IBM InfoSphere Data Architect MetaBroker - imports

You can use IBM® InfoSphere® Data Architect MetaBroker® in InfoSphere Metadata Asset Manager to import metadata from InfoSphere Data Architect to the metadata repository of InfoSphere Information Server.

You can import and export metadata by using IBM InfoSphere Data Architect MetaBroker. This topic describes the import functionality.

The bridge supports the following versions of InfoSphere Data Architect:

7.5.1 through 7.5.3
7.6
8.1
8.5
9.1 (including 9.1.1)

The bridge can import the following types of metadata:

Physical data model assets (DBM files)
Logical data model assets (LDM files)

When you import a physical data model, you have the option on the Identity Parameters screen to create a database schema that implements the physical data model. Both the schema and the physical data model are stored in the metadata repository.

The IBM InfoSphere Data Architect MetaBroker does not support transferring naming models and glossary metadata between the metadata repository and InfoSphere Data Architect. For that purpose, use the import and export functionality in InfoSphere Information Governance Catalog.

Importing referenced files

Models in InfoSphere Data Architect can have relationships to multiple other models. When you use the IBM InfoSphere Data Architect MetaBroker, you select a single DBM or LDM file to import, but it is possible to import multiple referenced LDM and DBM files with the same import.

To also import files that are referenced by that file, you must place the files on the metadata interchange server in the correct relative path to each other. For the File location parameter, select Metadata interchange server. Do not select Local computer.

Referenced files are imported in the following manner. In all cases, for a referenced file to be imported, it must be on the metadata interchange server, in the correct relative path from the file that references it.

If you import an LDM file that has references to one or more LDM files, then all the referenced LDM files are imported, along with any other LDM files that they reference, and so on. For a referenced file to be imported it must be in the correct relative path from the file that references it.
If you import a DBM file that has references to other LDM and DBM files, and you select Import LDM assets with DBM, then all the referenced LDM and DBM files and all the LDM or DBM files that they reference, and so on, are imported. Implementation relationships are established between all DBM files that are imported and all the LDM files that are imported that they implement.
If you import a DBM file that has references to other LDM and DBM files, and you do not select Import LDM assets with DBM, then only the referenced DBM files and the DBM files that they reference are imported. However, linkpoints are created to the referenced LDM files. If you import any of the referenced LDM files in the future, the implementation references are instantiated.

Importing multiple files in this manner can make the import take much longer than importing a single LDM file or a single DBM file and one related LDM file.

Import parameters

The IBM InfoSphere Data Architect MetaBroker supports the following import configuration parameters.

DBM or LDM file

Select the physical data model (DBM) file or logical data model (LDM) file to import. Ensure that you have also selected Metadata interchange server for the File location parameter.

For information on importing referenced models at the same time, see the section Importing referenced files.

IDA version

Select the version of InfoSphere Data Architect that was used to create the import file:

7.5. InfoSphere Data Architect Version 7.5.1, 7.5.2, or 7.5.3. Imports are not supported from IBM Rational Data Architect, Version 7.5.
7.6. InfoSphere Data Architect Version 7.6.
8.1. InfoSphere Data Architect Version 8.1.
8.5. InfoSphere Data Architect Version 8.5.
9.1. InfoSphere Data Architect Version 9.1.

Import LDM assets with DBM

Select if you are importing a DBM file and you want to also import related LDM assets. The files that the specified DBM file references must be on the metadata interchange server, in the correct path that matches the references in the DBM file. The import preserves the relationships between the assets.