The Adapter integration pattern enables existing metadata repositories and their tool sets to integrate into the open metadata ecosystem.  It requires the development of simple components that map between the proprietary metadata formats and the open metadata formats plus manage notifications around the activity occurring with the metadata repository.

A metadata repository needs the following capabilities to support the adapter pattern:

  • A remotely callable interface (API) that allows metadata to be queried, created, updated and deleted.
  • The generation of event notifications whenever metadata changes in the metadata repository.

The API is wrapped in an OMRS Repository Connector implementation that maps open metadata repository service calls to the API of the metadata repository.   The event notifications are captured and mapped into the OMRS Events by an OMRS Repository Event Mapper.  The Repository Event Mapper publishes the resulting OMRS Events to the other metadata repositories in the cohort.

 

 

Figure 1 shows the adapter pattern in operation for a fictitious metadata product called XYZ.  Its OMRS Connector and Event Mapper are running in a Repository Proxy.  The repository proxy manages the OMRS Connector and Event Mapper and ensures they are called at appropriate times.

Figure 1: High level operation of the adapter pattern

 

The development steps to implement the Adapter integration pattern are:

  1. Determine the mapping between your metadata repository and the open metadata types.
  2. Create a connector that implements the OMRS Repository Connector API and maps calls to its API to calls to your repository's API.
  3. Create an event mapper that maps your repository's event notification to the OMRS event notification messages.

 

 

 

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2 Comments

  1. Yao Li

    1. Figure 2: "to join" instead of "joint"
    2. In the description of Figure 3, "New metadata is also being created through the XYZ toolkit user interfaces (see bottom left of figure 2). " .  Here should be "see bottom left of Figure 3"
    3. after the Figure 3 "The deployment shown in figure 2 is only one of the options." Here should also be "Figure 3" instead of 2.
    4. Figure 3 is repeated twice. should be Figure 4
    5. in the description of options of configuration(A, B, C D), "B- this is the same pattern in Figure 2", here should also be "figure 3"

    1. Mandy Chessell

      Removed these figures as they are obsolete