Using extensible heterogeneous database transformers

Abstract

Transforming a heterogeneous data model to another heterogeneous data model involves mapping of structural information and data layout. For performing the transformation processes this paper presents a flexible and extensible approach for heterogeneous database transformation using XML. Basics steps involved are forward transformation and reverse transformation. Between these two steps lie two XML documents; one representing the database structure; the other representing the database data. The XML documents define tags for representing an arbitrary database thus making the representation independent of the source and target database management systems. The advantage of having standard XML representations for the database model is that it can be easily extended to support new database models with a maximum of two transformers per database management system. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2006.