Feature Manipulation Engine (FME) and Informatica
PowerCenter
Feature Manipulation Engine (FME) is a spatial ETL tool by Safe Software Inc.
The advantage of a spatial ETL tool is that it can read, write and even manipulate spatial data. While
an ETL tool must have processing capabilities for the various column types that are in a non-spatial
database or system, a spatial ETL must also have the spatial operations - geoprocessing capabilities
that change the structure and representation of spatial data - needed to move from one spatial
database or GIS to another.
Besides, FME can read data from and write data to over 250 supported formats. Informatica
PowerCenter as an ETL tool cannot read from or write data in the spatial domain. So, the FME
Extension for Informatica extends Informatica PowerCenter with spatial data integration capabilities.
You can read more on FME at http://www.safe.com/. Also, Safe Software Inc. provides a Free FME
Evaluation Download that has 14 day free evaluation period. It also has a series of tutorials on how
to get started with FME, how to register the FME Extension in an Informatica PowerCenter
Repository Service as a plug-in and how to use the FME Extension for Informatica.
As shown below, the Oracle_BI_DW_Base Informatica Repository Service has registered the FME
Client plug-in in the Administration Console.
Now, if we check the Informatica PowerCenter Designer client tool, we have a new transformation
added i.e. the FME Transformation as shown below.
The FME transformation, if used within any Informatica PowerCenter mapping will enable spatial
data flow within Informatica. FME is certainly a tool to explore, particularly if you are well-versed with
the spatial domain.