DIRECT: A system for mining data value conversion rules from disparate data sources

Abstract

The successful integration of data from autonomous and heterogeneous systems calls for the resolution of semantic conflicts that may be present. Such conflicts are often reflected by discrepancies in attribute values of the same data object. In this paper, we describe a recently developed prototype system, DIscovering and REconciling ConflicTs (DIRECT). The system mines data value conversion rules in the process of integrating business data from multiple sources. The system architecture and functional modules are described. The process of discovering conversion rules from sales data of a trading company is presented as an illustrative example. © 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.