The area of data integration has gained increased popularity in recent years. This paper describes a data browser for a data integration system where an intermediate layer of a distributed multidatabase system, a mediator database system, is used to query

Presented at 2nd International Workshop on User Interfaces to Data IntensiveSystems, Zurich, Switzerland, May 31. - June 1. 2001

An Object-Oriented Multi-Mediator

Browser

Kristofer Cassel and Tore Risch

Uppsala Database Laboratory

Dept. of Information Science

Uppsala University

Sweden

November 29, 2000

ABSTRACT

The area of data integration has gained increased popularity in recent years. This paper describesa data browser for a data integration system where an intermediate layer of a distributed multi-database system, a mediator database system, is used to query and integrate data fromheterogeneous data sources. The data sources can be regular relational databases but also otherdata producing programs. They often have complex data representations and are often object-oriented (OO). The mediator database layer is therefore also object-oriented for a highabstraction level. An OO query interface is used to access the mediator layer from applicationprograms and users. For a scalable and component based architecture the mediators can be usedas servers for other mediators. This leads to a distributed mediator architecture where mediatorservers interact with other mediators and data sources. An OO multi-mediator browser, GOOVI,is presented which enables maintenance of such distributed mediator databases. With GOOVIthe autonomous mediators in a federation can be viewed, queried, and updated. This multi-mediator browser also provides user interfaces for integrating data through OO views. The paperdescribes the functionality and architecture of GOOVI.