IBM Rational System Architect vs erwin Data Modeler by Quest comparison

erwin by Quest and IBM are both solutions in the Enterprise Architecture Management category. erwin by Quest is ranked #3 with an average rating of 8.1, while IBM is ranked #19. erwin by Quest holds a 10.9% mindshare in AM, compared to IBM’s 1.7% mindshare. Additionally, 95% of erwin by Quest users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 83% of IBM users who would recommend it.

erwin Data Modeler by Quest

Read 39 erwin Data Modeler by Quest reviews

4,005 Views
2,219 Comparison Views

95% willing to recommend

IBM Rational System Architect

Read 5 IBM Rational System Architect reviews

883 Views
479 Comparison Views

83% willing to recommend

erwin Data Modeler by Quest

IBM Rational System Architect

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 3, 2024

IBM Rational System Architect and erwin Data Modeler by Quest are enterprise architecture and data modeling tools, respectively. erwin Data Modeler holds the advantage due to superior features and quick deployment, despite IBM's competitive pricing aspects.

Features: IBM Rational System Architect supports complex frameworks and integrates with multiple tools, providing a versatile modeling platform. erwin Data Modeler efficiently manages large data volumes and offers detailed visual representations. It excels in metadata management and collaboration, distinguishing it from IBM's capabilities.

Room for Improvement: IBM Rational System Architect could improve its deployment speed and user interface for better accessibility. erwin Data Modeler might enhance its pricing flexibility and expand support for diverse database systems. Both products can benefit from refining their integration capabilities with third-party tools

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: IBM Rational System Architect requires a traditional deployment approach, often leading to longer setups. Despite this, it offers extensive documentation and dedicated customer service. erwin Data Modeler ensures a more intuitive deployment with responsive support, promoting user satisfaction efficiently.

Pricing and ROI: IBM Rational System Architect has a higher initial cost but brings long-term value through its comprehensive features. erwin Data Modeler's premium price is justified by its efficient capabilities and quick deployment, delivering significant ROI by reducing long-term operational expenses.

To learn more, read our detailed IBM Rational System Architect vs. erwin Data Modeler by Quest Report (Updated: March 2025).

Buyer's Guide

IBM Rational System Architect vs. erwin Data Modeler by Quest

March 2025

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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 by Quest

Ranking in Enterprise Architecture Management

3rd

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Business Process Design (9th)

IBM Rational System Architect

Ranking in Enterprise Architecture Management

19th

Average Rating

7.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Enterprise Architecture Management category, the mindshare of erwin Data Modeler by Quest is 10.9%, up from 9.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IBM Rational System Architect is 1.7%, down from 2.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Enterprise Architecture Management

Featured Reviews

JorgeSanz

Data Governance Senior Advisor at Abu Dhabi National Oil Company

Streamline data modeling and automate network changes for increased efficiency

The initial setup depends on the tool if you are using the data model environment. Stopping the server could be complex and require strong expertise. If you have everything set up and configured, Erwin is straightforward. You can deploy it in a few hours. In our case, it took a couple of months to address internal conditions, assign machines, and set up everything for the services. I rate the initial setup a six out of ten, where one is difficult and ten is easy.

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it_user951237

Enterprise Architecture Specialist at a energy/utilities company with 10,001+ employees

Modeling is useful, but many features need improvement and technical support is lacking

I find that almost every feature related to the models requires improvement. For example, I would like to see more trendy models, the look and feel of the models can be improved. This solution can be more user-friendly and easier to use, with better dashboards. The impact analysis feature is in need of heavy improvement. The is a standalone product that lacks integration with a business process automation engine. I would like to see the workflow improved, where it integrates seamlessly with the artifacts.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The product lets us import different types of models from various databases."

"We can create mappings in erwin and possibly data dictionaries."

"It supports a wide variety of databases, including the latest ones. We have chosen to go for a cloud-based database, and it supports that, which is very useful."

"The solution’s code generation ensures accurate engineering of data sources, as there is no development time. Code doesn't even have to be reviewed. We have been using this solution for so long and all the code which has been generated is accurate with the requirements. Once we generate the DDLs out of the erwin tools, the development team does a quick review of the script line by line. They will just be running the script on the database and looking into other requirements, such as the index. So, there is less effort from development side to create tables or build a database."

"The solution is excellent in providing a visual representation of a database and can generate DDL for implementing changes. We use DDL for logical purposes to review with business people, ensuring they have the required fields for processing. We also use it as a data dictionary for the physical data model to understand all the purposes of the terms. This helps us map the logical and physical terms with the business definition to understand our data."

"The solution is good for organizing the data and the scripting part is very powerful. It's easy to create technical scripts for models."

"The most valuable features are being able to visualize the data in the diagrams and transform those diagrams into physical database deployments. These features help, specifically, to integrate the data. When the source data is accumulated and modeled, the target model is in erwin and it helps resolve the data integration patterns that are required to map the data to accommodate a model."

"The ability to collaborate between different members across the organization is the most valuable feature. It gives us the ability to work on the same model, regardless of where we are physically."

More erwin Data Modeler by Quest pros

"We have seen ROI with this solution over the years that we have used it."

"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."

"The solution is pretty stable."

"The user interface is good. It's both clear and comprehensible. It's easy to work with."

Cons

"I would like to see the reporting capabilities be more dynamic and more inclusive of information. The API is very sparsely understood by people across the user community."

"This is a very complex product."

"As someone who has used it for a long time, I have seen stability vary from version to version."

"The solution's reporting side needs to be improved."

"The modeling product itself is far and above anything else that I've seen on the market. There are certain inconsistencies when it comes to keeping up with other platforms' databases in the reverse-engineering process. It should also support more database platforms."

"I'd really like to see the PDF function become available. It would make my life much easier than what it is at the moment because whenever I need to collaborate with people that do not have erwin, I have to go through the wonkiness of going to Word and then save it from Word into PDF. There's a lot of differences between erwin 4.4 and 2020."

"We can only get licenses through partners."

"It would be nice to have it on the Linux platform, not just Windows. If they can support Linux, there would be a huge market for it."

More erwin Data Modeler by Quest cons

"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."

"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."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"An issue right now would be that erwin doesn't have a freely available browser (that I am aware of) for people who are not data modelers or data engineers that a consumer could use to look at the data models and play with it. This would not be to make any changes, but just to visually look at what exists. There are other products out there which do have end user browsers available and allow them to access data models via the data modeling tool."

"There is either a one-year or three-year license. It is not a pay-as-you-go license like a SaaS solution. It’s more of a traditional licensing. They are a little bit on the pricier side."

"There are two license options and the pricing is reasonable."

"The pricing of the solution is cheap. I rate the pricing a five out of ten."

"Price-wise, erwin Data Modeler is okay. You can purchase a single license and it is not very expensive."

"There are no costs in addition to the standard licensing fees."

"I don't specifically know what we're paying now. About three years ago, in another organization, I have this memory of 6,000 AUD a seat or something like that, but I am not sure. In the mid-2000s, it was something like 1,200 AUD a seat. I get the impression that there was a price jump when it was spun off from CA as a separate company, which is understandable, but it could sometimes be a barrier in some organizations picking it up. I haven't talked to erwin people yet, but I'm going to suggest to them that they could perhaps think of having an entry-level product that is priced a bit lower, and then, you can buy the extra suite."

"The solution is expensive."

More erwin Data Modeler by Quest pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

19%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Government

Computer Software Company

Manufacturing Company

18%

Financial Services Firm

15%

Computer Software Company

10%

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about erwin Data Modeler by Quest?

Forward engineering, DDL generation, reverse engineering, and reporting are the most valuable features of the solution.

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for erwin Data Modeler by Quest?

The product is expensive. I rate the product’s pricing a nine out of ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive.

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What needs improvement with erwin Data Modeler by Quest?

As a documenting tool, it's solid, though its reporting could be more robust. The reporting mechanisms could be more intuitive regarding report creation. It can generate reports in CSV files, displ...

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

erwin Data Modeler by Quest

March 2025

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Enterprise Architecture Management

March 2025

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Also Known As

erwin DM

Rational System Architect

Overview

erwin pioneered data modeling, and erwin Data Modeler (erwin DM) remains trusted, award-winning software for data modeling and database design, automating complex and time-consuming tasks. Use it to discover and document any data from anywhere for consistency, clarity and artifact reuse across large-scale data integration, master data management, metadata management, Big Data, business intelligence and analytics initiatives – all while supporting data governance and intelligence efforts.

erwin by Quest

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.

IBM

Sample Customers

Premera, America Honda Motors, Aetna, Kaiser Permanente, Dental Dental Cali, Cigna, Staples

Wuxi Lake Cloud, Nationwide, ETI, IDS Scheer

Buyer's Guide

IBM Rational System Architect vs. erwin Data Modeler by Quest

March 2025

Free Report: IBM Rational System Architect vs. erwin Data Modeler by Quest

Find out what your peers are saying about IBM Rational System Architect vs. erwin Data Modeler by Quest and other solutions. Updated: March 2025.

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