Data Virtualization using Informatica Data Service

For Data Virtualization solutions Informatica has a tool called Data Services. Most of you might be already aware Data Virtualization is an approach that allows an application to retrieve and manipulate data without needing to know any technical details about the data, like how it is formatted or where it is physically located.

In recent years, data volumes, complexity, and compliance requirements have grown dramatically, making data governance an increasingly critical element in enterprise information management strategy. Informatica Data Services gives the power to manage and monitor data services in a single unified environment, it enables you to enforce and manage policies and rules across federated data for all data services.

Using Informatica Data Services you can create a unified data model to provide uniform access to disparate data. You can also federate data to combine data from heterogeneous data sources into a single view.

Analysts and developers can use Informatica Data Services to perform the following tasks:

Standardize access to disparate data -

Developers can create a logical data object model to standardize access to disparate data.

Federate data -

Developers can create a SQL data service to federate data from heterogeneous data sources. For example, a developer wants to create a prototype that shows how to combine external data with data in a data warehouse. The developer creates an SQL data service that federates data from both data sources.

Provide a web service -

Developers can create a web service to enable access to data from a web service client. For example, a developer creates a web service that enables each customer to use a web browser to retrieve their order details.

Define business logic for populating a target -

Analysts can create a mapping specification in the Analyst tool to define how to populate a target from source data. Source data can come from data sources, virtual tables, or logical data model objects. Developers can export the mapping specification logic as a virtual table.

Profile data -

Developers can run column profiles in the Developer tool to discover information about the column data. Developers can run column profiles on data sources, logical data model objects, virtual tables, and sources and targets in mapping specifications.


Data Flow with Informatica Data Services

With Informatica Data Services, you can create a logical data object model and a data service before an end user consumes the data.

The following figure shows how data can flow through a data model and a data service:

The figure shows the following layers:

Data source layer -

Contains the data sources, such as relational databases, mainframe sources, and flat files.

Data abstraction layer -

Contains a logical data object model. A logical data object model is a logical representation of data. The logical data object model provides a single view to access data from disparate data sources. The logical data object model also insulates data consumers from changes in the data sources.

Data service layer -

Contains data services. Data services provide access to data. You can create SQL data services and web
services. An SQL data service is a virtual database that end users can query. Create an SQL data service so that end users can run SQL queries against the virtual tables. End users can run SQL queries from a third-party client tool, like a business intelligence tool. A web service provides access to data integration functionality. Create a web service to enable a web service client to access, transform, or deliver data.

Data consumer layer -

Contains end-user applications that use the data. Data consumers can include web services and business
intelligence tools, such as Tableau and Excel. Business intelligence tools generate reports based on data. Web service clients receive data based on web service requests.




Continuation to this blog I will provide how to create SQL data services and web services in Informatica Developer client.