SAP PowerDesigner

We use SAP PowerDesigner as our E-R Modeling tool for our application suite. We have twenty-four databases with approximately 3000 tables and 50,000 data elements. We use a repository-based version of the tool and are able to create multiple models that can be used to show various subject areas within the system. We have also taken advantage of customizing the templates to generate objects based on the DDL for the table. PD is an enterprise approved tool and our group has used it since 2001. I personally have used it since 1996.

SAP PowerDesigner allows our team of data modelers to work and collaborate from a single repository and single data dictionary. This helps enforce consistency as data elements are referenced in other objects. Prior to our use of PD, we might have an element named "ppt" in one table, "participant" in another table and "part" in a third table. By forcing everything to be used from the data dictionary, we avoid these situations because everyone has to go to the dictionary. And we are able to easily do peer reviews on models before they are released because we are collaborating through the use of the repository.

SAP Sybase PowerDesigner is the ultimate tool for creating conceptual, logical, and physical data modeling for many database vendors. It also provides ease of multi-user architecture and development environments with a supporting repository structure. Team governance and object standardization can be applied as well. It supports various database vendors, and impact analysis is one of the most powerful aspects of the tool.