RODIN Data Asset Management

Infobox_Software
name = RODIN Data Asset Management


caption =
developer = Coglin Mill
latest_release_version = 5.05
latest_release_date = May 15, 2008
operating_system = IBM i5/OS
genre = Software
website = [http://www.thinkrodin.com thinkrodin.com]

RODIN Data Asset Management (RODIN) is a software application that facilitates the development and deployment of data warehouse and data mart environments on the IBM System i platform (previously known as iSeries and AS/400). Named after the French sculptor, RODIN is developed by an Australian software company, Coglin Mill, and is distributed worldwide.

History

RODIN Release 1 was delivered in 1996 as the first available data warehouse tool for the AS/400 platform.

The latest version, Release 5.05 was delivered in May 2008.

Architecture

RODIN is a client-server application. The server component runs natively on system i, and the client, which runs under Microsoft Windows is a Java application. The server code provides support for the development client, and also provides the run-time deployment environment.

Functionality

Manage Tables and Indexes

RODIN removes the user from the need to use DDS or DDL to create data warehouse and/or data mart tables and indexes. Column ("data element") and table ("data set") definitions may be defined manually, or reverse engineered from existing tables. Data elements, once defined may be reused any number of times in different tables without needing to redefine their attributes. The available data elements effectively become a data dictionary, which both simplifies further development and ensures consistency. The user works in a GUI based editor to design data sets, simply dragging and dropping data element definitions onto a canvas to create a table. Once created, tables may be changed as needed, in which case RODIN will automatically retain and convert any data in the table. Any number of indexes may be defined over a data set table.

ETL (Extract, Transform and Load)

RODIN uses a visual editor to design ETL processes to load the data warehouse and data mart tables. Data sources for ETL may be local DB2 tables, remote DB2 tables (any platform), Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft Access, Oracle, Informix, MySql or Sybase tables, as well as flat files. A single ETL process may target one or many data set tables, supporting automatic insert or update of existing rows as applicable. Extensive transformation capabilities and a business rule editor provide support for most requirements. User exits are also supported for further extensibility. Data errors may be detected automatically (failed joins, invalid dates etc) or based on user-defined business rules. Rejected data is placed in a suspense table and an error report is generated. Audit trails, including row counts, hash totals and performance criteria are also generated automatically.

Change Data Capture

Change Data Capture servers may be defined to capture inserts, updates and deletes from journals images (both local and remote journals). The capture is performed in real-time, with a separate apply step available to present the captured data into the ETL process.

Metadata

RODIN functionality is centered around a Metadata repository. Tables, indexes and ETL processes are generated from the metadata layer. Unlimited free-form text may be entered at any level, allowing developers to fully document all entities and processes. Cross-reference information (e.g. where used) and impact analysis tools are also provided. The metadata may be accessed via a browser or exported in XMI format to other compliant tools.

Change Management

RODIN has built-in change management and version support.

Environment Support

Many instances of the RODIN software may be installed on a single server, allowing for development, test and production environments. Definitions may be exported from one environment and imported into another.

ecurity

RODIN is integrated with System i security and is highly configurable. Each environment may have a different security setup.

External links

* [http://www.thinkrodin.com RODIN website]