DATA INTEGRATION METHODOLOGY FOR AN OFFICE ENVIRONMENT

The typical requirements for integrating disparate relational database systems residing at personal workstations in an office environment are examined and a concise system architecture is proposed. The architecture is based on a set of logical front-end interfaces that facilitate a loose coupling of the databases. These logical extensions provide for effective interconnection of the individual database management systems, and guarantee a uniform and integrated access to remote databases in the network. General directions are given on how to achieve logical schema integration in terms of a global schema which unifies schema information dispersed across the databases in the network. The proposed system is oriented towards databases requiring moderate resources which makes schema integration cost effective. Personal or small group databases in an office environment are likely to benefit most from the proposed approach.