CA Erwin Data Modeler r8, a solution for collaboratively visualizing and managing data across multiple systems, was announced by CA Technologies. Enhanced visualization and different ways to visualize data models in non-traditional formats is a main theme of the release, Donna Burbank, senior director of marketing, Data Management, CA Technologies, tells 5 Minute Briefing. The goal is to help ERwin, an established product with a 20-plus-year track record, to reach new audiences, in particular, business and non-technical users, as well as to provide improved workflow for traditional CA Erwin Data Modeler users.
"We completely ripped out our old user interface and put in a new one," says Burbank. With features like graphics, themes, fonts, and auto layout, she observes, "It is really more like a drawing tool on the front with the power of a data modeling tool behind it."
The new release also provides improved workflow for the traditional ERwin user, she notes. "Most of our customers have thousands of data objects," Burbank says, and managing them on the screen in a single interface can be a challenge. To address this pain point, the new release provides different ways to visualize massive volumes of data in the screen.
ERwin Data Modeler's visualization tools help users represent data that is managed in multiple systems, applications, platforms and locations, and more effectively manage the migration of data to the cloud and other new forms of IT infrastructure. The release provides a simple way to visualize complex data structures, with a customizable environment - from an intuitive interface to back-end database script generation - to deliver a personalized data modeling experience. The new UI allows a business user, for example, to personalize his or her user interface so it looks like a spreadsheet, while a more technical user can have different view, says Burbank.
CA ERwin Data Modeler r8 features embedded integration with SAP BusinessObjects business intelligence solutions and SAP Crystal Reports software for enterprise-wide reporting, enabling users to more easily track impact analysis, where-used reporting and cross-model queries across the enterprise.
For more information about the release, go here.