TrustRadius Insights for erwin Data Modeler are summaries of user sentiment data from TrustRadius reviews and, when necessary, third party data sources.
Business Problems Solved
erwin Data Modeler has proven to be a valuable tool for users across various stages of the database development process. Data architects, DBAs, and data modelers have used the software to design, develop, and deploy databases. The software enables users to create ER diagrams for both new databases and existing ones, incorporating change requests seamlessly. These ERD diagrams have been shared with end-users and developers to assist in application design. Additionally, erwin Data Modeler has facilitated SQL Server change management by allowing for table changes and generating reusable Alter scripts for production.
The software’s benefits extend beyond design and development tasks. It has played a crucial role in version control and release control within database environments. Users have found it helpful in discussing database designs with functional teams and DBAs, using ER diagrams as visual aids for effective communication. Organizations with multiple applications have benefited from erwin Data Modeler's support in implementing a comprehensive SDLC for database changes and version control. Moreover, the software has been selected as a standard data modeling tool by government agencies and organizations seeking to design, maintain, and implement databases. On a smaller scale, it has even been utilized to standardize record abbreviations and field names.
In summary, erwin Data Modeler offers a wide range of use cases that cater to the needs of data architects, DBAs, and data modelers at various stages of the database lifecycle. Its versatility in facilitating design, development, documentation, change management, and communication makes it a valuable asset for organizations aiming for efficient and standardized database operations.
Erwin Data Modeler is an enterprise modeling tool often used by government agencies and organizations to design, maintain, and implement databases to support enterprise applications. Government agencies and organizations usually select a standard data modeling tool in which they can consistently implement databases and maintain them. It provides a standard software toolset that all projects can use.
Pros
Generation/management of DDL.
Enforces standard naming conventions.
Builds logical and physical data models.
Cons
User interface
Many options available to learn.
Likelihood to Recommend
Erwin Data Modeler is an enterprise-level tool and should be considered for managing large DB implementations or when aligning to an existing organization's naming standards/definitions/data types is needed. This is a key tool for a Data Architect to design databases. It is possible the cost would not make it ideal for small projects where scripts could be easily managed by scripts.
VU
Verified User
Director in Professional Services (Information Technology and Services company, 10,001+ employees)
We are using erwin Data Modeler for initial design, development and deployment phases. We use it to design ER diagrams for our new databases or incorporate change requests into existing. We then forward engineer deployment scripts for erwin directly and deploy it to various database environments. This has helped us version control and release control in our database environments. It is also easier to discuss with functional team by presenting them with ER diagram block instead of talking to them in database language.
Pros
Reverse Engineering: I love the way we can import an SQL file containing schema meta data and generate ER diagram out of it. This is specifically useful if you are implementing erwin Data Modeler for an existing database.
Forward Engineering: We use this feature very frequently. Where we do database changes in our physical and logical data models and then generate deployment scripts for the changes made.
Physical vs Logical Models: I like to have my database model split into physical and logical models and at the same time still linked to each other. Any changes you make to logical model or physical model shows up in the other.
Cons
For large models, it gets tedious to print the diagram in a single pdf. I have to often make adjustment and if i use the fit model feature, it kind of changes the alignment of entities in my ER diagram. Erwin may let us make pdf of the model as is.
I have used reverse engineering using for Oracle schemas. It will be very good if it supports reverse engineering for more vendors, so i can use erwin data modeler for database conversion activities too.
Likelihood to Recommend
If you have a database environment that gets frequent schema object change requests. erwin Data Modeler is a great tool for version control and release control. Also, it's very useful to communicate between database and application teams.