Questions on PowerDesigner?

[Former Member]

PowerDesigner Gurus

1 > Support on migrating from Erwin 9

2 > when comparing two PD models, can it generate the DDL on the Delta (e.g., alter a table if a column has been added in the parent model

3 > Where can I get access to competitive advantages of PD over Erwin and Embarcadero

Joseph Shaffner | Vice President, SAP Solutions | Bradmark Technologies, Inc.

T: 1-301-535-2537 | Joseph.Shaffner@bradmark.com | SKYPE ID: josephshaffner

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Hi,

1 > Support on migrating from Erwin 9

My suggestion : If you want quality work, fast, efficient, hires someone who has already done it.Otherwise you're going to grope regardless of the tool.

If you go with PowerDesigner. I suggest to use Metaintegration and/or Toolbus tools (third parties) to do migration. I've used both for my clients.Natively PowerDesigner supports the import of ERwin v3.x, v4.x through ERwin v7.x (.xml) not Erwin 9. PowerDesigner has not been updated for years about Import Erwin Models new versions.

An excerpt, few lines, example of what you would have to do. If you want quality :

Intro : Usually you do not want to lose the work that your company took years to achieve the level of your logical models. So usually it is not wise to import only physical models or only perform reverse engineering of a DBMS. You want both. You want to establish a link between logical and physical models and you want to keep the set of changes that were made to the physical models by DBA or architects.

  a) Export / Import Erwin physical and Logical Models Into PowerDesigner with third parties tools

  b) Generate new physical models from Logical Models with PowerDesigner (to obtain Link and Sync - read user documentation if you doesn't know)

  c) Use the comparison function of PowerDesigner to compare Physical model generated with PowerDesigner from Logical Model with Physical Model Imported from Erwin

  d) Merge modifications into the Physical Models generated,

e) etc.

There are a lot more ... about migration, installation, parametrisation, configuration, setting up the repository, create new reports, naming convention, etc.

There are steps...iteratives, review of your work process, implementation of your corporate glossary, etc

.

2 > when comparing two PD models, can it generate the DDL on the Delta (e.g., alter a table if a column has been added in the parent model

Yes

3 > Where can I get access to competitive advantages of PD over Erwin and Embarcadero

Warning about review :

How much can you rely on tool comparisons from tool vendors? #EDW15 | Metadata Matters, by @Metadata...

Old reviews :

http://erwin.com/content/products/MySoftForge-Modeling-Tools-Review.pdf

http://fr.slideshare.net/SybaseTurkey/sybase-powerdesigner-vs-erwin

http://www.sas.com/content/dam/SAS/en_us/doc/analystreport/forrester-wave-data-governance-107200.pdf

Each editors, including SAP, can send to you one or more studies of their own thought or from research firms such as Gartner / Forester, etc. Call it, send email!

Finally PowerDesigner is a very flexible tool it can meet a set of business needs.

By cons you should perform a feasibility study and establishing business needs before. Everything will be easier for the next steps.

Bye

Message was edited by: Benoit Le Nabec

[c_baker · Accepted solution]

Erwin 9.x support is coming out in SP05.  See Matt's posts about SP05 presentations coming up.

Chris

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Benoit - Thanks, very helpful.

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Hi,

Good news.

What approach did you take?

Computer Associate and Embarcadero has in recent years signed an agreement with MetaIntegration and included the migration tool in their products. Will you include in PowerDesigner Toolbus (MetaIntegration) or have you updated/developed your own home migration import function?

Do you expect to have Export function ?

Thank you

[GeorgeMcGeachie · Accepted solution]

I wrote competitive reviews of PowerDesigner against ERwin and ER/Studio for Sybase in 2011. I expect they're on the SAP web site somewhere, but I can't find them.

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

These documents were older versions, and SAP marketing decided not to move them into SAP standard, and instead schedule an update to these materials.  That update plan is still pending review, however, Sybase Turkey has shared the original, and you can see it for reference here:

Sybase PowerDesigner Vs Erwin

We are revisiting our marketing collateral overall for 2015, and hope to get this and other important assets back on the table as ER tooling investment is going up in the marketplace, and PowerDesigner is still, in my biased and not so humble opinion, the best one out there.  Even more so now that SAP has made significant investment in both integration into SAP ecosystem, not also in open market needs as well.

[GeorgeMcGeachie]

Are you going to ISUG-TECH in Atlanta next week? I know Bradmark will be there .

I'll be there from Friday evening to Tuesday lunch time.

[GeorgeMcGeachie]

Hello Joseph

1. what help do you need? I haven't migrated myself, but I know several customers who have, and they could probably help if you specific queries

2. save one of the models as a PDM archive (via the File menu), then use the 'update database' option on the Database menu to generate deltas by comparing the current model against the archive (viewed by PD as the 'old' model)

3. I wrote comparisons with ERwin and ER/Studio in 2011, which I assume are available somewhere on the SAP web site, no idea where. I suggest you ask your SAP contact for copies.