Schema Formats
Bring any schema, from any source
Every ingested schema is normalized into Magellan's unified MetaModel and stamped with a SchemaIngested ledger entry — so the same Semantic Match, lineage edge derivation, and ULID‑keyed audit trail apply whether the source was Avro, JDBC, or a proprietary Erwin XML.
Compare schema formats
Every adapter normalizes into the same MetaModel and writes to the same ULID-keyed, SHA-256 hash-chained ledger. The differences below are the ones that matter when you choose how to feed Magellan from a given source system.
| Format | Typed schema | Nested records | Ingest direction | Ledger entries written |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avro | Yes | Yes | File uploadStream | SchemaIngestedSchemaParsedSchemaEvolutionEvaluated |
| XML Schema (XSD 1.0 / 1.1) | Yes | Yes | File upload | SchemaIngestedSchemaParsedSchemaEvolutionEvaluated |
| JSON Schema (drafts 4 → 2020-12) | Yes | Yes | File uploadPull (live) | SchemaIngestedSchemaParsedExternalRefResolved |
| Excel (.xlsx / .xls) | Partial | No | File upload | SchemaIngestedSchemaParsedColumnProfileApplied |
| Erwin XML | Yes | Yes | File upload | SchemaIngestedSchemaParsedDomainResolvedSchemaEvolutionEvaluated |
| JDBC (live introspection) | Yes | No | Pull (live) | SchemaIngestedSchemaParsedConnectionProfileResolvedSchemaEvolutionEvaluated |
| Custom Import | Partial | Partial | Pluggable | SchemaIngestedSchemaParsedImporterModuleRegistered |
- Typed
- Yes
- Nested
- Yes
Ingest direction
Ledger entries
SchemaIngestedSchemaParsedSchemaEvolutionEvaluated- Typed
- Yes
- Nested
- Yes
Ingest direction
Ledger entries
SchemaIngestedSchemaParsedSchemaEvolutionEvaluated- Typed
- Yes
- Nested
- Yes
Ingest direction
Ledger entries
SchemaIngestedSchemaParsedExternalRefResolved- Typed
- Partial
- Nested
- No
Ingest direction
Ledger entries
SchemaIngestedSchemaParsedColumnProfileApplied- Typed
- Yes
- Nested
- Yes
Ingest direction
Ledger entries
SchemaIngestedSchemaParsedDomainResolvedSchemaEvolutionEvaluated- Typed
- Yes
- Nested
- No
Ingest direction
Ledger entries
SchemaIngestedSchemaParsedConnectionProfileResolvedSchemaEvolutionEvaluated- Typed
- Partial
- Nested
- Partial
Ingest direction
Ledger entries
SchemaIngestedSchemaParsedImporterModuleRegisteredAvro
Apache Avro schemas — including unions, enums, logical types, and nested records — are parsed into the Magellan MetaModel and stamped with a SchemaIngested entry carrying the SHA‑256 of the raw .avsc bytes.
Read moreXML Schema
W3C XML Schema (XSD 1.0 and 1.1) is parsed into the MetaModel preserving complex types, substitution groups, and identity constraints — with namespace fidelity, so HL7 v2.xml, FHIR XML, and HIPAA X12-derived XSDs round-trip cleanly.
Read moreJSON Schema
JSON Schema drafts 4, 6, 7, 2019-09, and 2020-12 are parsed into the MetaModel preserving `$ref`, `oneOf`/`anyOf`/`allOf`, conditional `if`/`then`/`else`, and `$defs` — with full keyword resolution and a SchemaIngested entry per ingest.
Read moreExcel
Excel mapping spreadsheets (.xlsx and .xls) — the common form an enterprise data team already maintains — are parsed into the MetaModel using a configurable column-to-attribute layout, with each ingest stamped to the ledger.
Read moreErwin XML
Erwin Data Modeler XML repository exports are parsed into the MetaModel preserving entities, attributes, domains, subject areas, and physical-to-logical mappings — so existing enterprise data models become governed Magellan assets without re-modeling.
Read moreJDBC
Live JDBC introspection captures tables, views, columns, primary keys, foreign keys, indexes, and column-level statistics from the actual database — with read-only credentials and a SchemaIngested entry per scan.
Read moreCustom Import
A documented ImportAdapter interface lets teams ingest proprietary, legacy, or niche formats into the MetaModel — with the same Semantic Match, lineage derivation, audit ledger, and draft/publish workflow as the built-in adapters.
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