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DAREF: MDA framework for modelling data warehouse requirements and deducing the multidimensional schema

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Abstract

Nowadays, the growing importance of modelling in software engineering is without a doubt reinforced by the blossoming of model-driven architecture (MDA). In this trend, MDA could be considered the most convenient approach to integrate the modelling process in data warehousing projects. On the other hand, decision-makers are usually unable to express their business needs in a concise way that allows getting a valid data warehouse (DW), mainly due to the lack of standard methodologies and tools devoted to supporting this situation. This fact might expand the gap between the business world and the IT world and causes troublesome difficulties to interpret and model DW requirements. Moreover, applying MDA for this kind of project requires using new tools to avoid this drawback. In this paper, we provide an MDA framework to design DW requirements and generate afterwards the multidimensional schema. The framework is based on UML profiles and presents to decision-makers a graphical tool for modelling their strategic visions in order to build the system-to-be. Besides, the proposal allows for dealing with data historization and metadata in the generated multidimensional model to perform properly the extract transform load process.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. LIM Laboratory-Advanced Smart Systems, Department of Computer Science, Faculty of Sciences and Techniques of Mohammedia, University Hassan 2, Casablanca, Morocco

    Omar El Beggar, Khadija Letrache & Mohammed Ramdani

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  1. Omar El Beggar
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  2. Khadija Letrache
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  3. Mohammed Ramdani
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Correspondence to Omar El Beggar.

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El Beggar, O., Letrache, K. & Ramdani, M. DAREF: MDA framework for modelling data warehouse requirements and deducing the multidimensional schema. Requirements Eng 26, 143–165 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00766-020-00339-9

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