Canonical data model for iterative effort reduction in business-to-business schema integration

摘要

The present disclosure describes methods, systems, and computer program products for providing and maintaining an evolving canonical data model (CDM) which consolidates current knowledge of the correspondences of existing schemas. One computer-implemented method includes receiving the plurality of source hierarchical schemas, each source hierarchical schema being stored as a computer-readable document in computer-readable memory, processing, using a computer, the source hierarchical schemas to generate a merged graph, the merged graph comprising a plurality of merged nodes, each merged node being provided based on one or more nodes from at least two of the source hierarchical schemas, and determining, using the computer, that the merged graph includes one or more conflicts and, in response, resolving each conflict of the one or more conflicts to generate a computed-transitive-edge-free, conflict-free merged graph as a unified data model (UDM), wherein resolving comprises splitting one or more merged nodes into respective sub-sets of merged nodes.

主权项

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:
receiving the plurality of source hierarchical schemas, each source hierarchical schema being stored as a computer-readable document in computer-readable memory; processing, using a computer, the source hierarchical schemas to generate a merged graph, the merged graph comprising a plurality of merged nodes, each merged node being provided based on one or more nodes from at least two of the source hierarchical schemas; determining, using the computer, that the merged graph includes one or more conflicts and, in response, resolving each conflict of the one or more conflicts to generate a computed-transitive-edge-free, conflict-free merged graph as a unified data model (UDM), wherein resolving comprises splitting one or more merged nodes into respective sub-sets of merged nodes; and continuously maintaining the UDM by:
generating a mapping proposal for data fields of two or more message guides by applying transitive mappings to the UDM using cycles and conflicts of the merged graph with data field assignments from the two or more message guides to preserve transitive mapping information and a conflict-free graph with one or more non-merged nodes of the two or more message guides to provide semantically sound, unambiguous structuring alternatives for a new message guide; andderiving a mapping for the data fields from the generated mapping proposal.