Informatica - Architecture

Informatica provides following components

1. PowerCenter Repository
2. PowerCenter Repository Server
3. PowerCenter Client
4. PowerCenter Server

PowerCenter Repository : It maintains the metadata. Set of tables are created within repository database to maintain the Informatica metadata. PowerCenter client and server access the repository to access metadata.

PowerCenter Repository Server: It manages connections to the repository from client applications.

PowerCenter Client: This is used to maintain the powercenter objects such as Source, Targets, mappings etc. It has following client tools

• Designer : To create mappings that contain transformation instructions for the PowerCenter Server.
• Workflow manager: To create, schedule, and run workflows. A workflow is a set of instructions that describes how and when to run tasks related to extracting, transforming, and loading data.
• Repository Manager: To administer the metadata repository. You can create repository users and groups, assign privileges and permissions, and manage folders and locks.
• Repository Administrator Admin Console: To administer the Repository Servers and repositories
• Workflow Monitor: To monitor scheduled and running workflows for each PowerCenter Server.

PowerCenter Server: With help of repository and repository server, powercenter server execute the business logic for extraction, transformation and load.

What is Repository ?

Powercenter repository is maintained in RDBMS . It contains the instruction required to extract, transform and load data. PowerCenter access repository using repository server. Metadata in the repository is added using powercenter client tools. There can be two types of repository

1. Global Repository: Object created in Global repository can be access across different repository.
2. Local Repository: Objected created in local repository can only be accessed within the repository. Global repository are registered to local repository so that global repository objects are access in local repository using shortcuts.