Introduction

Data modeling, or creating an Entity Relationship Diagram, is a common task when you’re working with software.

It can be done on pen and paper, or a whiteboard, but there are advantages to doing it on a computer.

There are programs that let you perform data modeling, and create ERDs (Entity Relationship Diagrams). There’s actually a LOT of these types of programs, and it can be hard to choose one that works and that you like.

In this guide, I’ll list all of the tools I can find, which operating system they work on, whether they are free or paid, some of their features, and reviews from other websites.

Considerations

Some considerations were made when compiling this list of tools.

The tool needed to let the user create an Entity Relationship Diagram (a diagram showing tables and columns, and their relationships). Some tools allowed the user to create UML diagrams but not ERDs, or generated documentation on databases, so were not included.

Unlike my comparison guide on SQL IDEs, I didn’t personally download and use all of these tools. This was for a few reasons:

Mainly because of the sheer volume of tools. It would take a long time to download, set up, and get enough use of the tool to be able to write a review of 70+ tools.

I have included external reviews for each of the tools mentioned below, which can help you make your decision.

There are many criteria you may use when deciding what tool to use. So, even if I review a tool highly, it might not work for you as it doesn’t meet your criteria.

I have used a few of these tools, and I’ll mention it in the description if I have.

Also, these tools have been grouped into a few different types:

Data Modeling : a tool that just performs data modeling or allows you to create entity relationship diagrams.

: a tool that just performs data modeling or allows you to create entity relationship diagrams. Full IDE : a tool that allows data modeling but also includes connecting to a database and running SQL queries to generate results.

: a tool that allows data modeling but also includes connecting to a database and running SQL queries to generate results. Diagramming : a tool built for creating many kinds of diagrams (e.g. flowcharts, UML diagrams), that can be used to create data models or ERDs.

: a tool built for creating many kinds of diagrams (e.g. flowcharts, UML diagrams), that can be used to create data models or ERDs. Enterprise Modeling: a tool designed for large companies to diagram and document their business processes, which may include a data modeling component.

So, now I’ve mentioned that, let’s get into the comparison of data modeling tools!