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SAP PowerDesigner pros and cons

Vendor: SAP
3.9 out of 5
Badge Leader

Pros & Cons summary

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Prominent pros & cons

PROS

SAP PowerDesigner provides excellent tools for big data management, allowing users to handle large and complex databases effectively.
It offers the flexibility to customize and extend features, enabling it to fit user-specific modeling processes.
The reverse engineering capability is highly valued for its speed and thoroughness in database structure analysis.
SAP PowerDesigner supports operational efficiency and return on investment by saving time and enhancing data management clarity.
Detailed documentation and modeling capabilities allow for comprehensive logical and physical data management, facilitating the generation of DDL files for Oracle.

CONS

Pricing is considered high and not competitive with offers from competing tools.
Technical support and customer service are noted as needing improvements.
Integration with other products like Collibra and enhancement of features such as DMM are suggested.
Connectivity issues and repository difficulties are frequently mentioned by users.
Lack of focus on open source database integration and reverse engineering ALTER statements should be addressed.
 

SAP PowerDesigner Pros review quotes

Kopparapu Venkatesh Prasad - PeerSpot reviewer
Aug 27, 2025
SAP PowerDesigner enhances the clarity of our data management significantly, as around 80% of data can be searched quickly and maintained in our SAP systems.
Ajay Malik - PeerSpot reviewer
Jul 17, 2024
It's a stable system. It never crashes.
reviewer2751597 - PeerSpot reviewer
Aug 21, 2025
By using SAP PowerDesigner, we are able to create a product that is always up to date, so the model always represents the implementation.
Learn what your peers think about SAP PowerDesigner. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: September 2025.
872,008 professionals have used our research since 2012.
FA
Aug 2, 2020
Very good repository features.
MM
Dec 20, 2020
It's a great tool for documentation.
Deepak M Chakrasali - PeerSpot reviewer
Jan 1, 2023
Provides the flexibility to create logical and conceptual data models.
MN
Sep 22, 2020
It offers a lot of features in one solution. You would have to get multiple other products to bundle together all of the capabilities that you get in just this product.
HemantKUMAR6 - PeerSpot reviewer
Oct 7, 2025
The main valuable features are the logical and physical data modeling capabilities, and our main purpose is to keep the data model in a repository and then be able to generate DDL files for Oracle.
it_user1344669 - PeerSpot reviewer
Jun 3, 2020
The most valuable feature is the way you can extend it and customize it. With most modeling tools, you fit your modeling process to fit the tool. In PowerDesigner, you can make the tool fit the way you want to work.
reviewer1365882 - PeerSpot reviewer
Jun 30, 2020
I like the property sheet capability and the user-defined attributes that you can set up.
 

SAP PowerDesigner Cons review quotes

Kopparapu Venkatesh Prasad - PeerSpot reviewer
Aug 27, 2025
One issue is the cost, as it is a high-priced tool coming from SAP.
Ajay Malik - PeerSpot reviewer
Jul 17, 2024
Technical support needs improvement.
reviewer2751597 - PeerSpot reviewer
Aug 21, 2025
SAP PowerDesigner is not a product that's really actively developed anymore in the sense that the user interface is outdated.
Learn what your peers think about SAP PowerDesigner. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: September 2025.
872,008 professionals have used our research since 2012.
FA
Aug 2, 2020
UI could be improved by enabling simpler navigation.
MM
Dec 20, 2020
Connectivity can be improved because it's not very good.
Deepak M Chakrasali - PeerSpot reviewer
Jan 1, 2023
The user interface could be more user-friendly.
MN
Sep 22, 2020
The solution is very, very expensive. It would be ideal if it was a more affordable product.
HemantKUMAR6 - PeerSpot reviewer
Oct 7, 2025
They didn't spend any time on the issue because according to them, 16.5 is not supported.
it_user1344669 - PeerSpot reviewer
Jun 3, 2020
Pricing for small consultancies needs improvement. They sustain prices to competing tools. The competing tools tend to do special offers. PowerDesigner SAP doesn't pay much attention to the pricing of it and there are no special offers.
reviewer1365882 - PeerSpot reviewer
Jun 30, 2020
Checking-in models to the repository, especially when working remotely, is a slow process than can sometimes have problems with models being corrupted.