SAP is ending official support for PowerDesigner. Many models, much knowledge, and significant governance depend on it today. This page is the honest playbook for how 4dbAI handles that transition.
SAP has announced the end of official support for PowerDesigner by the end of 2027. For organizations that depend on it to model corporate databases, this means pragmatic decisions: stay with an unsupported tool, pay for a Ferrari alternative without adaptation guarantees, or migrate to a platform that respects decades of work.
4dbAI was designed with the third option in mind. You bring your .pdm; the platform opens it, navigates it, and generates from it — preserving structure, relationships, rules, and governance.
Migration isn't magic. This is the current edge of what 4dbAI covers — no invention.
Specific cases for your model are assessed during the pilot phase — before the migration decision. No promises, no surprises.
Each phase has clear deliverables. You decide whether to advance or adjust before the next.
Analysis of a representative sample of your model. We identify real coverage, edge cases, and an honest effort estimate. The result is a technical report — not slides.
Full migration of a model subset (e.g., one specific domain). End-to-end validation: import, editing, DDL generation, documentation. You operate 4dbAI under real conditions before committing to scale.
Complete model import, with treatment of edge cases identified during the pilot. Configuration of corporate standards (naming, canonical types, validations). Integration with your IdP and environment.
Period of accompanied operation — your team uses 4dbAI day-to-day, with direct channels to clarify questions, adjust standards, and prioritize improvements. This is where "be the priority" stops being a slogan and becomes practice.
What's worth knowing before the meeting — no inflated expectations.
Depends on model complexity and the edge cases found. The assessment phase produces a specific estimate before commitment. Well-standardized models migrate faster than models with 20 years of exceptions.
Smaller learning curve than expected — Crow's Foot, hierarchical models, DDL generation are universal concepts. What changes is the environment and some conventions, not how you think about modeling.
Training material is part of the delivery. Sessions focused on real tasks — not generic tool tours. Documentation is alive: generated from the model itself, always up to date.
You don't need to "flip a switch" in one day. Legacy models can stay in PD while new ones go to 4dbAI. Import supports incremental .pdm file updates.
Your naming standards, canonical types, and validation rules are configured in 4dbAI — not rewritten. What was true before stays true, with automatic enforcement during modeling.
Fair question. We discuss it openly in the meeting — contractual models include escrow, continuity clauses, and technical documentation sufficient to sustain operation independently.
Live demo with one of your .pdm files — not slides. Coverage report in writing. Informed decision. We respond within one business day.