Channelling Without a Project File

If your source data has been prepared properly, it is possible to build your target database using SNU on the command line without a project file (i.e. without using the SuperCHANNEL GUI to design your database).

Channelling without a project file is only possible when the source database and the driver support primary keys and primary/foreign key relationships (most JDBC drivers and relational databases do support these relationships).

One example of a source that does not support primary keys is the ODBC driver for Microsoft Access. It is therefore not possible to completely bypass the SuperCHANNEL GUI when channelling source data from Microsoft Access.

Step 1 - Create Table Joins

In order to build your SuperSTAR database without a project file, your source database must have all the necessary primary and foreign keys defined, as well as the table joins.

Instead of creating the references in the SuperCHANNEL GUI, you need to create them in your source database:

Create primary keys for your fact and classification tables.
Create foreign key relationships between fact table columns and their classification tables.
If you have multiple fact tables, create primary/foreign key relationships between the fact tables.
If you have hierarchical data, create primary/foreign key relationships between the classification tables that contain the hierarchies.

Step 2 - Create Registry Tables

You need to create a full set of SuperCHANNEL registry tables in your source database. These tables must completely define the structure of your target database, including:

Which tables are fact tables and which are classification tables.
Which columns in classification tables contain the code and the name.
Which fact table columns are measures.
The labels (display names) for tables and columns.
Which measure or count to use as the default summation.
How to group fields when displaying the field list in the SuperSTAR clients.
What cleansing actions to use during the build.

Step 3 - Build the Target Database

When you are ready to build the target database, you can run the build on the command line.

See Command Line Options for more details on the available command line options. At a minimum your command line will need to include:

The connection strings for the source and target (-source and -target).
The -su and -sp parameters if the source database requires a login.

For example:

TEXT

 snu -source:"jdbc:mysql://localhost/RetailBanking" -su:databaseuser -sp -target:"jdbc:sxv4:D:\Databases\RetailBanking"  -create -insert