Information integrating apparatus, method, and computer product

Abstract

A processing system that implements physical integration, virtual integration, and stream integration by defining meta-information correlating a physical model on an information source side and a logical model on a user-side and by selectively executing push-type information integration of returning to the user-side, an integration result according to information input from the information source side and pull-type information integration of returning to the user-side, an integration result according a query from the user-side.

1 . An information integrating apparatus comprising:
 a storage unit that stores therein meta-definitions that include physical models that are data models on an information source side, logical models that are data models on a user-side that uses integrated information, and a mapping definition indicating corresponding relations between a physical model and a logical model;   an integrating unit that executes an integration process of referring to the meta-definition stored in the storage unit and integrating information from the physical model input from information sources and information from the logical model;   a breaking up unit that executes a breaking up process of referring to the meta-definition stored in the storage unit and breaking up a query for the logical models into a query for the physical models respectively corresponding to the information sources;   a collecting unit that executes a collection process of collecting information retrieved from the information sources via the query that is for the physical model and obtained at the breaking up unit;   a detecting unit that detects a first instruction to integrate, by the integration process, information from the physical model, which is an information source to be integrated, and information from the logical model, and to return to the user-side, a first integration result, or detects a second instruction to execute the breaking up process on a query on the user side for the logical model, to execute the collection process with respect to a query that is for the physical model and obtained by the breaking up process, to integrate, by the integration process, the information from the physical model collected by the collection process and the information from the logical model, and to return to the user side, a second integration result;   a control unit that controls the integrating unit to execute the integration process, if the detecting unit detects the first instruction and controls the breaking up unit, the collecting unit, and the integrating unit, and further executes the breaking up process on the query for the logical model on the user side, the collection process with respect to the query that is for the physical model and obtained by the breaking up process, and the integration process integrating the information from the physical model collected by the collection process, if the detecting unit detects the second instruction; and   an output unit that outputs to the user-side, the first integration result obtained by control of the integrating unit, if the detecting unit detects the first instruction, and outputs to the user-side that has made the query, the second integration result obtained by control of the breaking up unit, the collecting unit, and the integrating unit, if the detecting unit detects the second instruction.   
     
     
         2 . The information integrating apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising an extracting unit that extracts the information to be integrated from an information group stored in the information sources, wherein
 the integrating unit, by referring to the meta-definition, integrates the information from the physical model extracted by the extracting unit and the information from the logical model, and   the output unit registers to a given database on the user-side, the first or the second integration result obtained by the control unit.   
     
     
         3 . The information integrating apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising an acquiring unit that acquires the information to be integrated from a data stream, among data streams in the information sources, wherein
 the integrating unit, by referring to the meta-definition, integrates the information from the physical model acquired by the acquiring unit and the information from the logical model, and   the output unit sends out to a data stream on the user-side, the first or the second integration result obtained by the control unit.   
     
     
         4 . The information integrating apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the control unit, if an unsolved mapping definition is present in the first integration result, generates a third integration result by referring to the unsolved mapping definition, the physical model and the logical model, controlling the breaking up unit, the collecting unit and the integrating unit, and executing the breaking up process on a query for the logical model on the user-side, the collection process with respect to information other than the query that is for the physical model and obtained by the breaking up process, and the integration process on the information from the physical model collected by the collection process, and   the output unit outputs to the user-side, the first and the third integration results, if an unsolved mapping definition is present in the first integration result.   
     
     
         5 . The information integrating apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the storage unit stores therein pre-setting information allocating the physical model to information in the information sources, and   the integrating unit executes the integration process integrating the information allocated to the physical model by the pre-setting information and the information from the logical model.   
     
     
         6 . The information integrating apparatus according to  claim 5 , wherein
 the pre-setting information includes additional information, if a given attribute has names that differ in the physical model and in the information in the information source, the additional information indicating that the names represent the given attribute, and   the integrating unit, based on the additional information, executes the integration process integrating the information allocated to the physical model and the information from the logical model.   
     
     
         7 . The information integrating apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein
 the storage unit stores therein pre-setting information allocating the logical model to a given database, and   the output unit records to the given database allocated to the logical model by the pre-setting information.   
     
     
         8 . The information integrating apparatus according to  claim 7 , wherein
 the pre-setting information includes additional information, if a given attribute has names that differ in the physical model and in the information in the information source, the additional information indicating that the names represent the given attribute, and   the integrating unit, based on the additional information, records to an attribute in the given database allocated to the logical model.   
     
     
         9 . The information integrating apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein
 the storage unit stores therein pre-setting information allocating the physical model to information in the information sources and allocating an extraction condition for the extracting unit, and   the extracting unit, according to the extracting condition of the pre-setting information, extracts information to be integrated, from the information group stored in the information sources.   
     
     
         10 . The information integrating apparatus according to  claim 3 , wherein
 the storage unit stores therein pre-setting information allocating the physical model to a data stream in the information sources, and   the acquiring unit, based on the pre-setting information, acquires information to be integrated, from the data stream allocated to the physical model.   
     
     
         11 . The information integrating apparatus according to  claim 10 , wherein
 the storage unit stores therein pre-setting information allocating the logical model to a data stream on the user-side, and   the output unit, based on the pre-setting information, sends out to the data stream on the user-side, the first or the second integration result obtained by the control unit.   
     
     
         12 . The information integrating apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising a cleansing unit, wherein
 the physical model and the logical model have a type attribute indicating, for an item, data type and value, and   the cleansing unit, if on an input side and on an output side, the data type or the type attribute of the meta-definition is different, converts the value input as the data type on the input side to the data type on the output side and outputs the converted value, or converts the value input as the type attribute on the input side to the type attribute on the output side and outputs the converted value,   the integrating unit executes the integration process with respect to the value of the item converted from the input value of the item in the physical model to the value of the item on the output side by the cleansing unit, and   the breaking up unit executes the breaking up process on a query that is for the item in the physical model converted by the cleansing unit from an input query for an item in the logical model.   
     
     
         13 . The information integration apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the physical model and the logical model are table structure data models, and   the query is an SQL statement.   
     
     
         14 . The information integration apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the physical model and the logical model are tree-structure data models, and   the query is an XQuery statement.   
     
     
         15 . An information integrating method of a computer having access to a storage unit storing therein storing meta-definitions that include physical models that are data models on an information source side, logical models that are data models on a user-side that uses integrated information, and a mapping definition indicating corresponding relations between a physical model and a logical model, the method comprising:
 integrating, by referring to the meta-definition stored in the storage unit, information from the physical model input from information sources and information from the logical model;   breaking up, by referring to the meta-definition stored in the storage unit, a query for the logical models into a query for the physical models respectively corresponding to the information sources;   collecting information retrieved from the information sources via the query that is for the physical model and obtained at the breaking up;   detecting a first instruction to integrate, by the integrating, information from the physical model, which is an information source to be integrated, and information from the logical model, and to return to the user-side, a first integration result, or detecting a second instruction to break up, by the breaking up, a query on the user side for the logical model, to collect, by the collecting based on a query that is for the physical model and obtained at the breaking up, to integrate, by the integrating, the information from the physical model collected at the collecting and the information from the logical model, and to return to the user side, a second integration result;   controlling the integrating, if the first instruction is detected at the detecting and controlling the breaking up of the query for the logical model on the user side, the collecting based on the query that is for the physical model and obtained at the breaking up, and the integrating the information from the physical model collected at the collecting, if the second instruction is detected at the detecting; and   outputting to the user-side, the first integration result obtained at the controlling the integrating, if the first instruction is detected at the detecting, and outputting to the user-side that has made the query, the second integration result obtained at the controlling the breaking up, the collecting, and the integrating, if the second instruction is detected at the detecting.   
     
     
         16 . A non-transient, computer-readable recording medium storing therein an information integrating program that causes a computer having access to a storage unit storing therein storing meta-definitions that include physical models that are data models on an information source side, logical models that are data models on a user-side that uses integrated information, and a mapping definition indicating corresponding relations between a physical model and a logical model, to execute:
 integrating, by referring to the meta-definition stored in the storage unit, information from the physical model input from information sources and information from the logical model;   breaking up, by referring to the meta-definition stored in the storage unit, a query for the logical models into a query for the physical models respectively corresponding to the information sources;   collecting information retrieved from the information sources via the query that is for the physical model and obtained at the breaking up;   detecting a first instruction to integrate, by the integrating, information from the physical model, which is an information source to be integrated, and information from the logical model, and to return to the user-side, a first integration result, or detecting a second instruction to break up, by the breaking up, a query on the user side for the logical model, to collect, by the collecting based on a query that is for the physical model and obtained at the breaking up, to integrate, by the integrating, the information from the physical model collected at the collecting and the information from the logical model, and to return to the user side, a second integration result;   controlling the integrating, if the first instruction is detected at the detecting and controlling the breaking up of the query for the logical model on the user side, the collecting based on the query that is for the physical model and obtained at the breaking up, and the integrating the information from the physical model collected at the collecting, if the second instruction is detected at the detecting; and   outputting to the user-side, the first integration result obtained at the controlling the integrating, if the first instruction is detected at the detecting, and outputting to the user-side that has made the query, the second integration result obtained at the controlling the breaking up, the collecting, and the integrating, if the second instruction is detected at the detecting.