XML Bridge Overview
Customers often find it useful to move information (metadata) from an application/tool into a metadata repository for additional analysis of the metadata, often in concert with other metadata in the repository. Such an exchange of data is not usually possible since neither the tool nor repository exports (or imports) metadata in a way that can be understood by the other. However, procedures and/or software may be developed to “bridge” the data path between the tool and repository, allowing the data exchange.
To achieve this goal, XML Bridge combines the use of MDS software and Common Warehouse Metamodel/XML Metadata Interchange eXtensible Markup Language (CWM/XMI XML) from the Object Management Group (OMG). If a tool or application can export its metadata in CWM/XMI XML format, then XML Bridge can transform it into MetaXML schema format, so the MetaXML utility can import it into MDS repository.
The “translation” from the XMI schema to the MDS XML schema is accomplished by an eXtensible Stylesheet Language Transformation (XSLT) file provided by MDS. MDS also provides a repository metamodel to represent the OMG CWM. For more information, see “FAQ” on page 258 and “Technical Details” on page 255.