Patent ID: 7257594

Claim:
A method of data integration with respect to data stores in native repositories, the method implemented in conjunction with a data integration application coupled for data communications through a multiplicity of adapters to a multiplicity of native repositories, the native repositories comprising native records having formats having datatypes supported by the native repositories, the method comprising the steps of: extracting through a first adapter from a first native repository a first native record having a first native format, the first native format belonging to a category of formats identified as a first datatype; transforming, through the first adapter, the first native record having a first native format to a first native record having dynamic common format; transforming, through a second adapter, the first native record having dynamic common format to a first native record having second native format, the second native format belonging to a category of formats identified as the first datatype; and inserting, through the second adapter, the first native record having a second native format into a second native repository; wherein the first adapter and the second adapter each are loosely coupled for data integration to the data integration application; wherein dynamic common format comprises a subset of a dynamic common model, the dynamic common model comprising mappings specifying transformations to and from dynamic common formats for all native records having all datatypes supported in all native repositories coupled through adapters to the data integration application; finding in a catalog, in dependence upon search parameters, catalog records having identifying attributes that match the search parameters, wherein the identifying attributes for each catalog record include a catalog key for each catalog record, wherein the catalog comprises identifying attributes and proxy data for all native records in a multiplicity of native repositories, wherein the multiplicity of native repositories comprises the first native repository, and wherein at least one found catalog record contains identifying attributes that identify the first native record; marking for extraction the identifying attributes of the at least one found catalog record containing identifying attributes that identify the first native record; posting from the marked identifying attributes a catalog key to a transfer cart in the data integration application; and extracting, in dependence upon the posted catalog key, from the catalog through a catalog adapter proxy data for the first native record, wherein the proxy data comprises data representing the location of the first native record in the first native repository; wherein extracting a first native record from a first native repository further comprises reading, in dependence upon the proxy data, though the first adapter, from the first native repository, the first native record having a first native format.