Common warehouse metamodel

Common Warehouse Metamodel

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Other names
Original author(s)
Developer(s)	Object Management Group
Initial release
Repository	{{URL|example.com|optional display text}}
Written in	UML
Middleware
Engine

The Common Warehouse Metamodel (CWM) is a specification developed by the Object Management Group (OMG) that provides a standard for modeling metadata in data warehousing and business intelligence environments. CWM is designed to enable the interchange of metadata between different data warehousing tools, repositories, and applications, facilitating interoperability and integration across diverse systems.

Overview

CWM is based on the Unified Modeling Language (UML) and the Meta-Object Facility (MOF), which are also standards maintained by the OMG. The CWM specification defines a set of models that describe various aspects of data warehousing, including data sources, data transformations, data storage, and data analysis.

The primary goal of CWM is to provide a common framework for metadata interchange, which is crucial for the integration of heterogeneous data warehousing environments. By using CWM, organizations can ensure that their metadata is consistent and can be shared across different tools and platforms.

Components of CWM

CWM consists of several key components:

• Core Models: These models define the basic concepts and relationships used throughout CWM, such as classes, attributes, and associations.

• Data Resource Models: These models describe the structure and semantics of data sources, including databases, files, and other data repositories.

• Data Transformation Models: These models specify how data is transformed from one form to another, including extraction, transformation, and loading (ETL) processes.

• Data Storage Models: These models define how data is stored in a data warehouse, including schemas, tables, and indexes.

• Data Analysis Models: These models describe how data is analyzed and reported, including OLAP (Online Analytical Processing) and data mining.

Benefits of CWM

The adoption of CWM offers several benefits:

• Interoperability: CWM provides a standard way to represent metadata, enabling different tools and applications to work together seamlessly.

• Consistency: By using a common metamodel, organizations can ensure that their metadata is consistent across different systems.

• Integration: CWM facilitates the integration of data from multiple sources, allowing for more comprehensive data analysis and reporting.

• Vendor Neutrality: As an open standard, CWM is not tied to any specific vendor, providing flexibility and choice for organizations.

History

CWM was first introduced by the OMG in 2000, with the latest version, CWM 1.1, released in 2003. It was developed in response to the growing need for a standardized approach to metadata management in data warehousing environments.

Also see

• Data warehousing
• Metadata
• Unified Modeling Language
• Meta-Object Facility
• Object Management Group