Data Lineage Model using PowerDesigner

[Former Member]

Hello Experts

I am new to Power Designer and my task at my work place is to create Data Lineage Model using Power Designer. I was hoping if you can assist me to begin with

1. How can i create a Data Lineage Model using Power Designer?

2. Is there any document template to document the data flow?

Regards

[former_member307810]

Hi Praven,

just right click an object on the diagram for example. Select "Impact and lineage analysis" in the following dialog you may

choose "Generate Diagram"

In the data movment model, create a "transformation process" , right click that process and add a "transformation task" and close

the dialog.

By right clicking the "transformation process" and selecting open diagram, you may define the task by "ETL" tools.

Rgds, Andreas

[GeorgeMcGeachie]

Hello Praveen

You have a couple of choices - using the Mapping Editor to links source models to target models (which is straightforward), or creating a Data Movement Model (more complicated). If the you take the first option, you can move on to the second one later.

To help us help you, can you please outline what Data Lineage you need to capture. Do you, for example, want to map source data to a data warehouse?

[Former Member]

Hello George

Thanks. However the problem is there is not model available for Source and Target. In this case what would your thoughts.

I detail the task below.

On the Target DB, say there is a field called CUSTOMER.NAME. Need to find out what is the Source of the value and and what are all the Transformations it goes through. I for sure need to look into the Code.

Would you have any document template on how to capture these

Regards

[GeorgeMcGeachie]

You have some choices here:

• add a couple of extended attributes to columns in your PDM to hold the required data - you can easily import this from Excel if you want to
  • this does't give you traceability from object-to-object, just text
• reverse-engineer your source databases, and map them to your target PDM via the mapping editor or a data movement model
  • this gives you better traceability
  • if you can't reverse-engineer your databases, you could create simple PDMs using Excel import - if you can reverse-engineer them later, you can get the new model to 'take over' the mapping by merging carefully.
• create a data movement model, add your sources as flat files with columns, then link them to the columns in the target PDM
  • tricky to get right, but you don't need a PDM

[GeorgeMcGeachie]

By the way, do you have other tools that could help you? Depending on your environment, you might have tools such as Informatica Metadata Manager, Adaptive or Rochade available to you. They're all expensive, so perhaps you don't .

[Former Member]

Hi Geroge

Thank you so much. We have decided to go ahead with Data Movement Model. Can you point me to some useful documentation and videos on how to create a  .DMM. I read the online documentation in power designer, but was hoping if there any videos or guides on creating .dmm step by step as there are many tasks within the data movement model

[GeorgeMcGeachie]

There is a PowerDesigner channel on YouTube, though I don't know if there's anything there on the DMM.

There's a sample DMM provided with PD, which may help, though I don't think there's any documentation apart from the help file. Where in the world are you? I may be able to point you to someone who could provide more hand-on help.

[former_member1194361]

Praveen, I would highly recommend IMM if you are an Informatica shop and Informatica is used to write the ETL that moves data from Source to Target.

We have recently implemented it at our work and I cannot tell you how handy it is. Doing this in PowerDesigner is useless as you can never keep it in sync with what the code is actually doing. I have tried to atleast use PD to document this source to target information, as I build a data model for DW, but gave up on that. Erwin was very good in that respect. PD tries to maintain (and refresh) link to the source data model, everytime you open a target data model and if it does not fine it, then all the information you entered using Mapping editor is not available to view.

[Former Member]

Hi George

Thanks. I am in Toronto, Canada

[c_baker]

Praveen,

I am based out of the SAP Toronto office.  Drop me a line and I will try get you connected to someone here.

c.baker@sap.com

Chris