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SIARD: Software Invariant Archiving of Relational Databases at the Swiss Federal Archives

Contents: The preservation process and its context The preservation strategy SIARD:

The Solution (Outcomes) Support of the preservation workflow The SIARD software tools

Overview

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The Preservation Strategy

The preservation strategies for databases:

1. Software independence

2. Using Standards

3. Authenticity

4. Documentation

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The Solution (Outcomes)

SIARD defines an preservation workflow and software tools to support this workflow. The most important outcomes are: Standardisation of the preservation workflow (data delivery, data

integration & data access)

Standardisation of the gathering of metadata (high level & low level meta data)

A uniform (standardised) archival format for relational databases (XML, ISO SQL3, Dump-Files)

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Support of the Preservation Workflow

Extraction

Record creatingoffice

Swiss FederalArchives

A1

A0 A1

Database

Ingestion Use

Customers:- Offices- Citizens

Database

Database

Database in archival format

Electronicarchives

Original database Restored database

Swiss FederalArchives

A2

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The SIARD Software Tools

Function overview of the software. SIARD supports the preservation workflow with the following tools:

A0: Analysing and Interpreting (used by the office)

A1: Metadata: Description of Database (used by the office and the Swiss Federal Archives)

A2: Reload Tool (used by the Swiss Federal Archives)

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A0: Analysing and Interpreting

A0analysing and

archiving

Archive files =archived database

a) Analyses the data logic (e.g. schemas, tables, constraints, views)b) Shows results of analysis in GUIc) Interactive dialog to modify results of analysis (e.g. include/exclude objects)d) Write export files with data logic (XML reference file, SQL3 DDL files) and table content (flat files)

SQL-Server

SQL3 DDLfile

flat files withtable content

create … 1,'TEXT',2,…

XMLreference file

<!ELEMENT …

Oracle Adabas D Basis Plus

DB2

Informix

MySQL

PostgreSQL

Sybase MS Access

Most commondatabaseproducts in thefederaladministration

Expert mode (JDBCinterface with scripting

language)

Generic mode(JDBC interface)

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Completing of low level metadata indefined fields (e.g. code lists,selfexplanatory file names, type ofembedded or referenced binaries)

Input of high level metadata (e.g. field ofapplication, legal base)

XML reference file

A1metadata tool

XML reference file

A0

A2

A1: Metadata: Description of the Database

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Oracle XY

Archived database

Shows tablecontent andmeta data onone surface

A2(Reload

Tool)

GUI tobrowse indatabase

Query

Oracle (actual Version)

SQL3 DDLfile

flat file withtable

content

XMLreference

file

A1A0A0

Automatedcreation of an

oracle databasefrom an archived

database

A2: Reload Tool to Re-access the Data