An object-oriented multi-mediator browser

The area of data integration has gained increased popularity in recent years. A data browser is described for a data integration system where an intermediate layer of distributed mediators is used to query and integrate data from heterogeneous data sources. The data sources can be regular relational databases but also other data producing programs. They often have complex data representations and are often object oriented (OO). The mediator database layer is therefore also object oriented for a high abstraction level. An OO query interface is used to access the mediator layer from application programs and users. For a scalable and component based architecture, the mediators can be used as servers for other mediators. This leads to a distributed mediator architecture where mediator servers interact with other mediators and data sources. The OO multi-mediator browser GOOVI is presented, which enables maintenance of such distributed mediator databases. With GOOVI, all autonomous mediators in a federation can be viewed, queried, and updated. This multi-mediator browser also provides user interfaces for integrating data through OO views. The paper describes the architecture and functionality of GOOVI.