BPMN patterns for ETL conceptual modelling and validation

Abstract

ETL systems continue to suffer from a lack of a simple and rigorous approach for modelling and validation of populating processes for data ware- houses. In spite of the efforts that researchers have been done, there is not yet a convinced and simply approach for modelling (conceptual and logical views), validating and testing ETL processes before conduct them to implementation and roll out. In this paper we explored the use of BPMN for ETL conceptual modelling and validation. Basically, we intended to provide a set of BPMN me- ta-models (patterns) especially designed to map standard data warehousing ETL processes and testing them before constructing the final system. We think this is a practical approach to reduce significantly the inadequacy of an ETL system in its real world scenario. A surrogate key pipelining process was selected as a case study to demonstrate the use and utility of the ETL modelling approach presented here.