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Intake Mart Designer

Intelligent metadata mapping and standardization is the heart of the Clearpath solution.

Intake Mart Designer answers one of the biggest challenges organizations face when implementing a data warehouse: the time it takes to manually extract data from source systems, bring it into the warehouse, and map it to data marts for downstream use in advanced applications.

The problem with manual ETL maintenance​

Many enterprise data warehousing ETL models contain no metadata, making it difficult (if not impossible) for a data analyst to know where tables and columns originated in the source system. Worse, when new data sources are added to the warehouse or analytic use cases mature, source system data must be conformed and mapped again.

Metadata mapping at full speed​

Intake Mart Designer mobilizes Clearpath's metadata-driven ETL engine to automate that time-consuming, labor-intensive chore.

Metadata in memory​

Metadata, captured for every field, creates mappings between the tables and columns in each source system and their destination intake marts. Intake Mart Designer captures that metadata in a single, comprehensive repository.

Metadata in movement​

Intake Mart Designer drives the ETL process entirely by metadata. Based on source system characteristics and supplemented with a few simple, Clearpath-supplied ETL scripts, a customized, configurable ETL process is created for each source system table.

Metadata flow: collect, map, and storeA three-step flow: collect source system metadata (automated), map it into the Clearpath architecture (semi-automated), and store the metadata (automated). An arrow leads from the third step into the Clearpath Metadata Repository.Collect sourcesystem metadataAutomatedMap into ClearpatharchitectureSemi-automatedStore metadataAutomatedClearpath MetadataRepository

Making metadata meaningful​

Once metadata is mapped, Clearpath experts use their extensive knowledge of the source system, supplemented by the knowledge base in Intake Mart Designer, to change all the cryptic source system names into ones reflecting the way humans think.

All of that data goes into the metadata repository so users can search and browse it in Compass, Clearpath's metadata management tool.

Hands-off maintenance​

Rather than relying on a SQL import/export utility or an ETL tool to move data, data architects simply decide how to set up their columns. Data loads during the nightly ETL process.

Benefits include:

  • Automated upload of common source system fields, schemas, data types, columns, and more
  • Modifiable column name suggestions
  • Ability to determine if a data load is full or incremental based on both the volume of data and speed requirements
  • Consistent naming taxonomy guidelines for review and confirmation

Interface​

Field-mapping grid for the Person source tableA field-mapping interface. A toolbar offers New source, Connections, Compare, Document, Spell check, and Advanced actions. Below, a grid maps the Person table's columns - PersonID, AddressLine1, City, StateProvinceID, PostalCode, and ModifiedDate - from their source column and type to a destination column and type, with a Null indicator and a sensitivity badge (None or PII) for each row.ClearpathData acquisition › Intake Mart DesignerNew sourceConnectionsCompareDocumentSpell checkAdvancedPerson6 columnsSource columnSource typeDestination columnDestination typeNull?SensitivityPersonIDintPersonIDnumeric(38,0)NoneAddressLine1varchar(60)AddressLine1varchar(60)PIICityvarchar(30)Cityvarchar(30)NoneStateProvinceIDintStateProvinceIDnumeric(38,0)NonePostalCodevarchar(15)PostalCodevarchar(15)NoneModifiedDatedatetimeModifiedDatedatetimeNone
Intake Mart Designer's easy-to-use interface helps data analysts maintain enterprise-wide consistency.

Licensing​

Standard​

Maintain intake marts purchased from Clearpath.

Professional​

Design and deploy intake marts not purchased from Clearpath.

Success story: from data managers to data analysts

Meridian Health System

Meridian Health System tasked its information systems (IS) department with increasing the value decision-makers get from the health system's data, and doing it with fewer resources.

Using Intake Mart Designer, the IS team automated a rapid integration of source system data into the data warehouse, empowering them to rapidly design, develop, and deploy intake marts 75 percent faster.

With the days of time-consuming manual ETL maintenance behind them, IS staff spend less time managing data and more time putting their analytical skills to work driving clinical quality improvement.