PowerDesigner
Encyclopedia
PowerDesigner is a collaborative enterprise modelling
tool produced by Sybase
. PowerDesigner runs under Microsoft Windows
as a native
application
, and runs under Eclipse
through a plugin. PowerDesigner supports model-driven architecture
software design. PowerDesigner uses the .pdm
file format.
PowerDesigner data modeling
tool market share in 2002 was 39%. PowerDesigner is priced from $3,000 to $7,500 USD per developer seat.
s:
Enterprise modelling
Enterprise modelling is the abstract representation, description and definition of the structure, processes, information and resources of an identifiable business, government body, or other large organization....
tool produced by Sybase
Sybase
Sybase, an SAP company, is an enterprise software and services company offering software to manage, analyze, and mobilize information, using relational databases, analytics and data warehousing solutions and mobile applications development platforms....
. PowerDesigner runs under Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
as a native
Native mode
The term native mode or native code is used in computing in two related senses.*to describe something running on a computer natively or in native mode meaning that it is running without any external support as contrasted to running in emulation....
application
Application software
Application software, also known as an application or an "app", is computer software designed to help the user to perform specific tasks. Examples include enterprise software, accounting software, office suites, graphics software and media players. Many application programs deal principally with...
, and runs under Eclipse
Eclipse (software)
Eclipse is a multi-language software development environment comprising an integrated development environment and an extensible plug-in system...
through a plugin. PowerDesigner supports model-driven architecture
Model-driven architecture
Model-driven architecture is a software design approach for the development of software systems. It provides a set of guidelines for the structuring of specifications, which are expressed as models. Model-driven architecture is a kind of domain engineering, and supports model-driven engineering of...
software design. PowerDesigner uses the .pdm
Physical data model
A physical data model is a representation of a data design which takes into account the facilities and constraints of a given database management system. In the lifecycle of a project it is typically derived from a logical data model, though it may be reverse-engineered from a given database...
file format.
PowerDesigner data modeling
Data modeling
Data modeling in software engineering is the process of creating a data model for an information system by applying formal data modeling techniques.- Overview :...
tool market share in 2002 was 39%. PowerDesigner is priced from $3,000 to $7,500 USD per developer seat.
Features
PowerDesigner includes support for:- Business Process ModelingBusiness process modelingBusiness Process Modeling in systems engineering is the activity of representing processes of an enterprise, so that the current process may be analyzed and improved. BPM is typically performed by business analysts and managers who are seeking to improve process efficiency and quality...
(ProcessAnalyst) supporting BPMN - Code generation (JavaJava (programming language)Java is a programming language originally developed by James Gosling at Sun Microsystems and released in 1995 as a core component of Sun Microsystems' Java platform. The language derives much of its syntax from C and C++ but has a simpler object model and fewer low-level facilities...
, C#, VB .NET, Hibernate, EJB3, NHibernate, JSF, WinForm (.NET and .NET CF), PowerBuilderPowerBuilderPowerBuilder is an integrated development environment owned by Sybase, a division of SAP. It has been in use since 1991, peaking around 1998 with around 100,000 users....
, ...) - Data modelingData modelingData modeling in software engineering is the process of creating a data model for an information system by applying formal data modeling techniques.- Overview :...
(works with most major RDBMS systems) - Data WarehouseData warehouseIn computing, a data warehouse is a database used for reporting and analysis. The data stored in the warehouse is uploaded from the operational systems. The data may pass through an operational data store for additional operations before it is used in the DW for reporting.A data warehouse...
Modeling (WarehouseArchitect) - EclipseEclipse (software)Eclipse is a multi-language software development environment comprising an integrated development environment and an extensible plug-in system...
plugin - Object modeling (UMLUnified Modeling LanguageUnified Modeling Language is a standardized general-purpose modeling language in the field of object-oriented software engineering. The standard is managed, and was created, by the Object Management Group...
2.0 diagrams) - ReportReportA report is a textual work made with the specific intention of relaying information or recounting certain events in a widely presentable form....
generation - Supports Simul8Simul8SIMUL8 simulation software is a product of the SIMUL8 Corporation used for simulating systems that involve processing of discrete entities at discrete times. This program is a tool for planning, design, optimization and reengineering of real production, manufacturing, logistic or service...
to add simulationSimulationSimulation is the imitation of some real thing available, state of affairs, or process. The act of simulating something generally entails representing certain key characteristics or behaviours of a selected physical or abstract system....
functions to the BPMBusiness process modelingBusiness Process Modeling in systems engineering is the activity of representing processes of an enterprise, so that the current process may be analyzed and improved. BPM is typically performed by business analysts and managers who are seeking to improve process efficiency and quality...
module to enhance business processBusiness processA business process or business method is a collection of related, structured activities or tasks that produce a specific service or product for a particular customer or customers...
es design. - RepositorySoftware repositoryA software repository is a storage location from which software packages may be retrieved and installed on a computer.- Discussion :Many software publishers and other organizations maintain servers on the Internet for this purpose, either free of charge or for a subscription fee...
- Requirements analysisRequirements analysisRequirements analysis in systems engineering and software engineering, encompasses those tasks that go into determining the needs or conditions to meet for a new or altered product, taking account of the possibly conflicting requirements of the various stakeholders, such as beneficiaries or users...
- XMLXMLExtensible Markup Language is a set of rules for encoding documents in machine-readable form. It is defined in the XML 1.0 Specification produced by the W3C, and several other related specifications, all gratis open standards....
Modeling supporting XML Schema and DTDDocument Type DefinitionDocument Type Definition is a set of markup declarations that define a document type for SGML-family markup languages...
standards - Visual Studio 2005 / 2008 addin
History
PowerDesigner started life as AMC*Designor in France and S-Designor internationally, which was written by Xiao-Yun Wang of SDP Technologies. Note that the "or" in the product name refers to "Oracle", since initially the product was developed to design Oracle databases, but very quickly evolved to support all major RDBMS in the market. SDP Technologies was a French company that was started in 1983. Powersoft purchased SDP in 1995, and Sybase had purchased Powersoft earlier in 1994. Shortly after the acquisition, the product was renamed to be consistent with the Powersoft brand. Sybase currently owns all rights to PowerDesigner and PowerAMC (the french version of PowerDesigner).Version History
- 1989 - The first commercial release of AMC*Designor (version 2.0) in France
- 1992 - The first commercial release of S-Designor in the US.
- 1994 - ProcessAnalyst was added to the suite in 1994.
- 1995 - S-Designor becomes PowerDesigner, AMC*Designor becomes PowerAMC
- 1997 - PowerDesigner 6.0 releases.
- 1998 - WarehouseArchitect was added.
- 1999 - PowerDesigner 7.0 was rewritten to take advantage of newer technologies and to provide an interface more consistent with other Sybase products.
- December 2001 - PowerDesigner 9.5 was initially released, with maintenance releases through 2003.
- December 2004 - Version 10.0 (Minerva release)
- 2005 - Version 11.0
- January 2006 - PowerDesigner 12.0 released with metadata mappings and reporting features
- August 2006 - PowerDesigner 12.1 released with enhanced support for Microsoft Visual Studio and SQL Server
- July 2007 - PowerDesigner 12.5 released with new ETL (Extract, transform, loadExtract, transform, loadExtract, transform and load is a process in database usage and especially in data warehousing that involves:* Extracting data from outside sources* Transforming it to fit operational needs...
) and EII (Enterprise Information IntegrationEnterprise Information IntegrationEnterprise Information Integration , is a process of information integration, using data abstraction to provide a unified interface for viewing all the data within an organization, and a single set of structures and naming conventions to represent this data; the goal of EII is to get a large set of...
) modeling and full UMLUnified Modeling LanguageUnified Modeling Language is a standardized general-purpose modeling language in the field of object-oriented software engineering. The standard is managed, and was created, by the Object Management Group...
2.0 diagrams support - October 2008 - PowerDesigner 15.0 released with new Enterprise ArchitectureEnterprise architectureAn enterprise architecture is a rigorous description of the structure of an enterprise, which comprises enterprise components , the externally visible properties of those components, and the relationships between them...
Model, customizable frameworks support (Zachman FrameworkZachman frameworkThe Zachman Framework is an Enterprise Architecture framework for enterprise architecture, which provides a formal and highly structured way of viewing and defining an enterprise...
, FEAF, ...), Impact and Lineage Analysis Diagram, logical data modelLogical data modelA logical data model in systems engineering is a representation of an organization's data, organized in terms of entities and relationships and is independent of any particular data management technology.- Overview :...
, Barker Notation, Project support and lot more - November 2011 - PowerDesigner 16.0 released with new Shell, Role based UI, Glossary, Impact analysis on repository, Sybase IQ reference architecture wizard, New database support,� Web portal enhancements
Standards
PowerDesigner supports the following standardStandardization
Standardization is the process of developing and implementing technical standards.The goals of standardization can be to help with independence of single suppliers , compatibility, interoperability, safety, repeatability, or quality....
s:
- BPEL4WS
- Business Process Modeling NotationBusiness Process Modeling NotationBusiness Process Model and Notation is a graphical representation for specifying business processes in a business process model. It was previously known as Business Process Modeling Notation....
(BPMN) - Document Type DefinitionDocument Type DefinitionDocument Type Definition is a set of markup declarations that define a document type for SGML-family markup languages...
(DTDDocument Type DefinitionDocument Type Definition is a set of markup declarations that define a document type for SGML-family markup languages...
) - ebXMLEbXMLElectronic Business using eXtensible Markup Language, commonly known as e-business XML, or ebXML as it is typically referred to, is a family of XML based standards sponsored by OASIS and UN/CEFACT whose mission is to provide an open, XML-based infrastructure that enables the global use of...
- IDEFIDEFIDEF, an abbreviation of Integration Definition, refers to a family of modeling languages in the field of systems and software engineering. They cover a wide range of uses, from functional modeling to data, simulation, object-oriented analysis/design and knowledge acquisition. These "definition...
- RDBMS
- Rich Text FormatRich Text FormatThe Rich Text Format is a proprietary document file format with published specification developed by Microsoft Corporation since 1987 for Microsoft products and for cross-platform document interchange....
(RTFRich Text FormatThe Rich Text Format is a proprietary document file format with published specification developed by Microsoft Corporation since 1987 for Microsoft products and for cross-platform document interchange....
) - UMLUnified Modeling LanguageUnified Modeling Language is a standardized general-purpose modeling language in the field of object-oriented software engineering. The standard is managed, and was created, by the Object Management Group...
2.0 diagrams - XMLXMLExtensible Markup Language is a set of rules for encoding documents in machine-readable form. It is defined in the XML 1.0 Specification produced by the W3C, and several other related specifications, all gratis open standards....
- XML Schema
Competitors
- CA ERwin Data ModelerCA ERwin Data ModelerCA ERwin Data Modeler is a software tool for data modeling of custom developed information systems, including databases of transactional systems and data marts...
- ER/StudioER/StudioER/Studio is data architecture and database design software developed by Embarcadero Technologies. It works across multiple database platforms and is used by data architects, data modelers, database administrators and business analysts to create and manage database designs, document and reuse data...
- IBM Rational Software ArchitectIBM Rational Software ArchitectIBM Rational Software Architect, made by IBM's Rational Software division, is a comprehensive modeling and development environment that uses the Unified Modeling Language for designing architecture for C++ and Java 2 Enterprise Edition applications and web services...
- Toad Data ModelerToad Data ModelerToad Data Modeler is a database design tool allowing users to visually create, maintain and document new or existing database systems. It was previously called "CASE Studio 2" before it was acquired from Charonware by Quest Software in 2006...