No more typing reviews! Try our Samantha, our new voice AI agent.

SAP Enterprise Architecture Designer vs erwin Data Modeler comparison

Why PeerSpot?
 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 1, 2026

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

erwin Data Modeler
Ranking in Enterprise Architecture Management
1st
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
5.8
Number of Reviews
68
Ranking in other categories
Business Process Design (4th), Data Governance (11th)
SAP Enterprise Architecture...
Ranking in Enterprise Architecture Management
23rd
Average Rating
8.0
Number of Reviews
1
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of November 2026, in the Enterprise Architecture Management category, the mindshare of erwin Data Modeler is 8.6%, up from 8.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SAP Enterprise Architecture Designer is 1.4%, down from 1.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Enterprise Architecture Management Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
erwin Data Modeler8.6%
SAP Enterprise Architecture Designer1.4%
Other90.0%
Enterprise Architecture Management
 

Featured Reviews

SR
Director, Analytics at a consultancy with 10,001+ employees
Structured data modeling has accelerated AI-driven customer insights and cloud migrations
One feature that I wish erwin Data Modeler could improve is how user experience becomes much more intuitive, particularly when navigating large models or reviewing changes over time. Easier model exploration, clear visibility into differences between versioning, and practical documentation for use cases could help users work more effectively. I would also welcome the capability to have integrations with other platforms where the blueprint can be exchanged seamlessly without having to do an export and an import process. This would also help in bringing in the AI capability, which can assist in better positioning erwin Data Modeler not just as a tool for designing and documenting data models, but also as part of the broader data architecture and development lifecycle. Regarding erwin Data Modeler's AI capabilities, there is an opportunity to enhance user experience from a governance standpoint, supporting tracking model changes, maintaining audit trails, and managing role-based access while enforcing consistent modeling standards across teams would be a value-added feature, particularly in a large-scale environment. It would also be beneficial to have better visibility into sensitive data attributes and their relationships to govern the requirements, including privacy and access controls. As organizations increasingly adopt AI development, integrating these governance and security considerations into the model and implementing workflows could also help teams work more effectively while maintaining appropriate oversights. Regarding erwin Data Modeler's AI capabilities, there is still room for improvement regarding accuracy and reliability of output as large language models need clear instructions. There is room for growth because business requirements keep changing, relationships keep changing, and the capability to identify inconsistencies, missing relationships, or incorrect definitions are areas where it can improve. This is not to say that the current features are not good enough; they are excellent, but there is definitely room to catch up on AI changes. This is particularly important when modeling using blueprints inputted via AI assistant programs, and when an error occurs in the original model, it could carry over into a generated implementation. That is one of the experiences I faced when working on a project for the Adobe Experience Platform. I experience some integration failures often with erwin Data Modeler, but there is documentation that we can look up that helps resolve these bugs. The new integration changes on our end sometimes pose a challenge, but the process is generally seamless, and the support available makes it much easier for us to troubleshoot any challenges we might face. Managing data across different environments, such as traditional databases, NoSQL, big data, and cloud platforms with erwin Data Modeler presents the biggest challenge of translating from a traditional database to a non-SQL database. These challenges are primarily based on the structure of the data model. Overall, there are external tools that help us in translating that, and I would love to add this as a feature to simplify the process and reduce the complexity of using external extensions for making those changes or guiding through the process.
Artur Chyziewicz - PeerSpot reviewer
Co-Owner at Edusolution s.c.
Great training available with traceability a key feature
I use this solution to model enterprise software architecture. We are customers of SAP and an educational organization in Poland.  Traceability is a fantastic feature.  They should upgrade the algorithm. The solution currently has an old algorithm and there are now free tools on the market that…

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"erwin Data Modeler has positively impacted my organization by being helpful to use, allowing us to demonstrate our models easily, being interactive and physical, while supporting reverse engineering."
"erwin Data Modeler has positively impacted my organization by allowing us to implement the data architecture with the data strategy about six to eight years ago, since it allowed us to have a single language and implement new Nissan standards, naming conventions, constraints, and features."
"Using erwin Data Modeler has positively impacted my organization by improving data consistency and standardization, reducing development effort, enhancing data governance, fostering better collaboration, and minimizing risk and rework."
"We use the macros with naming standards patterns, domains, datatypes, and some common attributes. As far as other automations, a feature of the Bulk Editor is mass updates. When it sees something is nonstandard or inaccurate, it will export the better data out. Then, I can easily see which entities and attributes are not inline or standard. I can easily make changes to what was uploaded to the Bulk Editor. When taking on a new project, it can save you about a half a day on a big project across an entire team."
"The data lineage feature is very valuable."
"We find that its ability to generate database code from a model for a wide array of data sources cuts development time. The ability to create one model in your design phase and then have it generate DDL code for Oracle or Teradata, or whichever environment you need is really nice. It's not only nice but it also saves man-hours of time. You would have to take your design and just type in manually. It has to take days off out of the work."
"They have a lot of features and the most up-to-date technology integration, which I haven't seen in other products."
"Sometimes you have an initial idea for a data model and when you try to design it in Erwin you realize that you were wrong in how you approached it."
"Traceability is a fantastic feature."
 

Cons

"In terms of new features, it would be great to have a cloud base. We should be able to put it on the cloud for better collaboration and data models sharing."
"The erwin ETL functionality has room for improvement when it comes to mapping databases with a classic entity-relationship model to a data warehouse model."
"The interface must be improved."
"I would like to add more about needed improvements, particularly regarding better integration with cloud platforms such as Snowflake, Databricks, and Azure."
"I am not so happy with its speed. Sometimes, it can have problems with connections."
"There are some bugs here and there. The default code that comes with the customizable packages is a bit buggy on some platforms such as PostgreSQL."
"The UI in erwin Data Modeler can be improved significantly because when any new person opens the tool, all the toolbars are kept open with many tools in view, making it appear chunky."
"I have seen some lagging, crashing, downtime, or instability in erwin Data Modeler."
"The solution currently has an old algorithm and there are now free tools on the market that offer better options for drawing algorithms."
"The algorithm is outdated and should be upgraded."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Pricing is very high compared to any other product."
"Likewise, the solution is a little pricey."
"The price should be lower in order to be on the same level as its competitors."
"The pricing of the solution is cheap. I rate the pricing a five out of ten."
"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."
"The price of erwin Data Modeler is very expensive, in particular for this part of the world."
"erwin Data Modeler by Quest is an expensive solution."
"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."
Information not available
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Enterprise Architecture Management solutions are best for your needs.
920,769 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
14%
Outsourcing Company
9%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Marketing Services Firm
6%
No data available
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business19
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise61
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for erwin Data Modeler by Quest?
My experience with erwin Data Modeler's pricing and setup costs shows it to be on the expensive side; the licensing fees reflect this higher cost, which results in fewer users adopting the tool.
What needs improvement with erwin Data Modeler by Quest?
The UI of erwin Data Modeler could be improved. It could be cleaner, as the current setup sometimes confuses users searching for specific features. Streamlining options and removing unnecessary ele...
What is your primary use case for erwin Data Modeler by Quest?
My main use case for erwin Data Modeler involves designing a logical and conceptual model, and physicalized model. I typically use it for creating tables, establishing relationships between tables,...
Ask a question
Earn 20 points
 

Also Known As

erwin DM
SAP EA Designer
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

 Premera, America Honda Motors, Aetna, Kaiser Permanente, Dental Dental Cali, Cigna, Staples
Information Not Available
Find out what your peers are saying about Quest Software, SAP, SAP LeanIX and others in Enterprise Architecture Management. Updated: October 2026.
920,769 professionals have used our research since 2012.