Re: Access to heterogeneous data sources - XML

[Quoted] Mark Bole <makbo_at_pacbell.net> wrote in message news:<9X03c.7348$gd2.4732_at_newssvr27.news.prodigy.com>...
> Andrea M. Segovia wrote:
> > Hello, everyone:
> >
> > We have a Oracle 3 tier application (using Oracle iAs to a back-end
> > Oracle database on an Tru64 UNIX server) which also incorporates
> > custom written analysis and mapping tools for fisheries-related data.
> >
> > There is interest in broadening the scope of this application to also
> > gather data from other data sources. The problem is that the other
> > data sources are not Oracle databases (some are MS-SQL Server, others
> > are MS-Access databases). Moving data to an Oracle format is not a
> > possibility, as some of these data sources are out of our
> > organization's control. To complicate matters even further, some of
> > the data sources are not local (ie. in remote locations in either
> > internal or external networks from one end of the country to another).
> >
> > Is XML a possibility for this? What XML functionality is available
> > through Oracle, MS-SQL server? How would I do this using XML?
> >
> > Regards,
> > Andrea
>
> Oracle 9i includes XML DB, as well as a number of utilities for parsing
> and writing XML files.
>
> With a free, one-time resgistration to OTN (Oracle Technology Network)
> go to the following link and look for books start with "XML" for
> documentation on the former. Also look inside the "Supplied PL/SQL
> Packages" book for procedures starting with "DBMS_XML" for documentation
> on the latter.
>
> http://download-west.oracle.com/docs/cd/B10501_01/nav/docindex.htm?remark=homepage
>
> If you can get the data exported from the other sources in XML, you
> should be able to import it one way or another into your Oracle backend,
> using Oracle-supplied tools. My guess is this will involve a joint
> design and programming effort between your team and the owners of the
> external data.
>
> --Mark Bole

[Quoted] Does this solution support real-time access through the Oracle database to other databases with XML support? Since you speak of "exporting" the data, I am thinking you mean the traditional export and import of data into the database.

Unfortunately, what I am looking for is real-time access through the Oracle database to the external data sources, that for all intents and purposes looks like the data resides locally.

I have looked at a couple of ODBC-type solutions, as well, but these solutions often require software agents/servers on either side of the connection which are vendor specific. I was trying to come up with a "cleaner" solution that we could aim towards.....I believe that these types of problems will keep cropping up in the future.

Thanks for the input,
Andrea Received on Tue Mar 09 2004 - 14:31:20 CET