XMI

Use XML Metadata Interchange (XMI) files to transfer all or some glossary assets from one instance of IBM® InfoSphere® Information Server to another instance, or to reimport it to the original instance.

IBM InfoSphere Business Glossary versions earlier than version 8.1.1 do not support the XML file format. Therefore, to import glossary assets from version of IBM InfoSphere Business Glossary earlier than version 8.1.1, use the XMI format.

You can export all or some glossary assets of a catalog to an archive file that is in XMI format. You can then import the archive file into a catalog that is on a different instance of InfoSphere Information Server. You cannot edit or modify the archive file.

Glossary archive file content

With an XMI file, the relationships between terms and categories, their links to assigned information assets, and their links to stewards are preserved. Assigned assets are not exported or imported, but relationships to them are imported and exported. Steward information, labels, and collection information is exported and imported. If an assigned asset exists in the catalog, the assignment relationship between the information asset and the term or category is established during the import. Also, if a user or user group that is assigned as a steward exists in InfoSphere Information Server, the steward relationship is established during the import. However, if a user, user group, or an assigned information asset does not exist, then the relationship is not created during the import. See Import and export file formats for a list of the properties that you can change by using an XMI file with a mapping file.

Considerations

Note the following points before you export an XMI file:
  • You can select individual categories that you want to export. When you export the selected categories, their subcategories, and the terms included in any of the categories or subcategories are exported to the file.
  • You can choose whether to export information governance policies and information governance rules. You cannot choose which specific information governance policies or specific information governance rules to export.
Note the following points before you import an XMI file:
  • If you need to change the values of assets in the archive file, you must use a mapping file to make those changes.
  • When you import from an XMI file, you must specify a merge method to resolve conflicts between the existing and the imported glossary assets.
    In addition to adhering to the merge options that you select, relationships are established during the import process according to the following rules:
    • If an information asset that is assigned to a glossary asset exists in the catalog, the assignment relationship between the information asset and the glossary asset is established.
    • External assets themselves do not exist in the catalog. As a result, no assignment relationship is established between external assets and glossary assets.
    • If a user or user group that is assigned as a steward exists in the catalog, the steward relationship is established.
    • If a user, user group, or an assigned asset does not exist in the catalog, then the relationship between an asset and the assigned asset or between the asset and the steward is not established.
    • Synonym relationships are established only after conflicts between the existing and the imported categories and terms are resolved by the merge method that you select.