

Visio and erwin Data Modeler compete in the diagramming and data modeling categories, respectively. erwin Data Modeler appears to have the upper hand in data modeling due to its robust functionalities, although Visio is preferred for its integration with Microsoft tools.
Features: Visio offers seamless integration with Microsoft Office and features an extensive library of shapes. It supports BPMN diagrams, making it suitable for creating flowcharts and visual communications. erwin Data Modeler provides visual data modeling, DDL generation, and offers strong forward and reverse engineering capabilities, enhancing its data management proficiency.
Room for Improvement: Visio lacks XPDL export and pen input support. Issues with layering and integration with non-Microsoft tools affect user efficiency. erwin Data Modeler users report challenges with data synchronization and integration with NoSQL databases. The user interface is noted as outdated, indicating a need for modernization.
Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Visio is available on-premises and in cloud configurations, praised for its ease of deployment and Microsoft’s documentation support. However, support experiences vary. erwin Data Modeler requires more technical resources for deployment, with support considered satisfactory, albeit sometimes complicated due to licensing issues.
Pricing and ROI: Visio is often criticized for its high price outside Microsoft Office bundles, though ROI aligns with expectations due to integration capabilities. erwin Data Modeler is perceived as costly, which might deter individual users despite its enterprise-level features. Users recommend a competitive pricing model to enhance accessibility and ROI justification.
If three engineers save ten hours each per month using erwin Data Modeler versus manual modeling, that equals three hundred sixty hours saved per year.
It replaces manual charting in Visio with a structured tool, providing significant return on investment.
If the modeling is compromised, then the entire structure will be compromised.
The quality and speed of their support are excellent; everyone is very helpful, and they can solve problems quickly.
This rating reflects my ability to effectively utilize the tool and get support for licensing issues, installation errors, or corrupted repositories end-to-end.
Quest is committed to keeping the product robust.
While I like Microsoft products in general, the main issue is with the licensing options and the problems associated with them.
The cost to deploy this 170-page solution was too high and the needed time was months. It was almost not an answer.
I would rate their support a nine or even 9.5, recognizing that their support system is robust and cooperative.
I would rate it probably a nine, making it a leader in data modeling.
erwin Data Modeler had a very good standardization infrastructure and supported a controlled multi-user environment with check-ins and check-outs.
Performance can degrade during larger collaborations and requires tuning for optimal performance.
This lack of an auto-save methodology can be improved so that if a system crash occurs, work can be saved and rework can be avoided.
New versions often introduce enhanced features but may cause model crashes due to memory exhaustion.
Sometimes when I want to open the attribute editor, it stops working and the whole application freezes.
The previous version of erwin Data Modeler used to crash unaccountably, but this one hasn't ever crashed on me, so it's been a lot more stable than the previous version that we had.
There are many features, and I would expect good documentation detailing each feature, including when and how to use it, to be very useful because data modeling is not very popular in the data area and there aren't many educational videos regarding erwin Data Modeler.
Erwin Data Modeler could improve in areas such as the interface, as there are features like copy and paste, creating duplicates, and the visualization elements and toolbars which feel quite old.
Visio should implement more complex tools or graphics to facilitate processing and use flexible templates.
Licensing cost is one of the major points for improvement since it is quite high for personal use.
The visual icons and shapes for different vendors like Cisco network could be improved.
For a cloud or SaaS standard edition, it typically runs around two hundred to two hundred ninety-nine US dollars per month.
It is more targeted toward an enterprise level since organizations looking to store business information and relationship values may consider the pricing.
If asked to rate the price, I would give it around nine points out of ten, indicating it is somewhat expensive.
One of the key aspects of data governance is defining the data dictionary and clearly identifying which data is accessible by whom and what is not accessible, particularly regarding PII-related data.
The way the data is organized and you have a visual of that organization helps a great deal in terms of trying to remember what you did and trying to retrieve the information.
Migrating DDLs using erwin Data Modeler is easy because I just connect to the database and generate the data model from what is already implemented, making the process straightforward.
When you use this template, you find directly the related buttons. It saves time and effort.
The main benefits Visio provides me include simplifying processes, saving time on manual work with diagram creation, and delivering a clean architecture, whether it is network architecture or application flow.
Visio allows me to create detailed diagrams that provide value to customers by giving them a clear view of their network and devices.
| Product | Mindshare (%) |
|---|---|
| Visio | 9.9% |
| erwin Data Modeler | 2.6% |
| Other | 87.5% |


| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 16 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 3 |
| Large Enterprise | 35 |
| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 36 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 19 |
| Large Enterprise | 61 |
Erwin Data Modeler provides an effective approach to visualizing and managing data models. It assists in creating, reversing, and synchronizing data models with ease, supporting logical and physical transitions while enhancing understanding across teams.
Erwin Data Modeler is a comprehensive tool designed for professional database management. It offers capabilities to organize and enforce standards, automating script generation with robust reverse engineering and DDL output. Users can manage complex data environments, capitalize on integration with data intelligence, and maintain large-scale databases smoothly. Despite its strengths, improvements in multi-language support, database integration, and reporting features are needed. Users benefit from extensive support for conceptual, logical, and physical database modeling, enhancing architectural design and data governance for platforms like SQL Server, Oracle, and Teradata.
What are the key features of Erwin Data Modeler?Erwin Data Modeler finds application in industries focused on robust data management, implementing it for enterprise data warehouses, business domain models, and operational systems. It supports architectural design and governance, aligning with business applications demanding precise data representation and visualization.
Visio is an innovative collaborative solution that enables users to quickly visualize data-connected business process flows with a host of integrated intuitive features that bring the power of Microsoft 365 to Visio. Visio allows users to easily create professional diagrams, graphs, and other visual data, easily anywhere, anytime, and with anyone. Users are able to confidently and easily transform data into creative powerful visuals. Visio provides dozens of easy-to-use templates along with thousands of customizable colorful shapes that bring a user's best ideas to life. Visio is available for all Microsoft 365 commercial users and is available on desktop and Web applications.
Visio Features
Visio can easily create visual data for today’s business needs. Some of its most useful visual data include:
Reviews from Real Users
“Visio has improved my workflow by making it easy to create charts, diagrams, and essential illustrations to use in my client reports and proposals. It has saved me a lot of time I would otherwise spend creating visuals for clients manually.” - Michael B., Principal Consultant at Lexington Consulting
“I use it for diagramming networks, racks, data centers, data flow applications, etc. It is a useful tool to map data flows, network objects, and computer science technology and to show to clients. It does what I need it to do. It's a tool I've used the longest, so I know it the best, and that's probably the claim to fame.” - Greg S., Director of Solution Architecture at Winslow Technology Group
“We use Visio for architecture modeling. We also use it to facilitate communication with other people. The feature I like most about Visio is that it acts as a facilitator of communication, as it displays information in a way that's easier to understand.” - Guy M., IT/Business Architect at a financial services firm
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