Re: data modeling tools

I really like Infomodeler (www.infomodelers.com) Infomodeler supports IDEF1X (a la ERwin) and forward and reverse engineering. Something really neat that only Infomodeler (I believe) does is to help you preserve data when you have to change a database schema that is already populated. Infomodeler will automatically synchronize it's model to a physical schema and let you change the model, the schema, or both if necessary. However, many changes cannot be accomplished by a simple ALTER TABLE statement. In these cases, Infomodeler automatically creates a backup table, INSERTS the data into the backup table, drops all the appropriate foreign keys (both parent and child), drops the target table, creates the new target table with your desired changes, migrates the data back to the new target table, re-builds all the foreign keys and then drops the backup table. All this is done in response to the user simply making a change in the model, it saves a ton of work. Infomodeler also supports Object Role Modeling (ORM). Models built in ORM are truly conceptual and can be mapped to either a straight relational logical model, or to an Object Relational Model. In fact, Infomodeler is the only tool I know of that supports IUS, Oracle 8, and DB/2 5.0 object relational features. Even if you don't use an ORDBMS, ORM has some great advantages. An ORM model is much easier to verify with users, since it is constructed of "fact" statements that are very close to natural language. You can also model constraints in ORM that E/R modeling simply cannot capture. Infomodeler will automatically create a properly normalized logical model from your ORM model. Many constraints that you model in ORM cannot be enforced by simple declarative referential integrity. For the majority of these cases, Infomodeler will write stored procedure code to enforce the constraint. Of course, when key declarations will do the job, Infomodeler uses those. There's a lot more, but you can tell I really like the tool, and it does things that other tools just don't do. By the way, if you have a bunch of ERWin models already lying around, Infomodeler reads/write ERX files. I think you will find that once you have brought an ERWin model into Infomodeler, you probably won't want to send it back out to ERWin because Infomodeler models are more complete, but you can do it if you want to. They have an eval version on the web site. A version of Infomodeler is also bundled with Informix IUS. Be aware, however that the bundled version is _very_ stripped down, so you're not going to get all the great features with the bundled version. Thanks, Bill MacLean (To reply to me, remove the leading 'NOSPAM') from the following: NOSPAMbmaclean@worldnet.att.net P.S. I do not work for Infomodelers, Inc. I have taught classes and consulted for some of their clients. However, I have a relationship with Infomodelers because I like their product, not vice versa. _____________________________ "Maria L. Wilson" <m.l.wilson@larc.nasa.gov> wrote in article <69imo3$pv1@cssun.mathcs.emory.edu>... > Anybody care to comment on their favorite (or worst) experiences with > data modeling tools? I have heard some good things about ERwin....but > not sure what else is out there..... > > > TIA, Maria > ----------------------------------------------------- > Maria L. Wilson Computer Sciences Corporation > NASA Langley Research Center > 3217 North Armistead Ave. Hampton, Va 23666 > email: m.l.wilson@larc.nasa.gov > phone: 757-766-8265 > fax: 757-766-2571 > > If there is no God, who pops up the next Kleenex? > -- Art Hoppe > ----------------------------------------------------- >