Andy Jenkinson, EBI

An Introduction to DAS

Summary of Topics

• What is Data Integration?

• Problems in Data Integration

• An architectural overview of DAS

• Brief History of DAS

What is Data Integration

All These are Data Integration

• Reading some papers so you can write a report

• Exploring some database websites so you can learn about a topic

• Downloading some data from different databases so you can analyse it

• Downloading some data from different databases so you can combine it with your own

All These are Data Integration

• Reading some papers so you can write a report

• Exploring some database websites so you can learn about a topic

• Downloading some data from different databases so you can analyse it

• Downloading some data from different databases so you can combine it with your own

Data Integration

• “Automatic” data integration• pulling in data from different

locations• processing it• creating a resource derived from

the data• done via computers, not humans

• e.g. creating/updating a data warehouse

Warehouse

PDB

Ensembl

UniProt

Warehouse model

Data Integration:like herding cats

Databases are all different

Databases evolve

Data ages

Databases are big

Distributed Annotation System

• Distributed

• Client-Server architecture

• Federation

• RESTful web services

Warehouse model

DAS model

Architectural Overview

DAS

• Databases are all different• DAS is a uniform facet of a database – always the same

• Databases change their structure• when the database changes, DAS stays the same

• Databases are updated• DAS data comes directly from the provider so is always fresh

• Databases are big• DAS uses real-time targeted queries

History

Developed circa 1999 for sharing genome annotations

Expanded 2004 onwards• more data types• better metadata• addition of Registry

DAS/2 project• split from DAS, not backwards compatible• inspired some DAS developments

To Summarise…

The Distributed Annotation System is…• A network of biological data sources• An example of federation• A collection of REST web services

The DAS Protocol is…• An integration platform• A client-server protocol• An agreed standard

Image Credits

• Flickr/muir.ceardach• Flickr/Horia Varlan• Flickr/Alessandro Pinna• Fotopedia/Jean-Marie Hullot• listicles.com/?p=3485• Google Earth/Cnes/Spot Image• Olivier H. Beauchesne