A method for aligning data model schemas is provided herein. A first schema and a second schema may be received. The schemas may include sets of nodes and links between the nodes. An anchor point between the first schema and the second schema may be received. A source node in the first schema may be identified to be mapped to the second schema. A source distance may be calculated between the source node and the anchor point in the first schema. Option distances may be calculated between the anchor point and the other nodes in the second schema. Penalty scores may be calculated for the option distances. A mapping node may be selected from the nodes in the second schema based on their penalty scores. A new anchor point identifying a correspondence between the source node and the mapping node may be stored.