CA 2E and Application Development › Features › Integrating with Existing Databases and Applications

Integrating with Existing Databases and Applications

Descriptions of existing i OS physical files can be retrieved into a CA 2E data model using a process called assimilation. You can add extra relations and define access paths and functions for assimilated files in the same way that you would with other model files.

The three possible approaches to assimilating an existing database include:

• Assimilation as is—the existing database is preserved exactly as it is.
• Assimilation with limited modifications—the data model implied by the database is preserved, but is normalized or corrected where appropriate.
• Full assimilation—the data model implied by the existing database is used as a starting point for a new, normalized model.

Assimilating database files allows you to develop new functions and access paths over an existing database defined outside of CA 2E. It also saves you from having to enter all of the field names and attributes into your model again or having to identify individual fields as you use them on a program-by-program basis.

For more information on assimilation, see the section Data Modeling in the chapter "CA 2E Quick Tour" of this guide.