IBM Rational System Architect vs Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect vs erwin Evolve by Quest comparison

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between erwin Evolve by Quest, IBM Rational System Architect, and Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about LeanIX, Sparx Systems, erwin by Quest and others in Enterprise Architecture Management.
To learn more, read our detailed Enterprise Architecture Management Report (Updated: April 2024).
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Featured Review
Quotes From Members
We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use.
Here are some excerpts of what they said:
Pros
"The initial setup was really straightforward and the deployment was done within one day.""The ability to share and collaborate on the solution is its most valuable feature.""I can send images in the PDF form, along with the relationships and the associations that are a very important part of what we do. It can show what is affected and what is impacted by a certain change in one area of the system architecture or enterprise architecture. I can very quickly draw those issues and topics to the fore.""Evolve is like a tank. You can do whatever you want with the solution, but you need to customize it. I think that it's not very aligned with the framework for enterprise architecture. MEGA is focused on these enterprise architectures, but it's only for that. With Evolve, you can do everything you want with professional services.""You can use different kinds of diagrams to represent the architecture setting.""I have not seen capabilities for web-sharing and interaction with the architecture from any other supplier. It's a great capability...""One of the most valuable features is the website that sits on top of the database. There's a database of objects and how they are related, and you can make views and diagrams and visual elements out of that information on the website. The website is the part that is called Evolve and we use the Evolve Designer and publish the website out to our employees. They can click around and navigate and search, etc.""We can efficiently deploy business models into the databases and generate SQL scripts."

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"The solution is pretty stable.""The user interface is good. It's both clear and comprehensible. It's easy to work with.""There are a lot of features I find valuable, but I think that the metamodel customization is one of the best features that the solution offers.""We have seen ROI with this solution over the years that we have used it."

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"The system provides powerful tools for obtaining reports and documentation.""Its ease of use and the breadth of the toolkit are most valuable. It has an incredible repository of artifacts to work with, and they're all cross-referenced. It works with a whole bunch of different standards. It works with BPMN, which is Business Process Modeling Notation, and it also works with something called TOGAF, which is the Open Group Architecture Foundation. There are different layers when you're dealing with architecture. There is the user interface, application, data, data servers, and all that kind of stuff. You have the infrastructure, hardware, and software layers, and then you have the application and business capability layers. You can model a business process and decompose it into all of the applications, data, and hardware to support it.""We could capture the process models around 24 countries with all their local variations.""We have found the stability to be very reliable.""It is simple to build the first model for the solution.""The profiles and ready-made templates are an extremely helpful feature. This is one of the biggest features that I find very useful in Sparx.""We can easily use it with our new customers.""We use it to develop and maintain the Enterprise Conceptual Model, migrated from erwin a couple of years ago."

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Cons
"I would like to see an improvement in the output of the solution.""The solution's integration capabilities with other tools in our system has not been all that well done. We have people who use ARIS, who use System Architect and, of course, Visio. erwin has very limited ways to import and export from those kinds of tools. It's not a very easy thing to do.""What they need to do is to consolidate more of their products. For example, I was just looking and I couldn't figure out what erwin DT is. It's on the website but it would help if they could put information together and make it more clear as to what products they have and how they work with other things.""Add some ability to do conditional Visualization on the models and in reports (some ideas) – maybe as a specialized Theme or Diagram or Display.""With the Excel importing, the "up to date" part is the challenge. If we had a real-time integration, we could keep things up to date for whatever kinds of change points we had. With Excel, it is more that you have to export from one system then import it to another, so it's better for data that doesn't change that often.""They have improved the search engine a little bit but it can always be improved more. The more data you put inside it, the more you want to use it.""erwin Evolve by Quest could have additional features to manage the architecture of enterprises and businesses.""If it had fewer features to model all kinds of architecture, it would be less complicated."

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"There needs to be more information at the outset about how to use the solution and how to deploy it. The deployment process needs improvement.""The solution needs to better integrate with other products, like Microsoft.""The reverse engineering of the database is already there, but in the next release I would like to see some pilot supplied with the solution in order to address any database.""This solution can be more user-friendly and easier to use, with better dashboards."

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"The stability and performance of Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect could still be improved. Setup for it is also slightly complicated and could be improved.""There should be a MATLAB-specific toolbox added to the solution with better compatibility. The connections currently are good but in the future, it needs a huge improvement.""The reporting needs improvement.""It can be improved in the area of shared documentation. The idea is that the architecture tool can call back to an enterprise asset, pull that information, and link that as a sub-artifact.""It could be more user-friendly. The tools could be more simple to use. It's a very complex solution. Because I am a business analyst, I use these tools to manage requirements, and I make models in UML, BPMN, and ArchiMate, and it's complex. In the next release, I would like to see more integrations.""This solution has some limitations from a business perspective.""Even if there are web-based tools in the Enterprise Architecture tool ecosystem (like Prolaborate), the main modeling application is still a fat client application.""When many users are accessing the system at the same time, Sparx slows down. It can't easily support a large team."

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Pricing and Cost Advice
  • "Unless you are a one person shop – always go with the Workgroup edition and Concurrent licensing."
  • "On a yearly basis, our licensing costs are 50,000 euro. There are no additional costs because we are on a SaaS model."
  • "The cost is something like $15,000, per license. But I haven't looked at those numbers in three years. It was over $100,000 to initially set everything up and get it all configured."
  • "The licensing enables you to differentiate between people who edit the content and the people who consume it. We are able to keep the licensing costs down by keeping the "contributor" licenses to a minimum, and we then just roll out the content in a read-only version for the rest of our users."
  • "Yearly, our cost is €100,000."
  • "I think erwin is quite expensive. I have difficulty selling the portal, in fact."
  • "I estimate that we pay between $40,000 and $50,000 a year for the solution, not including the upfront costs to buy things the first time."
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    Information Not Available
  • "The Corporate Edition, or one of the bundles, is the way to go."
  • "Use floating licenses strategically."
  • "The pricing for ultimate version is steeply high."
  • "Licenses are pretty low cost compared to, for example, ARIS."
  • "It’s the best deal in town, by far."
  • "Pricing and licensing is very attractive, simple, and straightforward."
  • "Pricing and licensing are suitable even for small companies."
  • "In terms of cost, Sparx EA is probably one of the cheapest tools I have ever used."
  • More Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect Pricing and Cost Advice →

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    Questions from the Community
    Top Answer:Evolve's reverse engineering ability is quite useful.
    Top Answer:Evolve is primarily focused on the entity's licenses diagrams, but it would be nice if erwin could integrate case… more »
    Top Answer:I rate erwin Evolve by Quest a nine out of ten.
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    Top Answer:In my opinion, there is no real difference between the three tools. All three are software that help organizations model… more »
    Top Answer:The stability has been good and satisfactory. I would rate the stability a ten out of ten.
    Top Answer:It's reasonably priced for large organizations, though it may be perceived as expensive for individual users.
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    Also Known As
    erwin EA, erwin Business Process, erwin Enterprise Architecture
    Rational System Architect
    Learn More
    Overview

    erwin is used by more than 50,000 professionals in 60+ countries to get big results from their enterprise data initiatives. erwin is the #1 choice in virtually every industry, from government and healthcare to retail and finance.

    erwin Modeling provides a collaborative environment to manage enterprise data through an intuitive, graphical interface. With a centralized view of key data definitions, you can leverage information as a strategic asset and more efficiently manage your data resources to save time and money.

    IBM Rational System Architect is an enterprise architecture solution for visualizing, analyzing, and communicating enterprise architecture and business process analysis. This solution provides decision support, process optimization, and integration into solution delivery. Rational System Architect addresses all aspects of your organization's enterprise architecture, including modeling, publishing, analysis, and execution.

    Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect is an enterprise solution that helps streamline, accelerate, and integrate software, system, and business development. With this intuitive modeling and design solution, enterprises can stay in control of their workplaces, enable collaboration, support their teams and colleagues, and manage complex projects. Software architects, business analysts, project managers, developers, support staff, and testers can unite under a single repository. Through numerous view points and potential sub-systems, users are offered a unified view in a complex environment.

    With Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect, users are also offered a shared model option which can be accessed quickly and securely by in-office and remote team members through the Enterprise Architect’s Pro Cloud Server. Building a coherent, verifiable model can be done by connecting and integrating a variety of behavioral and structural information in visual form. As a result, Enterprise Architect offers high performance, flexibility, and the ability to model, manage, and trace every stage of the business development and modeling process.

    Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect Features

    Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect assists in creating a unified and accessible vision in business development by offering a flexible platform with a unique set of rich features. These features include:

    • Test and debug - Streamline software development and visualize software with the simulation process. Users can test and confirm correct behavior, set and oversee test points, and debug and examine software.
    • Track tasks - Track, prioritize, and assign individual and group tasks to assist in the model’s development. Users can visually monitor their progress through the Gantt chart.
    • Open standards - Users can visualize and analyze running software with integrated custom tools. They can also run advanced simulations, team-based repositories, testing tools, and version control. In addition, the solution supports enterprise architecture frameworks such as UPDM and TOGAF.
    • Simulation - Create and debug embedded solutions by simulating behaviors and state models. Users can specify events, triggers, constraints, and more. Users can also specify extensive and complex structural systems and create custom domain-specific solutions.

    Reviews from Real Users

    Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect merges high-end tools, online availability, a dedication to open standards, and accessible pricing so enterprises can stay in control of their workplaces, whether remote or in-office. Users particularly like the architectural frameworks and the scalability.

    Marc L., a principal architecture enterprise solution adviser at Cronomagic Canada, notes, "The product offers very good support for all mainstream modeling notations and architectural frameworks."

    An enterprise architect at a manufacturing company writes, "Scalable solution for modeling, project sharing, and collaboration. Support for it is good."

    Sample Customers
    AT&T, Bank of America, Chevron, Duke University, ESPN, Fidelity, GE, JP Morgan Chase, KPMG, McGraw Hill, NASA, Pfizer, Royal Bank of Scotland, Teradata, Union Pacific, Vodafone, Wells Fargo.
    Wuxi Lake Cloud, Nationwide, ETI, IDS Scheer
    OmniLink
    Top Industries
    REVIEWERS
    Comms Service Provider30%
    Insurance Company10%
    Financial Services Firm10%
    Computer Software Company10%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Financial Services Firm20%
    Computer Software Company14%
    Government8%
    Manufacturing Company7%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Financial Services Firm14%
    Manufacturing Company14%
    Computer Software Company13%
    Government12%
    REVIEWERS
    Government16%
    Financial Services Firm11%
    Manufacturing Company9%
    Energy/Utilities Company9%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Educational Organization14%
    Government11%
    Financial Services Firm11%
    Computer Software Company10%
    Company Size
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business33%
    Midsize Enterprise10%
    Large Enterprise57%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business20%
    Midsize Enterprise13%
    Large Enterprise66%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business16%
    Midsize Enterprise8%
    Large Enterprise75%
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business33%
    Midsize Enterprise16%
    Large Enterprise50%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business15%
    Midsize Enterprise23%
    Large Enterprise62%
    Buyer's Guide
    Enterprise Architecture Management
    April 2024
    Find out what your peers are saying about LeanIX, Sparx Systems, erwin by Quest and others in Enterprise Architecture Management. Updated: April 2024.
    769,630 professionals have used our research since 2012.