Transforming Data Link: An In-Depth Look at IntaLink

Hidden Gem, Yuantuo Data Intelligence

September 25, 2024, 2:09 PM, Tianjin

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1. The purpose of IntaLink

In one sentence: The goal of IntaLink is to realize automatic data linking in the field of data integration.

Let’s break down this definition:

• The application scenario of IntaLink is for data integration. The simplest case is linking multiple data tables within the same system; the more complex case is linking data from heterogeneous sources.
• Data integration applications require establishing relationships between tables.
• The data to be integrated must be able to form linkable relationships.

If the above conditions are met, the purpose of IntaLink is: Given the user-specified data tables and data items, IntaLink will provide the available data link routes.

2. The role of IntaLink

Let’s explain the problem IntaLink solves using a specific scenario. This example is complex and requires careful consideration to understand the data relationships, which highlights the value of IntaLink.

Scenario:

A university has different departments. Each department is identified by an abbreviation and the table is defined as T_A. Example data:

Each department has multiple classes and each class has a unique ID based on the year of enrollment and a class number. This table is T_B. Example data:

Each class has students and each student has a unique ID. This table is T_C. Example data:

The university offers various courses. Each course has a course code, maximum score and credits. This table is T_D. Example data:

Different departments have different passing scores for the same subject. This table is T_E. Example data:

Different semesters offer different courses, and students have scores for each course. This table is T_F. Example data:

Based on this scenario, the requirement is to list each student’s courses for the 2023_1 semester, indicating their score and the score obtained. The result may look like this:

The critical challenge lies in determining which tables to join and ensuring that the relationships between tables are interpreted correctly. For example, a student is not directly linked to a department but to a class, and the class belongs to a department.

3. Problems solved by IntaLink

You might think that this is just a basic multi-table data joining application that can be easily accomplished with SQL queries. However, the real challenge is identifying which tables to use, especially when the system consists of numerous tables and fields in different applications.

For example, imagine a university with dozens of application systems, each containing countless tables. A non-IT staff requesting data may not know which table contains the required data. IntaLink automatically generates the necessary links between the data tables, reducing the complexity of data analysis and saving significant development time.

Conclusion

IntaLink solves the following key challenges:

• You don’t need to understand the underlying business logic; you just need to focus on the purpose of the data integration.
• You don’t have to manually identify which tables you want to link; IntaLink determines the relationships.
• Significantly reduces the time spent on data analysis and development, improving efficiency by more than tenfold.

Join the IntaLink community!

We want you to be part of the IntaLink journey! Join us and contribute to our project:

🔗 GitHub repository: IntaLink

💬 Join our Discord community

Be part of the open source revolution and help us shape the future of intelligent data integration!

For business questions: 400-9900-579