Merge options for XML and XMI imports

Merge options give you control over how to manage conflicts between imported and existing catalog content when you import glossary assets from an XML or an XMI file.

The merge option that you select specifies the method used by IBM® InfoSphere® Information Governance Catalog to resolve conflicts between the imported and the existing values.

The merge option that you select is applied to the entire import process. In general, if a glossary asset that is defined in the file that is imported does not exist in the catalog, it is added to the catalog during the import process, regardless of which merge option you choose.

Choose from the following merge options:

Ignore the imported asset and keep the existing asset
The import does not change the values of the existing assets.
Overwrite the existing asset with the imported asset
The import uses the values of the imported assets.
Merge the imported asset with the existing asset, and ignore any imported attributes that cannot be merged
Attributes cannot be merged if they are allowed only one value. The following rules apply:
  • If the existing value is null, the imported value overwrites the existing value.
  • If the existing value is not null, the import leaves the existing value unchanged.
For all other attributes, the import combines the existing and imported values.
Merge the imported asset with the existing asset, and overwrite any existing attribute that cannot be merged
Attributes cannot be merged if they are allowed only one value. The following rules apply:
  • If the imported value is null, the import leaves the existing value unchanged.
  • If the imported value is not null, the imported value overwrites the existing value.
For all other attributes, the import combines the existing and imported values.

Example

This example shows how terms with two types of attributes are imported by using each of the merge options. The short description attribute has only one value whereas there are several values for contained terms of the category.

The following table displays the attributes in an existing catalog and in the import file.

Table 1. Existing and imported values of an attribute
Attribute Existing value in the catalog Imported value
Short description
Can have only one value.
 The unique identifier of the Customer Life Cycle Status Scheme involved in the relationship The unique identifier of the Customer Life Cycle Status Type
Contained terms of a category
Can have more than one value.

Term 1, Term 2, Term 3

Term 2, Term 3, Term 4.

The following table displays the results at the import from each merge method.

Table 2. Results from each merge method
If you chose this merge method The short description is The contained terms are
Ignore the imported asset and keep the existing asset The unique identifier of the Customer Life Cycle Status Scheme involved in the relationship Term 1, Term 2, Term 3
Overwrite the existing asset with the imported asset The unique identifier of the Customer Life Cycle Status Type Term 2, Term 3, Term 4
Merge the imported asset with the existing asset, and ignore any imported attributes that cannot be merged The unique identifier of the Customer Life Cycle Status Scheme involved in the relationship Term 1, Term 2, Term 3, Term 4
Merge the imported asset with the existing asset, and overwrite any existing attribute that cannot be merged The unique identifier of the Customer Life Cycle Status Type Term 1, Term 2, Term 3, Term 4