The Role of Schema Matching in Large Enterprises

Authors: 
Smith, K; Mork, P; Seligman, L; Rosenthal, A; M Morse, C ..
Author: 
Smith, K
Mork, P
Seligman, L
Rosenthal, A
Morse, M.
Wolf, C.
Year: 
2009
Venue: 
Proc. CIDR Conf.
URL: 
http://arxiv.org/pdf/0909.1771
Citations: 
29
Citations range: 
10 - 49

To date, the principal use case for schema matching research has
been as a precursor for code generation, i.e., constructing
mappings between schema elements with the end goal of data
transfer. In this paper, we argue that schema matching plays
valuable roles independent of mapping construction, especially as
schemata grow to industrial scales. Specifically, in large
enterprises human decision makers and planners are often the
immediate consumer of information derived from schema
matchers, instead of schema mapping tools. We list a set of real
application areas illustrating this role for schema matching, and
then present our experiences tackling a customer problem in one
of these areas. We describe the matcher used, where the tool was
effective, where it fell short, and our lessons learned about how
well current schema matching technology is suited for use in large
enterprises. Finally, we suggest a new agenda for schema
matching research based on these experiences.