Introduction of Data Modelling Tools
Almost all mid to large scale businesses these days rely deliberately on data to make important decisions on a day-to-day basis. The authenticity and consistency of data is of great importance for business users to make quick as well informed decisions. The flow and relationships of data need to be defined and structured to ensure the best results. This process is called Data Modeling. Here, we will discuss top-performing Data Modelling Tools.
To speed up the process and to avoid human errors as much as possible, specialized software is used to help with building a logical data model, creating DDL, and to generate reports that can be helpful while explaining to stakeholders. Let’s look at database design tools and database diagram tools in detail.
Database Design
A good database design is as important as a fishing-net to the fisherman. It is a pre-requisite to work with the database in an efficient way. It is pre-requisite because it lessens the maintenance efforts, decrease chances of errors, provides a mechanism of good conveyance channel between the users and in general reduces efforts of the user to perform task. Database diagram tools provide help in building data models with complexity easy to relatively high and that too with ease.
If we look into more technical terms, there are different phases of database designing to get it completed in an efficient way. The important phases are,
- Collecting and Analysis— As the name suggest, collecting and analyzing
- Initial Conceptual Design— Conceptual diagram i.e. E-R diagram, UML Class diagram
- Initial Logical Design— Primary and foreign keys comes into the picture
- Normalization Process— To remove redundancy i.e. avoid duplication
- Physical Design— Finally, the place where database takes place
Top Database Designing Tools
Lucid Chart
Established in 2008, this is one widely used Database design tool which can help you in quickly creating database diagrams online with its collaborative database design tool. This feature provides assistance while working in a team to design properly functioning database. It is cloud-based and can be accessed via the website only. Lucid Chart is also recipient of Start2Cloud Editor’s Choice Award.
Visual Paradigm ERD Tools
When it comes to Entity Relationship Diagram (ERD), this is the most helpful database schema design tool because ERD is considered to be the baseline of any database. It has various options in its edition from Enterprise, Professional, Standard to Community (which is free.) The Software is adopted by many organizations including Fortune 1000 companies. It is mainly focused on personal and non-commercial usage.
SQL Server Database Modeler
This is an open-source data modelling tools, suitable for small as well as large businesses. Unlike other expensive database tools, this simply needs a browser without any database engines. In addition, it is a commonly used tool that is used to design your database online by importing the existing database. Other features include friendly UI, the concept of creating multiple subject areas, and so on.
Erwin Data Modeler
When we talk about Enterprise Data, this is the tool we need to use in order to get work done. Erwin is a data governance company mainly concerned with data. And, this product is their best product for more than 30 years and has been the first choice for various Data Professionals. Some of the main features include model-driven collaboration, usage of standards to drive data quality, and most important any data that can be stored anywhere approach. It is available in free Community edition.
DbWrench
The newcomer in the market is DbWrench, released in 2017 with the latest being 4.1, it is the tool from Nizara Systems. The main feature I would say is its support for many operating systems. Not all tools support all operating systems. In addition, it comes in two licenses—Academic User Licence and User Licence, which is an affordable product with a one-time cost of $49 and $99 respectively.
DbDesigner.net
This is a handy tool that supports online designing of the Database Schema. You can design databases without going through the pain of writing SQL which is considered as one of the best features out there. This is a web-based platform and supports various database engines like SQLite, Oracle, PostgreSQL, MySQL, and MSSQL. However, when it comes to popularity, it is a less popular database designing tool compared to other tools.
Top Data Modelling Tools
PowerDesigner
PowerDesigner is presumably the industry’s leading database modeling tool. Its features include models that are fully integrated, various modeling techniques that serve to both— technical audience and non-technical audience. In addition, it supports a robust metadata repository and various output formats. It has a clean and easy to use user interface with effortlessly readable help documentation helps the user to quickly solve problems.
ER Studio
ER Studio is an instinctive data modelling tools that supports single and multi-platform environments, along with local integration for big data platforms such as— Hive and MongoDB. Also, it includes a compare and merge function and is able to create reports in various formats (XML, PNG, JPEG). ER Studio is a great tool that is easy to start working with due to its user-friendly design and great user support.
Sparx Enterprise Architect
It is full of features data modeling tool that delights itself on being the cost-efficient option. It helps users build strong and maintainable systems very quickly and can easily scale to accommodate large teams depending upon the requirement. It also has the capability of running a dynamic model simulation to demonstrate the correctness of models. Also, it provides a better grasp of how specific business systems work.
IBM InfoSphere Data Architect
InfoSphere is an unconventional data modeling tool that operates on an open-source platform – which is Eclipse. It primarily focuses on three key areas, first is efficiency, second of them is simplicity, and the third one is integration. These tools help business users create both model diagrams—logical and physical— which can be used for a wide range of applications. This is an end-to-end solution, which can be used to create, deploy and update data models in a rapid and efficient manner. One plus point is that it also provides easy integration with other related IBM products.
Conclusion
These are the most popular and useful Database Designing tools which simplify the process of database designing by bolstering some robust features. Each of the above mentioned has its own unique feature, and I think that’s what makes a product great. You can use the tool of your choice depending upon your requirement. Apart from these, there are an enormous number of other database designing tools are available in the market, do let us know in the comments if you find any useful.
Happy Learning!
