RAPIDLY DEPLOYING VIRTUAL DATABASE APPLICATIONS USING DATA MODEL ANALYSIS

• US 20120310996A1
• Filed: 06/06/2011
• Published: 12/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kulack, Frederick A., Petri, John E.
• Granted Patent: US 8,762,428 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/810
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/211 Schema design and management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2433 Query languages

Abstract

Techniques are described for creating a first data abstraction model for a first database. Embodiments analyze the first database to determine a first set of structural characteristics, and analyze a second database to determine a second set of structural characteristics. The analyzed second database is associated with a second data abstraction model. The first set of structural characteristics is compared with the second set of structural characteristics to identify one or more similarities between the two sets of structural characteristics. Embodiments then create the first data abstraction model for the first database, based on the identified similarities and the second data abstraction model.

Claims

1. A method for creating a first data abstraction model for a first database, comprising:

analyzing the first database to determine a first set of structural characteristics of the first database;

analyzing a second database to determine a second set of structural characteristics of the second database, wherein the second database is associated with a second data abstraction model;

comparing the first set of structural characteristics with the second set of structural characteristics to identify one or more similarities there between; and

creating the first data abstraction model for the first database, based on the identified similarities and the second data abstraction model.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein comparing the first set of structural characteristics with the second set of structural characteristics, further comprises:

comparing the first set of structural characteristics with a set of standardized data to determine whether at least a portion of the first database adheres to standards defined for the set of standardized data;

comparing the second set of structural characteristics with the set of standardized data to determine whether at least a portion of the second database adheres to the standards defined for the set of standardized data; and

upon determining both the first set of structural characteristics and the second set of structural characteristics adhere to the standards, identifying a similarity between the portion of the first database and the portion of the second database.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first set of structural characteristics includes an indication of tables contained in the first database.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the first set of structural characteristics, for at least one of the tables, further includes an indication of columns in the table, a data type of the columns in the table, and a relationship between at least two of the tables.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein analyzing the second database is performed anonymously, wherein the data contained in the second database is not accessed during the analysis.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein creating the first data abstraction model for the first database, further comprises:

for each of the identified similarities, inserting a corresponding portion of the second data abstraction model into the first data abstraction model; and

updating the inserted portion to refer to corresponding physical database fields in the first database.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein both the first database and the second database are provided as services in a cloud computing environment.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first data abstraction model defines a plurality of logical fields, wherein each of the logical fields maps to at least one database field in the first database, and wherein each of the logical fields specifies at least (i) a logical field name and (ii) an access method, wherein the access method defines an association between the logical field and the corresponding at least one database field to which the logical field is mapped.

9. A computer program product for creating a first data abstraction model for a first database, comprising:

a computer-readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer readable program code comprising;

computer readable program code to analyze the first database to determine a first set of structural characteristics of the first database;

computer readable program code to analyze a second database to determine a second set of structural characteristics of the second database, wherein the second database is associated with a second data abstraction model;

computer readable program code to compare the first set of structural characteristics with the second set of structural characteristics to identify one or more similarities there between; and

computer readable program code to create the first data abstraction model for the first database, based on the identified similarities and the second data abstraction model.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the computer readable program code to compare the first set of structural characteristics with the second set of structural characteristics, further comprises:

computer readable program code to compare the first set of structural characteristics with a set of standardized data to determine whether at least a portion of the first database adheres to standards defined for the set of standardized data;

computer readable program code to compare the second set of structural characteristics with the set of standardized data to determine whether at least a portion of the second database adheres to the standards defined for the set of standardized data; and

computer readable program code to, upon determining both the first set of structural characteristics and the second set of structural characteristics adhere to the standards, identify a similarity between the portion of the first database and the portion of the second database.

11. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the first set of structural characteristics includes an indication of tables contained in the first database.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the first set of structural characteristics, for at least one of the tables, further includes an indication of columns in the table, a data type of the columns in the table, and a relationship between at least two of the tables.

13. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the computer readable program code to analyze the second database is performed anonymously, wherein the data contained in the second database is not accessed during the analysis.

14. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the computer readable program code to create the first data abstraction model for the first database, further comprises:

computer readable program code to, for each of the identified similarities, insert a corresponding portion of the second data abstraction model into the first data abstraction model; and

computer readable program code to update the inserted portion to refer to corresponding physical database fields in the first database.

15. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein both the first database and the second database are provided as services in a cloud computing environment.

16. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the first data abstraction model defines a plurality of logical fields, wherein each of the logical fields maps to at least one database field in the first database, and wherein each of the logical fields specifies at least (i) a logical field name and (ii) an access method, wherein the access method defines an association between the logical field and the corresponding at least one database field to which the logical field is mapped.

17. A system, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory containing a program that, when executed on the processor, performs an operation for creating a first data abstraction model for a first database, comprising;

analyzing the first database to determine a first set of structural characteristics of the first database;

analyzing a second database to determine a second set of structural characteristics of the second database, wherein the second database is associated with a second data abstraction model;

comparing the first set of structural characteristics with the second set of structural characteristics to identify one or more similarities there between; and

creating the first data abstraction model for the first database, based on the identified similarities and the second data abstraction model.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein comparing the first set of structural characteristics with the second set of structural characteristics, further comprises:

comparing the first set of structural characteristics with a set of standardized data to determine whether at least a portion of the first database adheres to standards defined for the set of standardized data;

comparing the second set of structural characteristics with the set of standardized data to determine whether at least a portion of the second database adheres to the standards defined for the set of standardized data; and

upon determining both the first set of structural characteristics and the second set of structural characteristics adhere to the standards, identifying a similarity between the portion of the first database and the portion of the second database.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the first set of structural characteristics includes an indication of tables contained in the first database.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the first set of structural characteristics, for at least one of the tables, further includes an indication of columns in the table, a data type of the columns in the table, and a relationship between at least two of the tables.

21. The system of claim 17, wherein analyzing the second database is performed anonymously, wherein the data contained in the second database is not accessed during the analysis.

22. The system of claim 17, wherein creating the first data abstraction model for the first database, further comprises:

for each of the identified similarities, inserting a corresponding portion of the second data abstraction model into the first data abstraction model; and

updating the inserted portion to refer to corresponding physical database fields in the first database.

23. The system of claim 17, wherein both the first database and the second database are provided as services in a cloud computing environment.

24. The system of claim 17, wherein the first data abstraction model defines a plurality of logical fields, wherein each of the logical fields maps to at least one database field in the first database, and wherein each of the logical fields specifies at least (i) a logical field name and (ii) an access method, wherein the access method defines an association between the logical field and the corresponding at least one database field to which the logical field is mapped.