analysis and to generate use cases. Each model is developed based on all the requirements that are gathered. There's a small install for the setup on each machine and then we operate through a shared license server that is connected to it.

One of the things that I'm working on right now is improving the health of our models because a number of them are old. We're missing a lot of information that we need as we look towards an enterprise level data lake. This will allow us to better relate ownership of the data to a particular area within ODOT.

I've used the reverse engineering feature a lot. I can take a look at the structure of the database and what relationships it has. Some of the general modeling functions are also really valuable. It's pretty simple to show people how to add objects to model and develop relationships.

I'm trying to find some of the requirements for data cataloging within Power Designer. There are some minor things that could be easier. We're writing up procedures to bring all the modeling back into one group as this reduces delays in production.  

We have experienced one issue with stability which was connected to licensing. For two or three days, nobody could get in and use the tool. Assuming we do not experience a similar incident, I would rate them a seven or eight out of ten for stability. We are no longer signed up for support from Power Designer and so we have needed to determine our own workarounds in these situations which takes some time.

The technical support for this solution is good. When we developed the instructions, we had meetings with them and changed the order of some of the things and added things that they wanted to see. 

I would rate the support for this solution an eight out of ten. 

Positive

The initial setup is straightforward. We had a problem a few years ago when we moved our from a SQL server. Out of 16 installs, we had three failures and that was because people changed from the standard setup.

We have two Power Designer administrators and I am one of them. When anyone checks in, it creates a change list. 

I would rate this solution a seven out of ten. 

I'm an IT architect. I make use of this particular tool end-to-end, especially when I design objects. I also can immediately create the frameworks in PowerBuilder.

In just one click, I can create everything that I want.

I can download the solution right onto my PC.

It's a fantastic tool. It offers lots of flexibility. It saves companies pain and it keeps everything consistent. Whatever the idea was that started at the business level can go down to the database level.

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.

The one issue I've found goes a long way back, especially from version 6.0 onward. In 6.0 there was a fantastic modeling functionality called "Process Analysis Modeling." It was very simple and very straightforward, yet it covered practically all of the three or four important components, which the software should have.

Later, that capability was taken out of PowerDesigner. It got lost somewhere. Yet it was something that was very, very nice to have. SAP, they missed it somehow. Maybe it was removed in error? If they could bring it back, that would be amazing. 

When we had done some of the model icons to other models attached business process modeling, was far easier. The functionality has gone away. 

The solution is very, very expensive. It would be ideal if it was a more affordable product.

I've been using PowerDesigner intermittently, not continuously. I have been using a few other CASE tools as well. In my estimation, I've been using this one since 1994.

The solution is quite stable. We haven't had any issues in that regard.

The solution is based on a RDBMS database, a proper or relational database. It is a one to multi-person version. Any number of people can work simultaneously on it. They actually can buy the license for their own computer, that's all. Therefore, it can scale easily across teams. You just need to license.

I have a team of about ten people and we all use it. We're a small consultancy firm. Everyone uses it.

We will continue to use the solution and increase it as required in the future.

We don't need to purchase technical support per se. If there is any emergency bug fix, it's called UBS. They would send it to us, especially if we signed a maintenance contract with them. if you don't have a maintenance contract, you can just ask for the UBS. 

If our suppliers want us to use other tools, we of course will, however, we've been using this solution since 1994. I do not recall if we used anything before that, or what it might have been.

The initial setup is very straightforward. It's not complex at all. You just install it. You just click on the install button and go ahead and install everything. 

It will also ask if I want a backend repository database. If you say yes, then they will install the database. It is called a Sybase SQL Anyware. Now it is owned by SAP. I don't know exactly what they call it - maybe SAP SQL Anyware or Sybase SQL Anyware. 

In the end, it doesn't take more than five or ten minutes. it's very quick and efficient.

There was no need for any type of consultant or integrator to assist me in the deployment. It's a very simple process.

The solution requires a license for each user. If you want to add another user, you just buy another license. It's pretty straightforward. 

It's an expensive product.

I'm not using the latest version of the solution, I'm using the one that came out before version 16.

When we go to specific clients if they would like us to define it or some other product, what we do is we model whatever things that they want, inside those particular tools. Some of the tools don't have the entire modeling capability that PowerDesigner offers.

If a company has a team of people or even one single consultant who has the capability to design business architecture, software architecture, database architecture, or infrastructure architecture, they should go for this particular product. None of the other products offer all of these capabilities in one tool.

This is especially true when you design on one model. The architects creating them can pull into the next model - whatever they want to create. For example, if I'm designing a business process diagram, we will be able to capture some data architecture. When we reach the data architecture part of it, all the data items, whatever they already created in the business architecture, can be pulled. It automatically creates the database from the ER diagram.

I'd rate the solution nine out of ten overall.

We are using the enterprise architect version of the solution, using the repository to create our enterprise models; different business models that include process to data models and application architecture models. From a dimension perspective it's like a business application with data and infrastructure. We have categories of different models and we use this tool. I model a lot of these into centralized repositories, so they can be used by internal staff to view all the models or to see the lineage and navigate through them, viewing the relationship between the models and staff. 

In terms of modeling, we have large teams of around 50 to 60 people who have the license to show the different kinds of models in terms of system projects. For the web portal which allows viewing of the models, all users in our organization have access rights, meaning there are around 100 people that have access. The solution is used daily. We will likely carry out a review at the end of the year to see whether the current configuration is enough for us or whether we need to expand. We are customers of SAP and I'm a manager, data architecture. 

One of the key reasons for choosing this solution above others is because of the repository features which we're able to consolidate and work on a single repository where we store all our models in one location. In addition, the web portal feature allows us to present, or actually view these models from a browser's perspective. We have two groups of people: The first develops the models and the second views them. They can log in to a web portal and view the models. The product presented a strong case for us in deciding to establish this kind of creation and consumption model to make it really cost effective and increase the value of our organization. 

Although the presentation for viewing the models is good, I think it could be better. From my experience with other products, the SAP UI could be improved by enabling simpler navigation, especially for non-technical users. It would be ideal if there was a more seamless viewing experience of the models. Another improvement would be to adopt more industry models, especially from the enterprise architecture dimension. You could be adopting the industry standard as with made models, UML and other forms of industry enterprise architecture models. That would enhance the whole usability and enterprise nature of the modeling t

Additional features could support other model types which would improve the connectors to the increasing number of software to service packages now that a lot of the applications are moving into the cloud. We need to connect on all fronts. There is still a lot of room for improvement on the web portals in terms of the usability and the visual. 

I've been using this solution for about eight months. 

From the performance perspective, I think the tool is pretty stable. The only issue might be on the loading of the model which depends on how complex your model is. You need to be careful of those with a lot of relationships and you need to add other models when you load it in the web portal, and that can slow things down. In general, the solution is stable but it depends on your configuration. I don't have many crashes. 

The scalability seems to be okay although I haven't fully tested it yet. 

The technical support is good and they reply promptly. They also have information online. I'm happy with the support. 

I used to use ER/Studio and Techwin for modeling. In my previous job, the focus was more on the modeling and data modeling as a stand-alone kit. We selected PowerDesigner here because of the repository setup it caters to. SAP has the function to be able to establish the repositories, work in teams and then consolidate and present to a larger audience through a web browser. That was the main consideration for switching. The usability of how to model is pretty similar and there's no big difference in terms of the functionalities. But from a whole enterprise setup; the repositories, the check in, check out of those things into a central repository, are the key reasons we switched. 

One key difference is the connectivity. Besides the modeling we also do reverse engineering. We will try to connect to different data sources to extract information rather than building a model from scratch. That is one advantage because this is actually the SAP program so it has a good connection with the SAP product. We use quite a lot of SAP modules in our organization, so it's a good fit in a way that we can actually link it to some of our SAP servers and database and just reverse engineer the models. This is a main benefit over the other solutions which  are more neutral and more stand-alone products.

I carried out the initial setup myself and would say that it is moderately difficult. There's a lot of reading necessary on the documentation and if you're setting it up for the first time you might require technical support. Implementation took several days but the timing really depends because some of it requires the trust structures, opening up parts, etc.  

The key thing is really about the use case or the requirements. We are into enterprise modeling and we are looking at sharing the models and those are the requirements that shift the evaluation criteria. For those looking at stand-alone models, they may not be looking at sharing these, mainly they just want to produce their models and things, so those criteria will differentiate selecting the different products. And whether you have a large team of people or you are focusing on only a few players in a small team, that will also determine your criteria for selecting the product. 

I would rate this solution an eight out of 10.