Oracle Data Integrator

Topology Concepts

ODI Topology

Goal :

1. Understand basic concepts behind

topology.
2. Understand Logical and Physical
Architecture.
3. Plan the topology.
4. A Example.

ODI Topology

Topology Overview: Contents, Logical and Physical architecture, Contexts

What is a topology ?
1. Representation of Information system in ODI.
2. ODI uses the topology in order to connect to resources in the IS for integration
processes
The topology in Oracle Data Integrator is a complete representation of your information system. It includes everything from
data servers and schemas to reserved keywords in languages used by different technologies. Oracle Data Integrator uses this
topology to access resources available in the information system in order to carry out integration tasks.

What is in the topology ?

1. Technologies : DB2, File, Oracle and so on. (Data Servers, Schemas)
2. Agents, Contexts , Languages and Actions.
All the available technologies are defined here. For each technology, the available data types are defined. You rarely, if ever,
need to modify these. However, you define all the data servers that use that technology in your information system. For each
data server, you then define the subdivisions, which are known in Oracle Data Integrator as schemas.
Next, you must define the agents which actually carry out integration tasks at run time.
You also set up contexts, which allow you to define an integration process at an abstract level, then link it to physical data
servers where it will be performed.
Lastly, languages and actions are also found in the topology. Languages specify which keywords exist for each technology, and
actions are used for generating DDL scripts. You would only need to modify these parts of the topology if you were adding a
new technology to Oracle Data Integrator.

ODI Topology

Data Servers :
What is a Data Server ?
1.
2.
3.
4.

Any system capable of storing data and making it available in form of tables.
It is always attached to a specific technology.
ODI connects to Data Server using JDBC or JNDI.
Examples of Data server File server, Microsoft Excel, Oracle instance, SQL server.

The definition of a data server in Oracle Data Integrator is fairly broad. It does not have to be a real DBMS in the
traditional sense. Instead, any system which is capable of storing data, then making that data available in table form is a
potential data server in Oracle Data Integrator. In the Oracle Data Integrator topology, a data server is always attached
to a specific technology, such as Oracle, Sybase, XML, or Microsoft Access.
There are two ways of connecting a data server to Oracle Data Integrator. Most often, Java Database Connectivity, or
JDBC is used. JDBC drivers exist for a very wide range of technologies. However, you can also use Java Naming and
Directory Interface (JNDI) to connect to your data server via a directory service.
Some concrete examples of data servers may be helpful.
Each instance of a traditional database engine such as Oracle or Microsoft SQL Server is a data server. Thus if you have
two instances running on the same machine, Oracle Data Integrator considers them to be separate data servers.
A Microsoft Access database is also a data server, which, as we shall see, supports only a single schema.
Moving further away from the traditional notion of a data server, Microsoft Excel files and file servers also function as
data servers. They are both capable of storing data and presenting it in the form of tables.
Lastly, Oracle Data Integrator MQ routers can function as data servers, delivering messages as information in table
form.

ODI Topology

Physical Schemas:
What is a Physical Schema ?
1. Technology dependent sub-division of a data server.
2. Datastores on a data server are located in a physical schema.

The next term to understand is a physical schema. This is a sub-division of a data server whose precise definition
depends on the technology involved. Physical schemas indicate the physical location of the datastores such as tables,
files, topics, and queues inside a data server. The names of physical schemas are used to prefix object names when
generating code to produce their qualified names.
All the physical schemas that need to be accessed have to be defined under their corresponding data server.
We will now see some examples of how this works on different technologies.

ODI Topology

Physical Schemas:
Properties of Physical Schemas.
1. An ODI physical schema always consists of 2 data server schemas.
1. The data schema, which contains the datastores.
2. The Work schema, which stores temporary objects.
2. A data server schema is technology dependent
3. A data server has
1. One or more physical schemas
2. One default physical schema for several-level temporary objects.
An Oracle Data Integrator physical schema is actually always composed of two separate data server schemas. First, the
data schema is where the datastores for that physical schema are located. Second is the work schema, which is used by
Oracle Data Integrator to store temporary objects during integration processing. Several physical schemas can share the
same work schema.
A data server schema in a data server is uniquely identified, depending on the technology, by a catalog name or a
schema name, or both. The terms for the catalog name and the schema name differ depending on the technology.
For example, in Microsoft SQL Server, the catalog is called Database, and the schema is called the Owner.
In Oracle, there is no catalog, and a schema is called a schema or User. We will see some other examples later on.
Lastly, while a data server can have several physical schemas, it always has one default physical schema. This is used
to select a work schema to store server-level temporary objects during certain integration processes.

ODI Topology

Logical Schemas :
What is a Logical Schema ?
1. A single alias for several different Physical schemas that have very similar data
structures based on the same technology, but in different contexts.
The essential concept to understand in the logical architecture is the logical schema. A logical schema is a single alias
for several different physical schemas. These schemas should have very similar or identical data structures, and must be
based on the same technology. The logical schema thus brings together different physical schemas representing the
same kind of data in different contexts.

Logical Versus Physical:

Physical Architecture
1. Defines Physical resources.
2. Describes the real locations of servers and schemas.
Logical Architecture
1. Abstract view of resources.

ODI Topology

Contexts :
What is a Context ?
1. Maps logical resources onto their implementations as physical resources
2. In a given context one logical resource is mapped to one unique physical resource.
3. Example Development1, Development3, Production, Test
From a technical perspective, a context maps individual logical resources onto individual physical resources. So, given
a context and a logical resource, Oracle Data Integrator can determine the unique physical resource that is appropriate.
It can also represent situations for different purposes, such as development, test, or production sites.

ODI Topology

Agents :
What is a Agent ?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

A Run-time component of ODI which orchestrates the integration process.

Can start execution on demand or on schedule
Can be installed on any machine
They send generated code to be executed by the data servers
The Agents update the execution log
Physical agents must also be abstracted as logical agents

An Agent is a special Oracle Data Integrator component that runs behind the scenes. It orchestrates the integration
process by sending commands to data servers, the operating system or other technologies.
You should think of agents as being light-weight components which are needed at run time.
One type of agent can execute objects on demand. Another type can be made to schedule sessions in advance.
You can install an agent on any machine with network access. This is worth bearing in mind when planning your
deployment strategy.
You can think of the agent as orchestrating the whole process of integration. It carries out data transformations by
sending generated code to the relevant technologies. This could mean sending SQL statements to a data server, shell
commands to the operating system, or even SMTP commands to an email server.
Like data servers, agents are a part of your topology. Physical agents in the topology correspond to the agents that will
be running at run-time. However, you must also define logical agents, which are mapped onto physical agents through
contexts.

ODI Topology

Planning the Topology :

1. Identify the Physical Architecture
All Data servers
All Physical schemas
Required Physical Agent
2. Identify the Contexts
3. Define Logical Architecture
Name the Logical Schemas
Name the Logical Agents
4. On Paper write out a matrix of Logical/Physical Mappings
This matrix help you plan your topology
To plan out your topology, first identify the physical architecture that you have in place. All physical data servers and
schemas need to be defined in Oracle Data Integrator. Similarly, think about which agents you will need, and on which
machines they will be located.
Next, identify the different contexts you have. Do this by looking for similar data schemas and agents in different
situations.
Now you can start to give names to those similarities to create a logical architecture. Give a name to each logical
schema and logical agent.
For the last step, we recommend that you use pen and paper. Write out a matrix of the mappings from your logical
architecture to your physical architecture. This will help you to plan out your topology.

ODI Topology

Lets Take a example :

ODI Topology

Summary

1.

Overview of Topology.

2.

Data servers and Physical Schemas.

3. Logical Schemas and Contexts.

4. Physical and Logical Agents.
5. Defining your Topology.
6. A Example.

ODI Topology