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Collibra Lineage vs erwin Data Modeler comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

Collibra Lineage
Ranking in Data Governance
10th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
10
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
erwin Data Modeler
Ranking in Data Governance
14th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
40
Ranking in other categories
Enterprise Architecture Management (3rd), Business Process Design (9th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Data Governance category, the mindshare of Collibra Lineage is 2.7%, up from 2.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of erwin Data Modeler is 0.0%. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Data Governance Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Collibra Lineage2.7%
erwin Data Modeler0.0%
Other97.3%
Data Governance
 

Featured Reviews

Saikat Ghosh - PeerSpot reviewer
Provides an end-to-end perspective of data usage and assists in identifying sensitive data across the enterprise
I use the Collibra Lineage visualization features. The solution helps me understand data flows effectively. Collibra Lineage impacts my data analysis by helping to identify where data is used, making it significantly useful. The solution facilitates compliance by defining where sensitive data is…
JorgeSanz - PeerSpot reviewer
Streamline data modeling and automate network changes for increased efficiency
The initial setup depends on the tool if you are using the data model environment. Stopping the server could be complex and require strong expertise. If you have everything set up and configured, Erwin is straightforward. You can deploy it in a few hours. In our case, it took a couple of months to address internal conditions, assign machines, and set up everything for the services. I rate the initial setup a six out of ten, where one is difficult and ten is easy.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"It shows how the data was transformed on the way and how the solutions were derived. This is the essence of the tool and why it is so powerful."
"The most valuable features of Collibra Lineage are the multiple options for automation. Additionally, if you have a scenario where automation does not work, you have the option to manually create the lineage. The solution does not force you to always go through an automated way where you have broken lineage and you are stuck without a lineage."
"The diagrams are good for data visualization."
"The solution makes data more discoverable and transparent."
"The integration with other Collibra Lineage products is valuable in our data governance initiatives."
"The solution allowed us to quickly and efficiently implement our data governance operating model, including accountabilities, regulatory lineage, and data dictionaries. This was much faster and more efficient than manual methods or other tools like Informatica. I prefer Collibra Lineage for its self-service capabilities."
"The best features of Collibra Lineage include its ability to map data flows and provide clear visualizations."
"The main benefits that Collibra Lineage provides include measurable advantages."
"I have worked with erwin Data Modeler for quite some time and familiarity is its most valuable feature."
"The most valuable features are being able to visualize the data in the diagrams and transform those diagrams into physical database deployments. These features help, specifically, to integrate the data. When the source data is accumulated and modeled, the target model is in erwin and it helps resolve the data integration patterns that are required to map the data to accommodate a model."
"One of the best aspects of the tool is its reverse engineering capability."
"It's important to create standard templates — Erwin is good at that — and you can customize them. You can create a standard template so that your models have the same look and feel. And then, anyone using the tool is using the same font and the same general layout. erwin's very good at helping enforce that."
"Quest can create conceptual and physical data models to facilitate effective communication between business and IT. It can also integrate expertise from various engineering and database systems within your organization to enhance data management and administration."
"Any tool will do diagramming but I think the ability to put the stuff up in a graphical fashion, then think about it, and keep things consistent is what's valuable about it. It's too easy when you're using other methods to not have naming consistent standards and column consistent definitions, et cetera."
"One of the best aspects of the tool is its reverse engineering capability."
"We can create mappings in erwin and possibly data dictionaries."
 

Cons

"There is room for improvement in Collibra Lineage as it could incorporate automation features which would allow it to find data lineage across a data stack independently."
"If a developer implements ETL in Glue or PySpark, Collibra cannot capture lineage out of that."
"It would be better if features like the privacy module and AI-based Collibra DQ were included in one package instead of being separate and requiring additional costs. Currently, the basic package covers lineage and documentation, but the extra modules come at an extra cost."
"Collibra doesn't provide support for integration for SAP Info Steward directly with Collibra."
"The product must be cheaper."
"The workflow documentation must be improved."
"Before you can use this solution, you have to make a lot of changes to how you measure your information in your organization, the data governance and policies, and the organizational structures that use them. Many companies believe that if they purchase the licenses for the tool that they have done the job, but this is far from the case with this tool."
"I have seen many customers moving away from Collibra Lineage after using it for a couple of years because the cost-benefit analysis does not give them a favorable report."
"I would like the solution to be more user-friendly to deploy."
"Although Quest Software has made tremendous strides in recent years, they need to evolve more in the big data arena; erwin Data Modeler could use a little more work when it comes to big database designs."
"In terms of improvements, support could have been better in terms of installation, especially of workgroups. We struggled quite a bit to get it up and running. Collaboration could have been better from an installation perspective, but it is trivial as compared to what we use it for. Other than that, I don't have much feedback. It works pretty well, and the fact that we've been using it for more than a decade shows that it is quite solid."
"I would like the solution to be less rigid in terms of its theory."
"The solution's reporting side needs to be improved."
"The modeling product itself is far and above anything else that I've seen on the market. There are certain inconsistencies when it comes to keeping up with other platforms' databases in the reverse-engineering process. It should also support more database platforms."
"I would like to have more data sources from other, different vendors. In recent years, the vendor has reduced the number of data sources, and I would like to have more data sources for every brand. For example, with Oracle, I would like to have compatibility for many versions, including old ones, not just the most recent."
"The navigation is a little bit of a challenge. It's painful. For example, if you've got a view open and you want to try to move from side to side, the standard today is being able to drag and drop left and right. You can't really do that in the model. Moving around the model is painful because it doesn't follow the Windows model today."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It's expensive, especially for small companies."
"There are different licenses available for Collibra Lineage based on what kind of access you want. If you want, for example, a read-only license they have different ones to pick from."
"erwin has this option where you pay a one-time fee and you have the license for six years, which makes sense because I don't upgrade my database engine every other year. I have an application that depends on it. This is something weird about PowerDesigner. There are no additional costs beyond the standard licensing fee."
"Likewise, the solution is a little pricey."
"I don't specifically know what we're paying now. About three years ago, in another organization, I have this memory of 6,000 AUD a seat or something like that, but I am not sure. In the mid-2000s, it was something like 1,200 AUD a seat. I get the impression that there was a price jump when it was spun off from CA as a separate company, which is understandable, but it could sometimes be a barrier in some organizations picking it up. I haven't talked to erwin people yet, but I'm going to suggest to them that they could perhaps think of having an entry-level product that is priced a bit lower, and then, you can buy the extra suite."
"The pricing of the solution is cheap. I rate the pricing a five out of ten."
"erwin is expensive compared to other solutions. We are paying almost $6,000 per seat a month."
"We've continued to use the product for many years and compared it with others on the market. The pricing is reasonable considering what the solution offers and what we pay. There are cheaper tools, but they may not be as robust and easy to use, so it's worth the money."
"This company had bought the license for three years, and it's not an individual license. While you can buy a license for each individual, that would be very expensive. There is something called concurrent licenses where you can purchase licenses in bulk and 15 to 20 people can access the license and model. Concurrent licenses are scalable to the number of users and are proportional to the cost."
"I wish it wasn't so expensive. I would love to personally buy a copy of my own and have it at home, because the next job that I'm looking at is probably project management and I might not have access to the tool. I would like to keep my ability to use the tool. Therefore, they should probably have a pricing for people like me who want to just use the solution as an independent consultant, trying to get started. $3,000 is a big hit."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
19%
Insurance Company
11%
Computer Software Company
10%
Manufacturing Company
6%
Financial Services Firm
18%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Government
8%
Computer Software Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business3
Midsize Enterprise1
Large Enterprise8
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business14
Midsize Enterprise3
Large Enterprise29
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Collibra Lineage?
The solution makes data more discoverable and transparent.
What needs improvement with Collibra Lineage?
There is room for improvement in Collibra Lineage as it could incorporate automation features which would allow it to find data lineage across a data stack independently.
What do you like most about erwin Data Modeler by Quest?
Forward engineering, DDL generation, reverse engineering, and reporting are the most valuable features of the solution.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for erwin Data Modeler by Quest?
I do not recall the pricing from about a year and a half ago, but it seems reasonable.
What needs improvement with erwin Data Modeler by Quest?
erwin Data Modeler could improve its UI as it still feels old school and not very modern. There are many features, and I would expect good documentation detailing each feature, including when and h...
 

Also Known As

No data available
erwin DM
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

AXA XL, DNB, Adobe, PMI, Holland America Line, UC Davis Health, Cox Automotive
 Premera, America Honda Motors, Aetna, Kaiser Permanente, Dental Dental Cali, Cigna, Staples
Find out what your peers are saying about Collibra Lineage vs. erwin Data Modeler and other solutions. Updated: September 2025.
869,566 professionals have used our research since 2012.