Generating and reusing transformations for evolving schema mapping

Inventors

Roth, Sharon • Ilyas, Ihab F. • Bruckner, Daniel Meir • Goldin, Gideon

Assignees

Tamr Inc

Abstract

A system and method of use resolves the frustration of repeated manual work during schema mapping. The system utilizes a transformation graph—a collection of nodes (unified attributes) and edges (transformations) in which source attributes are mapped and transformed. The system further leverages existing mappings and transformations for the purpose of suggesting to a user the optimal paths (i.e., the lowest cost paths) for mapping new sources, which is particularly useful when new sources share similarity with previously mapped sources and require the same transformations. As such, the system also promotes an evolving schema by allowing users to select which unified attributes they want to include in a target schema at any time. The system addresses the technical challenge of finding optimal transformation paths and how to present these to the user for evaluation.

Core Innovation

An evolving schema-mapping system represents unified attributes as nodes and transformations as edges in an electronically represented and visually displayed initial transformation graph. The initial transformation graph is an evolving graph of nodes and edges in which nodes represent unified attributes and edges represent a flow of data via transformations between the nodes. The initial transformation graph includes transformation paths that are reusable.

A method creates a new target schema from an existing target schema by adding a new node that represents a new unified attribute to the electronically represented and visually displayed initial transformation graph, thereby creating a revised transformation graph. The new node is added to the graph via user input of a transformation edge between the new node and an existing node in a first graphical user interface, and the new node is then added to the existing target schema via user input in a second GUI.

The revised target schema is a new target schema created from the existing target schema that reuses the transformation paths of the evolving initial transformation graph. A central processing unit executing software code uses the new node and edge to propagate data using the revised transformation graph and the revised target schema, and the revised transformation graph and revised target schema are used as the basis for data propagation.

Claims Coverage

The document provides two independent claims, each covering an evolving transformation-graph approach for creating a revised target schema from an existing target schema. Across the independent claims, there are 3 main inventive areas: using a reusable evolving initial transformation graph with unified-attribute nodes and transformation edges, adding a new unified-attribute node via user input through GUI(s), and using the resulting revised graph and revised target schema to propagate data via a central processing unit executing software code.

Overall claim coverage centers on constructing a revised target schema by adding a new unified-attribute node and transformation edge into an evolving, reusable transformation graph and then selecting the new node for inclusion so that a central processing unit propagates data using the revised transformation graph and revised target schema.

Stated Advantages

Documented Applications

No documented applications found