INTRODUCTION
When a project requires data modeling,there is a choice of several different products. The three market-leadingproducts are ER/Studio (from Embarcadero),ERwin (from CA) and PowerDesigner (from Sybase). All three will allow amodeler to create data models,reverse engineer databases,document database systems,create basic reports andcreate/modify diagrams in aWindows-standard manner. If an organization needs to create a database one time,generate the script to build it and never modify it again,then the best choice would be the least expensive of thethree products. However,it is rare that an organization needs to create one database and leave it alone. As abusiness' needs get more complex,the products reviewed in this paper quickly diverge. There is one clear leaderamongst them: PowerDesigner.
PRODUCT OVERVIEWS
With all tools reviewed,there were similarities.All modeling tools reviewed provide a drawing canvas and a navigatoror explorer and a log window.Toolbars can be turned on or off,but only PowerDesigner allows for toolbar customization.All tools have undo/redo capabilities. These areWindows applications and,as such,are intuitive from a user-experienceperspective. Please see the table for differences in user-experience features following the vendors' descriptions.
ER/Studio 7.6
From the Embarcadero web site,ER/Studio is“an industry-leading data modeling tool,helps companies discover,document,and re-use data assets. With round-trip database support,data architects have the power to easilyreverse-engineer,analyze,and optimize existing databases. Productivity gains and enforcement of organizationstandards can be achieved with ER/Studio's strong collaboration capabilities.”Downloading ER/Studio was straightforward and easy. I was able to download an evaluation copy directly fromtheir website. This evaluation is valid for 15 days,which is certainly enough time to properly evaluate the solution.The installation went flawlessly.I was contacted by Embarcadero a few times,by both phone and email. When I asked a couple of questionsregarding generating LDMs and PDMs from CDMs,I was offered a demonstration. During the demonstration,theyattempted to meet my requests of creating the LDM from a CDM. Although EA/Studio is used for the CDM creation,they were able to export the model file and send it directly into ER/Studio for LDM genesis. However,when I asked forthem to make a change in the LDM and have that show in the CDM,the import into EA/Studio did not work asexpected. Upon export from EA/Studio into ER/Studio,the object's GUID (identifier) is not kept. After modificationsto the LDM or PDM,an import back into EA/Studio will not update the original object – it does not identify thatobject – EA/Studio creates a secondary object so that the modeler still has the information available.Additional issues that arose during the demonstration will be addressed in the appropriate sections throughoutthis document.
ERwin Data Modeler 7.2
CA states“CA ERwin Data Modeler is a data modeling solution that enables you to create and maintain databases,data warehouses and enterprise data resource models.These models help you visualize data structures so that you caneffectively organize,manage and moderate data complexities,database technologies and the deployment environment.”When I made an attempt to download ERwin,I found that the link on the website was broken. I called CA torequest an evaluation copy of ERwin. After gathering my information,I was told that a salesperson would call meback. I never received a phone call from a salesperson. Two days later,I tried the link again and was able tosuccessfully obtain an evaluation copy – good for 25 entities and 15 days.Installing Data Modeler seemed to work correctly. However,it did not create a Program Group inWindows,nor didit create a desktop link for starting the product. In order to use the modeling tool,I needed to navigate through theWindows folder hierarchy to find the program.
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