Jaco van der Laan

Honoring George McGeachie’s Legacy: PowerDesigner, Metadata, and Model-Driven Data Engineering

20/09/2025  ·  Data Architecture  ·  Data Engineering  ·  Data Modeling

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Honoring George McGeachie’s Legacy- PowerDesigner, Metadata, and Model-Driven Data Engineering

How George McGeachie’s work with SAP PowerDesigner shaped our metadata-driven approach at ASN — and why his legacy matters as the tool reaches its End-of-Life in 2027.

Summary

George McGeachie, co-author of Data Modeling Made Simple Using PowerDesigner, was a leading voice in extending and customizing SAP PowerDesigner.

His blog posts, videos, and conference talks inspired us at ASN (formerly De Volksbank) to build a model-driven data engineering solution.

With PowerDesigner heading toward End-of-Life in 2027, his work remains vital — helping organizations preserve, migrate, and modernize their metadata assets before time runs out.

George McGeachie: A PowerDesigner Authority

When we began designing a model-driven data engineering solution at ASN, we stood on the shoulders of giants. One of them was George McGeachie — an authority on SAP PowerDesigner, metadata management, and model-driven approaches to enterprise data.

George’s contributions are well recognized:

  • Co-author of Data Modeling Made Simple Using PowerDesigner with Steve Hoberman, the go-to reference for anyone wanting to leverage PowerDesigner beyond the basics.
  • Blogger at Metadata Matters, where he demonstrated how to:
  • Customize PowerDesigner with extensions.
  • Extract metadata using Generation Template Language (GTL).
  • Automate lineage and generate JSON or text outputs.
  • Integrate metadata across models and systems to avoid “islands.”
  • Educator on YouTube, publishing step-by-step videos on how to get the most out of PowerDesigner.
  • Conference speaker at Data Modeling Zone (DMZ), delivering sessions on JSON, metadata, tool evaluation, and practical extensions to modelling approaches.

In short: George didn’t just use PowerDesigner — he pushed it further, showing organizations how to make it a true metadata hub.

From PowerDesigner to Model-Driven Data Engineering

At ASN, his work helped inspire our metadata-driven workflows. We built automation that:

  • Generates diagrams and mappings directly from metadata.
  • Parses diagrams back into metadata .
  • Links models to SQL, code, and lineage through integrations.
  • Publishes models to Confluence for stakeholders — ensuring business and IT remain aligned.

These principles echo George’s long-standing message: metadata is more valuable when it’s connected, extended, and automated.

The Challenge Ahead: PowerDesigner’s End-of-Life

SAP has announced that PowerDesigner will reach End-of-Life (EOL) in 2027. After that date, it will no longer receive updates, patches, or vendor support.

For organizations still relying on PowerDesigner:

  • Security vulnerabilities will no longer be addressed.
  • Incompatibility with modern platforms will grow.
  • Innovation will stagnate compared to modern, cloud-native modelling tools.

This creates risk — but also opportunity.

Migrating complex model solutions is not trivial. Many enterprises have deep investments in PowerDesigner extensions, lineage logic, and metadata frameworks. Here, knowledge of George’s approaches is still critical: understanding how to extract, extend, and migrate metadata will help organizations modernize without losing decades of intellectual capital.

Looking Forward

This article is the first of two. In a follow-up, we will dive deeper into:

  • Migration strategies for organizations moving off PowerDesigner.
  • Modern alternatives for metadata-driven modelling and governance.
  • How lessons from George McGeachie’s work can smooth the path to future-proof architectures.

Closing Thoughts

George McGeachie has been more than a PowerDesigner expert — he has been a guide for an entire generation of data modelers and architects. His blog posts, book, videos, and talks remain invaluable resources.

As PowerDesigner approaches its sunset, his work takes on new relevance: helping us preserve, migrate, and modernize the modelling assets that still underpin critical enterprise systems today.

This article is part of a series on model-driven data engineering and the future beyond PowerDesigner. In a follow-up, we’ll explore migration strategies and modern alternatives. Until then, the best way to honor George McGeachie’s contributions is to ensure the knowledge he shared continues to guide the data community into its next chapter.