DB2 Version 7.2 enhances your ability to interchange metadata with the existing support of the Common Warehouse Metadata Interchange standard, and the addition of a number of new tools and offerings.
With DB2 Version 7, metadata interchange was expanded to support the industry's Common Warehouse Metadata Interchange standard from the Object Management Group (OMG), facilitating solution integration among heterogeneous tools. The OMG standard has the support of industry leaders including IBM, Oracle, NCR, and Hyperion.
With DB2 Version 7.2, support has been added for importing and exporting Common Warehouse Metamodel XML objects. When you export a process containing a step that has a relationship to a step in another process (a "shortcut"), both processes are exported and the relationship is maintained. With the addition of new source support tags, you can now export SAP and WebSphere Site Analyzer (WSA) information saved in your Warehouse Center.
The IBM ERwin Metadata Extract Program is a DB2 Version 7.2 time-saving tool that you can use to import metadata to IBM products, such as the Data Warehouse Center and the Information Catalog Manager (DataGuide). With the metadata extract program tag language files, you can create warehouse targets and schema, including star schema, from imported metadata. The metadata extract program also provides both graphical and command prompt interfaces.
With DB2 Version 7.2, warehouse metadata is imported and exported with interim commits. This feature is designed to improve performance when warehouse metadata is imported. As warehouse metadata is exported, a COMMIT tag will be written to the metadata file when a metadata object and all its required relationships have been exported. When the metadata file is imported, changes are commited to the warehouse control database when the COMMIT tag is detected and all objects since the last COMMIT have been validated.
New templates have been added to communicate with the Data Warehouse Center. They are primarykey.tag, primarykeyadditional.tag, foreignkey.tag, and foreignkeyadditional.tag. In addition, you can use the commit.tag to improve performance and monitor commit scope.