Title: Dynamic data integration: a service-based broker approach

Authors: Fujun Zhu, Mark Turner, Ioannis Kotsiopoulos, Keith Bennett, Michelle Russell, David Budgen, Pearl Brereton, John Keane, Paul Layzell, Michael Rigby, Jie Xu

Addresses: School of Computing Science, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU, UK. ' Department of Computer Science, Keele University, Staffordshire ST5 5BG, UK. ' School of Informatics, University of Manchester, Manchester M60 1QD, UK. ' School of Engineering, University of Durham, Durham DH1 3LE, UK. ' Centre for Health Planning and Management, Keele University, Staffordshire ST5 5BG, UK. ' Department of Computer Science, Keele University, Staffordshire ST5 5BG, UK. ' Department of Computer Science, Keele University, Staffordshire ST5 5BG, UK. ' School of Informatics, University of Manchester, Manchester M60 1QD, UK. ' School of Informatics, University of Manchester, Manchester M60 1QD, UK. ' Centre for Health Planning and Management, Keele University, Staffordshire ST5 5BG, UK. ' School of Computing,University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK

Abstract: We address the problem of large-scale data integration, where the data sources are unknown at design time, are from autonomous organisations and may evolve. Experiments are described involving a demonstrator system in the field of health services data integration within the UK. Current web services technology has been used extensively and largely successfully in these distributed prototype systems. This paper shows that web services provide a good infrastructure layer, but integration demands a high-level |broker| architectural layer. The first version of the demonstrator is mostly based on static linking. Lessons from this are extracted, and used to design and implement the current version, in which a more dynamic broker-based integration using service-oriented architecture, late binding and domain ontology is described.

Keywords: data integration; service-based software; web services; service-oriented architecture; change management; semantics; health services data; UK; United Kingdom; healthcare information; broker-based integration; ontology; business process integration.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBPIM.2006.010903

International Journal of Business Process Integration and Management, 2006 Vol.1 No.3, pp.175 - 191

Published online: 16 Sep 2006 *

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