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euroCRIS Members Meeting

Tartu

Eddy Grąbczewski

May 2005

November 30, 2001 KM Workshop, SLE

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Brian Matthews

Eddy Grąbczewski

Worked in IT development/support for 15 years EU 3D MURALE project – Brunel University CCLRC – Data Management Team CCLRC – Corporate Data Model designer EU CISTRANA project (EU nationals) EU IST World project (SME) euroCRIS CERIF Task Group Leader Technical view of the CCLRC repository

November 30, 2001 KM Workshop, SLE

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Brian Matthews

Council for the Central Laboratory of the

Research Councils (CCLRC)

Multi-disciplinary research organisation supporting scientists and engineers worldwide

Operates world-class large-scale research facilities ISIS (neutron source) Lasers (sapphire and glass lasers) Main shareholder in Diamond Light Source (X-ray, UV

source) Provides strategic advice to the UK government Manages and participates in international

research projects

November 30, 2001 KM Workshop, SLE

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Brian Matthews

Where is CCLRC?

Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Oxfordshire

Daresbury Laboratory, Cheshire Chilbolton Observatory, Hampshire

November 30, 2001 KM Workshop, SLE

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Brian Matthews

CCLRC CDR Project

Corporate Data Repository (CDR) project: To address the poor database

integration affecting CCLRC business. Create a infrastructure for future

corporate systems: SSO, CRIS, Open Archive

November 30, 2001 KM Workshop, SLE

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Brian Matthews

CCLRC Database Systems

November 30, 2001 KM Workshop, SLE

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Brian Matthews

Typical questions

Why can’t I use my RAL security pass at DL? (security access)

Why is my Windows login not transparent across sites? (SSO)

Why are room booking services so disjointed across sites? (integration)

How many papers has a department produced this year?

Which EU projects to a member of staff work on?

November 30, 2001 KM Workshop, SLE

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Brian Matthews

Causes

Heterogeneous db’s storing similar data on different sites:

• CCLRC db’s are structurally different.• CCLRC db’s need to share data.

Heterogeneous db’s makes developing corporate applications more complex and expensive.

November 30, 2001 KM Workshop, SLE

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Brian Matthews

Possible Approaches

A single corporate db for all applications?• Complex, difficult to agree and hence develop.

A corporate global db and local db’s for all applications?

• probably the best compromise.

We need corporate applications that work transparently across sites as well as local applications.

• Web based applications using open interfaces.

November 30, 2001 KM Workshop, SLE

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Brian Matthews

Workflow = Business Processes

BusinessRepository

DatabaseManagement

Systems

Databases

RuleManagement

Systems

Rules

S1

S3

S2

S4

S5ProcessManagement

Systems

Processes

Process Application Rule Application Database Application

November 30, 2001 KM Workshop, SLE

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Brian Matthews

Corporate Data Repository (CDR)

We use the term “repository” to mean a common database to complement local databases.

The CDR contains the Corporate Data Model (CDM).

Implemented in Oracle but can be ported to PostgreSQL, MS SQL Server or Informix.

November 30, 2001 KM Workshop, SLE

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Brian Matthews

Corporate Data Model (CDM)

The CDM models:• People in and outside CCLRC.• Jobs, roles and permissions of People.• Organisation Units in and outside CCLRC.• Projects related to CCLRC.• Publications in and outside CCLRC.

Consolidate data from the existing site databases at RAL, DL and Chilbolton.

Based on euroCRIS CERIF standard.

November 30, 2001 KM Workshop, SLE

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Brian Matthews

CDR Features Ontology based (objects, entities) ANSI/SPARC architecture CERIF view Temporal database (VT, TT) Distributed architecture Naming subschema Support for hierarchies

November 30, 2001 KM Workshop, SLE

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Brian Matthews

Ontology Object at the top level Entity is a subtype of Object All relationships are types of entity

November 30, 2001 KM Workshop, SLE

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Brian Matthews

ANSI/SPARC Architecture

ANSI/X3/SPARC Architecture (1975)

November 30, 2001 KM Workshop, SLE

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Brian Matthews

CERIF (euroCRIS)

Common European Research Information Format

November 30, 2001 KM Workshop, SLE

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Brian Matthews

CDM (CCLRC)

November 30, 2001 KM Workshop, SLE

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Brian Matthews

CDM Subtypes

November 30, 2001 KM Workshop, SLE

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Brian Matthews

Organization Temporal Data

Most databases only store current facts.

What if we want to store historical facts?

For example: What was the organisation structure three

years ago? What was an employee’s name before she

married?

November 30, 2001 KM Workshop, SLE

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Brian Matthews

CDM Temporal Database

Stores Valid Time Stores Transaction Time Stores Last Update Time

November 30, 2001 KM Workshop, SLE

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Brian Matthews

CDM Distributed Architecture

CFDtbId = 3

DLDtbId = 2

CCLRC

RALDtbId = 1

November 30, 2001 KM Workshop, SLE

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Brian Matthews

Supports Many Data Models

November 30, 2001 KM Workshop, SLE

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Brian Matthews

Naming Subschema

Based on Pierce’s ontology: Sign Symbol Reference Icon Any entity may have multiple signs,

symbols, references or icons.

November 30, 2001 KM Workshop, SLE

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Brian Matthews

Support for hierarchies

Date (1986) proposed the EXPLODE operator for SQL to view the ‘Parts Explosion’ problem

CDM implements EXPLODE to traverse hierarchies and simple graphs eg. OrgUnit_OrgUnit.

CDM also implements Transitive Closure operators

November 30, 2001 KM Workshop, SLE

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Brian Matthews

Summary Multiple-purpose database infrastructure Ontology based (objects, entities) ANSI/SPARC architecture CERIF view Temporal database (VT, TT) Distributed architecture Multiple Names for any object or entity Support for hierarchies Architecture extended for CISTRANA and IST

World (programme, language & keyword support)