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Like many other software and database development activities, data modeling is a collaborative endeavor —perhaps even more so than the others. In addition to ensuring that they avoid anti-patterns and follow the best data modeling practices, data modelers also need to facilitate the swift and agile development of the data model. For that, there needs to be a way to collaborate on the data model design process.
Although Vertabelo’s basic and premium plans are enough for individuals, teams may require a bit more. That’s why we’ve added a new option: team accounts. Vertabelo team accounts support up to 50 users and offer special benefits. In this post, you will learn about the benefits of the Vertabelo team account.
Benefits of the Vertabelo Team Account
1. Unlimited Number of Database Models
In most organizations, data isn’t centralized. Different teams work with different data sources and targets. They need to model their data accordingly. For that, you need to create a lot of database models, possibly different ones for different environments temporarily if not permanently. This isn’t ideal, but it’s what many data modelers work with. A Vertabelo team account offers unlimited database models, so you’re not limited by how many you can simultaneously work with.
2. Logical and Physical Data Modeling
Using a team account, you can create logical and physical models and automatically convert from one to another using Vertabelo. This is a great feature, especially for teams. This feature is available in Vertabelo’s basic and premium plans, too.
3. Easier Collaboration
And finally, the team plan facilitates close collaboration between team members and even across teams. It’s easy to ignore the benefits of collaboration in the data modeling space. But if you ensure great collaboration during the design process, you reduce the number of bugs (and possibly the number of schema changes required later). Team members can enrich data models by collectively adding comments, or individual members (or groups) can work on different parts of the same data model.
Creating a Team Account
Now that you know the benefits of a Vertabelo team account, let’s see how you can create one.
First, either log into your current account or sign up for a new account. Once you’ve logged in, open the My account tab on the main menu bar. You’ll be directed to the My account page:
As the above screenshot was taken from a new account, the trial team plan is enabled by default so that you can use all the features of Vertabelo without restrictions until the trial finishes. You can upgrade the account by pressing the BUY SUBSCRIPTION button. It will take you to the following page, where you can choose your plan:
And that’s it – you’ve now set up a team account.
Managing Document Access in a Team Plan
As the account owner, you have fine-grained access control for every document. You might want a document to be visible to only a particular set of users. Or you might not want to share a work-in-progress draft with other teams to avoid confusion. By clicking on the Documents access button in the Teams drop-down menu, you can set access restrictions:
Adding and Removing Users
To build a team in Vertabelo, you’ll need to add users and assign them roles. You can add team members by sending them an email invitation. You do this by clicking ADD USER and entering their email. You can choose from the four roles defined below. (Note that each role includes all the access rights of the role(s) that precede it.)
- Vertabelo users can create a new model, edit an existing model, etc. This is usually assigned to data modelers, developers, and peer reviewers.
- Team administrators can manage the list of team members. This is usually assigned to team leaders and managers.
- Payment administrators can change the plan, pay for the plan, and change billing data This is usually assigned to finance and procurement teams.
- System administrators can change account configurations. This is the owner of the account and has full privileges.
Once the invited team member accepts their invitation, you can see and modify their membership (e.g. by locking and unlocking their account, resetting their password, changing their role, and so on). If you go to a team member’s profile, you’ll see this screen:
Configuring the Team Account
Using the Team drop-down menu, you can choose the Configuration option to manage your team account. Currently, there are three things you can do:
- Change the team name.
- Enable/disable public links to models.
- Allow/restrict the sharing of data models with non-members.
Moving to a team account and managing it is extremely simple in Vertabelo. It comes with great benefits, fine-grain control, and flexibility.
Share Your Thoughts on Our Plans
You’ve learned the advantages of Vertabelo’s team plan and how to sign up for a team plan. This lets you enable seamless collaboration between team members and use unlimited data models.
We’d be happy to know what you think about our subscription offerings, especially the one covered in this article. Let us know in the comments section or write to us at contact@vertabelo.com.
