Embarcadero Technologies, a provider of multi-platform database tools and developer software, has announced the general availability of Embarcadero's flagship data modeling suite, ER/Studio Enterprise 8.5. This newest version of Embarcadero's data modeling tool combines process modeling, data modeling, application modeling and reporting into a comprehensive design and modeling solution.
Key themes of the new release are tighter integration of components within the suite, support for better collaboration and communication between modelers as well as non-modelers, and overall enhanced productivity.
A big part of enhancements within the new release are to enable data architects to better communicate with their communities and their organizations, Jason Tiret, director of product management for modeling and design solutions, Embarcadero, tells 5 Minute Briefing. Supporting this effort, Tiret notes, are new UML modeling features for business and software modeling, as well as integration of ER/Studio Business Architect with the ER/Studio Repository and ER/Studio Portal to allow data modelers to better communicate with the business.
The new release includes new workflow communication facilities with Web 2.0 technologies like bi-directional commenting between ER/Studio Data Architect and ER/Studio Portal to assist and streamline communication and model review with non-modelers. As a result, there is now the ability to comment on objects in the model with workflow-status kinds of comments to help modelers better collaborate better together and so they don't have to clutter up the metadata in the models, explains Tiret. "They can now have a specific place that they can put comments that are geared toward workflow and review in the product and that will actually feed out to the ER/Studio Portal and allow non-modelers to view those comments and to add comments. It is not only to streamlining communication, and the workflow and peer review process among modelers but it also going to help those modelers communicate with non-modelers like DBAs, developers, business analysts and business users that need access to the metadata and want to actively help with the modeling process."
ER/Studio Enterprise 8.5 also includes updated DBMS features for the latest editions of Oracle, SQL Server, DB2 LUW, InterBase and Teradata
For more details about ER/Studio Enterprise 8.5, go here.