From software projects to reflecting a statement of business needs, data modeling has many uses. The application of data modeling is to ensure higher quality, reduced cost, defined scope, faster performance, improved documentation, reduced errors, and more.
To design a high-performing database, you need to use quality data modeling tools. These tools aim to lower the maintenance requirements, eliminates the possibility of errors, or creates a smooth communication medium. These tools help you to create all types of databases, simple or complex.
There’s a long list of database systems including SAP, Amazon Web Services, and more, that have been designed using data modeling tools. The tools create a logical flow using relationships, limits, designs, etc.
Here’s a quick list of some of the best data modeling tools that can help you design such a high-performance database.
IBM InfoSphere Data Architect
This is a team solution for business data modeling that makes integrated design easier and faster in the field of architecture, business intelligence, etc. Whether you are designing an application or managing a project, this software helps you with the complete data design process.
Features:
- It lowers the time taken for development using a straightforward storehouse design, structural modeling, and change management undertakings.
- It also equips you with the required tools that help you to design and handle stockhouses using a logic-based business model.
- Improves productivity and saves the marketing time using time-labeled and column-based tables offering a clear insight into the data assets.
- It can be used by all team sizes as a plugin to a case of a distributed eclipse.
Built-in data querying, logical and physical data modeling, option to import and export regular mappings, managing source control or synchronization ability with connected products are among other major benefits.
Price: Free 90-day trial; Contact vendor for a quote.
Lucidchart
This diagramming tool offers a visual working area that includes data conceptualization, creating diagrams, and teamwork to speed up the understanding process. One of the most popular database design utility around, this software helps teams to design a correctly working database.
Features:
- It saves you a lot of manual effort while importing a database model.
- It allows you to import a Salesforce architecture to help the Salesforce owner view and make any changes to their Salesforce cases.
- Once the changes are made, it makes it easy to add the changes by exporting the moderated data model to SQL in just a couple of clicks.
- It allows you to share the data models through emails, published URLs, or through powerful syncing with all major platforms.
Moreover, it also enables you to publish or share the prevailing version of your ERD with your clients and get immediate feedback or consent on suggested changes and also helps you to keep your team informed while offering them instances of future developments.
Price: Free version available; Upgrade starts from $9.95/month.
Visual Paradigm ERD Tools
If you are looking for a professional database designing tool, then this software can be of good use to you. From project management or focusing on business improvement to designing system models based on ERD, UML, or DFD, it covers all forms of online diagrams.
Features:
- Easy to use and dynamic online data modeling tool that enables you to design quality visuals faster and effortlessly.
- It allows you to drag and drop shapes and create beautiful looking designs in just a couple of clicks.
- It helps you to view and edit your designs in Word, Excel, etc.
- It offers a more polished and responsive data modeling platform.
- Focuses on enhancing communication and sharing designs in PDF, PNG, JPG, or in GIF formats.
Offering a wide range of templates to help you create professional-level designs, and helping you to get fast feedback using the comment tools are among its other major features.
Price: Free version available; Pro version starts from $4/month.
Vertabelo
This professional data modeling tool is browser-based and hence, can be run as an extension. This database designing software provides support for physical data modeling, and also offers collaboration, model interpretations, importing or exporting of designs in XML format, and more.
Features:
- It allows you to share the database designs by just using an email address of the team member and in a single click.
- Lets everyone work on the same design at the same time.
- It helps you create a public link to your model and share it using email.
- Enables you to import an ongoing database with the help of a straightforward command-line tool, does not save your database login details nor does it link to your database, and lets you manually tweak your design.
- It allows you to create an SQL script anytime.
- It offers a smooth data modeling process by saving your work automatically, authenticates your design every-time and offers tips on improving it, and provides a preview of the SQL generated.
- Comes with an easy to use user interface that allows you to switch swiftly between models, offers matching results as soon as you start typing in the search field, and lets you choose from five sophisticated zoom settings.
Moreover, it also offers fast navigation feature, option to find the factor in the navigation map, representing subject areas as smart rectangles, keeping a check on the data model version, or creating a new database model from the older or the current version in just one click.
Price: Pricing starts from $7/month.
SQL Server Database Modeler
This is another great database designing tool in the list that allows you to design your data models easily and literally at any position on the browser. This allows you to work anywhere without requiring any database software or tools. It helps you to design both big and small databases on the spot.
Features:
- It comes with a user-friendly interface that allows you to create objects, indexes, relations, etc. swiftly and responsively, change and edit data model objects, copy columns across tables, zoom in & out, and more.
- It allows you to collaborate with the team and work with them exclusively on the same task, share tasks conveniently with users, etc.
- It offers a dark theme with a darker backdrop and light-colored text, and vice versa for the light theme.
- Enables you to create several Subject Areas that includes several aspects of the business requirements, and also to create different models on each subject area.
- Automatically creates a new variant of your project as you save it.
Moreover, it’s compatible with PostgreSQL, SnowFlake, MySQL, Amazon Redshift and allows you to change between database variants.
Price: Free version available; Pro version starts from $17.5/month.
MagicDraw
If you are looking for software that helps you to create advanced data models, design a process, or software, while providing a collaborative environment, this is the right tool. This is specially developed for professionals like programmers, software analysts, document writers, and more.
Features:
- Supports collaboration and teamwork.
- Supports Java, C++, and other programming languages boosting the engineering process.
- Compatible with the newest XML measures, the UML 2 meta-model for storing data.
- Enables you to easily implement software development life cycles alongside the business requirement.
- The teamwork server enables team associates to work on the same data model concurrently.
User-friendly configuration management, enhancing team efforts, the option to get access to previous projects, or accessing the database design remotely, are among its other major features.
Price: Free trial available; Contact vendor for a quote.
DbDesigner.net
This is yet another great data designing tool that offers assistance with creating data models, designing databases, and developing and maintaining into one, flawless surrounding.
Features:
- Comes with a straightforward and clean interface making it work faster and user-friendly.
- Saves time by reducing errors, allows you to import the current database, lets you start from the ground up, generate an SQL script for advanced engineering, and protects your designs using the most forward methods.
- It allows you to send an invitation to your team and let them access the data model that you are working on.
- Lets you work remotely with shareholders in the team on the same task.
Moreover, it also allows you to configure your project using view modes, access small-sized maps for quick navigation, sorts and creates layouts automatically, offers the option to export the models in PDF or PNG formats, allowing the public to view the model link, and get access to a user-friendly dashboard for an enhanced experience.
Price: Free version available; Plans start from $6/month.
Erwin Data Modeler
A widely used and high-quality database designing tool, this data modeler helps you to discover, conceptualize, implement, and regularize exclusive business-related data resources.
Features:
- It makes it easier to design by lowering the difficulty level, implements and understands the business requirements, and automates the data model creation.
- It allows you to view organized and unorganized business data from any location.
- Improves productivity and reduces errors by automatically producing data models and designs.
- It offers a built-in view of theoretical, logical, and physical database designs helping you to understand the structures.
- Enhances data intelligence and decision-making abilities throughout the enterprise.
Developing applications using designs like cloud, Big Data, etc., defining and implementing business data standards with the help of data models, or automating and regularizing of data descriptions and framework, are among some of its other significant features.
Price: Free trial available; Plans start from $299/month.
ArgoUML
If you are looking for a free and open-source data modeling software, then this can be your best bet. It helps you to design both professional and intricate database models.
Features:
- It can be used for both statistical and for regular business purposes.
- It can be used with any system that works with Java SE.
- Makes use of Java Web Start, hence, can be launched straight from a web browser.
- The user interface adjusts its look and feel with any kind of operating system you work on.
- It helps you draw diagrams, flowcharts, etc., just like the usual data model software.
From its ability to arrange intricate software projects before you initiate coding, or generating regular updates to supporting ten different programming languages including C++, XML, or PHP4, it covers a lot more features.
Price: Free and open source.
Aqua Data Studio ER Modeler
This is especially for those who wish to design physical data models for all of the RDBMS suppliers and variants. Helps you to design models and transform them into SQL Scripts using forward engineering, or alter engineer the databases to conceptualize data model.
Features:
- It allows you to convert designs from one database supplier to another.
- Lets you compare the ER models and enables you to add companies from business databases using the import function.
- Enables you to save the ER models in JPG or PNG format.
- It allows you to get a print of the ER Models for quick reference.
- It helps you to quickly find and determine database entries using CTRL+G.
Among its other important features are, powerful import functionality that allows you to add tables and views from the current database, synchronizes with multiple version control devices such as, Git and Perforce, CVS, etc., lets you choose model views and integrated sheet patterns, or the option to design diagrams as per Entity, Attributes, Key, Comments, and more.
Price: Free trial available; Upgrade priced at $499/Year.
DeZign for Databases
This is a powerful and trusted database designing software that’s especially useful for database managers and those who are into designing SQL scripts based on UML or ERD diagrams.
Features:
- It allows you to create a logical model of your enterprise data.
- Automates your projects by creating full DDL scripts and by developing an alteration code to change the database.
- Easy to use interface and offers you a complete view of all the active diagram objects right away.
- The diagram menu allows you to view or cover the relationships, add new sub-diagrams, modify the background color, etc.
Moreover, it also creates reports by indicating the table attributes that you want to be seen on the document.
Price: Free trial available; Upgrade available at $259.
Conclusion
Designing a database is the core requirement of many processes like storing subscription lists, creating web page content, or changing mobile application versions. The data modeling tools are what you need here to simplify the process and create a logical structure. So, choose from the above list of the database designing tools and build complicated data models, effortlessly.