WebSphere® Multichannel Bank Transformation Toolkit version 6.1.1 helps to build transactional applications for retail banking delivery channels, including branch, Internet, intranet, call center, standalone kiosk, automated teller machines (ATMs), and mobile access terminal solutions.
For the internet banking channel, WebSphere Multichannel Bank Transformation Toolkit version 6.1.1 enhances the new Web 2.0 channel. This Web 2.0 channel provides a way for Web 2.0 clients to interact with the business logic on the server side. It also supports popular Web 2.0 technologies, such as Dojo, Asynchronous JavaScript™, and XML (AJAX). The Web 2.0 channel is consisted of XML Request Handler, XML Formatter, JSON Formatter, Session Management, and XML-based widgets container.
For branch channels, WebSphere Multichannel Bank Transformation Toolkit version 6.1.1 enhances extensive rich client support through a new set of rich client components which contain an XML based UI engine and editor, XML based UI flow, and an expanded embedded browser for Rich Client Platform (RCP) development. These rich client components expedite the construction of client banking transaction panels.
WebSphere Multichannel Bank Transformation Toolkit version 6.1.1 also introduces a new set of bank teller components. They are application enabler components specifically tailored for the use in bank teller applications. This release supports the following components:
On the tool side, WebSphere Multichannel Bank Transformation Toolkit version 6.1.1 provides an application wizard which helps clients to create and change a multi-tier enterprise application for teller banking, internet banking, and multichannel banking.
This version of the Bank Transformation Toolkit has the following new and enhanced features:
Delivers a graphical XML user interface (UI) editor to create a rich client based transaction user interface. Provides a mechanism to create a client transaction flow. A controlled embedded browser enables the interaction with the rich client components.
Provides a widget container to host different styles of Web 2.0 components which contains XML based widgets. Provides a set of predefined widgets for quick use.
A tool to help creating the baseline project for teller banking, internet banking, and multichannel bank samples.
BTT version 6.1.1 provides support for Web 2.0 as one of the BTT channels. You can implement presentation tier using Web 2.0 technologies and build server-side applications using the BTT framework.
The Web 2.0 Channel uses multichannel support to send and receive XML and JSON formatted messages. In addition, Web 2.0 provides the request handler and presentation handler required for multichannel support.
BTT version 6.1.1 provides more features about Web2.0 than the previous version. Such as the Personalized Mashup Services Platform, with which users can define interested banking services in their own internet banking home pages or involve the third-party Services Mashup and menus, and the Web2.0 Transaction Flow which provides the screen navigation control and widget event or data sharing. Users can use the entire BTT Web2.0 package to take control and make applications most useful. And BTT version 6.1.1 separates the user interface (UI) from services, which makes services reusable.
BTT version 6.1.1 provides the following new development, runtime and support tools:
This tool intends to help the starter get familiar with BTT in a short time. It helps to create different types of BTT samples for developers to learn and start with. It also helps customers to adjust their channel capabilities dynamically without changing their applications.
BTT provides XML based UI (XUI) analyze engine, and XUI editor. The transaction which is developed by the XUI editor can be easily deployed on RCP or Lotus Expeditor applications. Related UI skills are not required, which reduces the training cost and risk.
The Transaction Editor is a development tool that provides an easier way for XML based end-to-end programming model.
The Validation Tool is a development tool with a graphical interface that you can use to validate your definition files .
The SWT Visual Beans Tool is a development tool that you can use to develop SWT based transaction panels.
The Formatter Simulator is a development tool that simulates the Formatter unformat process (translating binary message, XML and JSON into structured data).
The Runtime Monitor is a runtime tool that you can use to monitor the status of BTT on the server side.
The APAR Tool is a support tool that you can use to detect the build level of your BTT product version and obtain the detailed APAR numbers.
More business components will be introduced in future releases.
The Inversion of Control design pattern is a widely accepted design pattern. In BTT version 6.1.1, the Externalizer component is reconstructed as BTT ElementFactory. The BTT ElementFactory is loosely coupled with other BTT components, and can fully support the design pattern of Inversion of Control. BTT ElementFactory is widely used in BTT version 6.1.1, and you can use it directly in your own components.
Invoker is an XML-based invocation framework. It removes the technical barriers inherent in technologies such as J2EE, JMS, EJB, DII and WebService.
For backend integration, BTT enables channel applications to support Service Oriented Architecture (SOA). BTT interfaces with WebSphere Process Server (which contains WebSphere ESB) for business process automation and enterprise application integration. WebSphere Message Broker and WebSphere Business Services Fabric can be added depending on SOA requirements.
The toolkit supports Web Services JSR 109 standard and Web service invocation from the toolkit's business layer. This can be useful when a complex transaction supports backend Web services. Alternatively, BTT business logic can be treated as a service and reused by other application systems.