Automated Data Mapping Document Generation for Database Migration

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Solution Overview

Problem

The existing data migration process is labor-intensive, complex, and error-prone due to the need for manual creation of data mapping documents between legacy and new database systems, which involves complex data type and format disparities and requires skilled personnel, leading to increased costs and timelines.

Innovation Solution

A data mapping document design system that analyzes application views, intermediate staging tables, and target database columns to automatically generate a data mapping document, using a graphical user interface and search algorithms to reduce manual effort and errors, and provides a data mapping tool for database engineers to interact with the system.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If manual creation of data mapping document is used, then flexibility and control are improved, but labor intensity and time consumption increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveflexibility and controlVSAvoidlabor intensity and time consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces an automated data mapping document creation system that acts as an intermediary between the legacy database system and the new database system. This system automatically generates data mapping documents by analyzing database schemas, data types, and relationships, thereby reducing manual effort while maintaining the necessary control and flexibility through configurable parameters and review processes.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The system enables self-service by allowing the automated generation of data mapping documents through configuration files and database metadata analysis. The system can automatically discover data relationships, map data types, and generate mapping documents without requiring extensive manual intervention from database administrators, thus improving productivity while maintaining quality through automated consistency checks.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

2Manufacturing precision

If skilled personnel are used for manual data mapping, then data quality and accuracy are improved, but personnel costs and recruitment difficulty increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedata quality and accuracyVSAvoidpersonnel costs and recruitment difficulty
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces the mechanical system of manual data mapping by skilled personnel with an automated computational system. The system uses database metadata, schema analysis, and automated algorithms to generate data mapping documents, thereby reducing dependence on expensive skilled personnel while maintaining data quality through automated consistency validation and error detection mechanisms.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The system creates templates and reusable data mapping patterns that can be copied and adapted across different database migration projects. By establishing standardized mapping templates based on common data types and relationships, the system maintains data quality through proven patterns while reducing the need for highly skilled personnel to create mappings from scratch for each project.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

3Manufacturing precision

If complex data type disparities are manually resolved, then mapping accuracy is improved, but error rate and rework frequency increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemapping accuracyVSAvoiderror rate and rework frequency
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements feedback mechanisms in the automated data mapping system by incorporating validation rules, consistency checks, and error detection algorithms. The system automatically validates generated mappings against database schemas, data type constraints, and relationship definitions, providing immediate feedback on potential errors. This feedback loop enables the system to detect and correct mapping errors before they propagate, thereby maintaining high mapping accuracy while reducing the error rate and rework frequency associated with manual processes.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentUS7801884B2Data mapping document design system
Publication Date: 2010.09.21 ACCENTURE GLOBAL SERVICES LTD
  • US7801884B2 patent drawing
  • US7801884B2 patent drawing
  • US7801884B2 patent drawing

AI summary

A data mapping document design system provides a market differentiator that facilitates creating the technical specification for migrating legacy databases. The system addresses the significant technical problems associated with the immensely labor intensive, complex, and error prone endeavor of manually creating the technical specification. The system not only achieves cost and time savings in clearly measurable aspects of data migration such as migration project cost and completion timelines, but also achieves improvements in other harder to measure and track areas, such as data quality, and achieves reductions in subsequently discovered data errors.