PowerCenter Data Federation Option

Responding to Business Demands Faster with Flexible, Right-Time Data Integration

The Data Federation Option extends and complements PowerCenter’s physical enterprise data integration capabilities to include virtual data integration, or Enterprise Information Integration (EII) capabilities, for delivering more holistic information. Data federation or EII enables virtual data integration through federated access of data from heterogeneous sources for use in scenarios like operational business intelligence. Data federation enables source systems to be accessed directly to deliver the most up-to-date, current data in the operational systems.

The Data Federation Option optimally combines physical and virtual data integration to provide IT organizations with the most flexibility in terms of the data integration approach they choose to use. In turn, the Data Federation Option helps IT organizations support broader data integration needs like data synchronization, master data management, and operational business intelligence by being able to access their critical information assets through the different levels of latency, as business needs dictate.

In combination with PowerCenter’s powerful physical data integration capabilities, the Data Federation Option provides a unique, blended data integration approach, where data sources can be easily accessed as needed, be it scheduled, on-demand or real-time, and delivered in the form needed by users and client systems. With a single platform that can seamlessly address both approaches, IT organizations can customize their data integration architecture for delivering holistic data, quickly, easily, and cost-effectively, based on business needs.

Key Features

On-Demand, Federated Access to Multiple, Disparate Data Sources

• Enables on-demand access to rapidly changing live data from operational systems with zero-latency
• Extends data access capabilities to a broader range of client applications via standards-based communication protocols, such as ODBC, JDBC, Web Services, and SQL
• Delivers the most up-to-date, current data on demand, by rapidly creating virtual data views without having to physically move the data
• Provides a more complete view across disparate systems, as compared to stand-alone virtual or physical data integration solutions
• Seamlessly extends existing data warehouse or data store architectures with federated access to new data sources

Complementary Physical and Virtual Integration Modes

• Combines real-time, “on the fly” data with historical, cleansed data on a single data integration platform
• Enables rapid virtual prototyping of data warehouses and data stores early in the development cycle to speed deployment and ensure business buy-in and usage
• Allows a single view of the customer to be created by combining historical information from a data warehouse with up-to-the-minute operational data
• Creates a virtual data access layer to enable transparent migration of underlying data sources or applications

Advanced Performance Design

• Reduces cost and risk by minimizing load on core business operational systems with flexible caching capabilities
• Delivers fast response and high performance via a robust and sophisticated query optimization
• Enhances flexibility to scale by allowing smooth transition between data federation and physical data movement

Platform and Database Neutrality

• Interoperates with most major relational databases and operating systems
• Operates independently of any specific RDBMS engine implementation

Benefits

Accelerates Development by Right-Time Delivery of High-Quality Data in the Right Format
Organizations can now directly access data spread across multiple sources and create federated views “on the fly” without needing to first physically move the data into a central repository. The option provides easy access to all data sources on demand and fast delivery of data in the form needed by users and client systems. This option supports incremental development by prototyping followed by validation and implementation. It helps organizations meet changing business needs and rapidly respond to new business requirements for accessing and integrating operational and analytical data.

Increases Agility and Flexibility by Improving Alignment Between IT and the Business
With a choice between physical and virtual data integration modes, organizations can optimize their data architecture and IT infrastructure by blending integration modes to suit specific business and technical needs. With this option, PowerCenter also supports a service-oriented architecture (SOA) with a complete set of data integration services, standards-based connectivity, and a metadata-driven architecture—maximizing the reuse of data resources and helping IT organizations increase agility and reduce development costs.

Scales Cost-Effectively and Protects Systems from Disruption
This option's advanced performance design—with flexible caching for query results—protects operational systems from becoming overburdened by frequent data access, thereby minimizing the risk of costly disruptions to core business operations. Combining both virtual and physical data integration modes allows IT organizations to start with data federation and transition smoothly to physical data movement.

Product Literature

Data Federation Option Datasheet
PowerCenter Brochure