Data that is brought into an SCA module by way of an export can be in a wide range of formats, such as COBOL or EDI. The data must be converted into a data object before processing with any server component. Similarly, data passing from your server through an import must be converted to a format understood by the external system. WebSphere® Transformation Extender can be used to perform these transformations.
The exports and imports at the edges of your modules are responsible for converting native data to data objects and vice versa. Exports and imports contain data handlers and data bindings for this purpose.
To transform native data in your imports and exports to a variety of data formats, you can use a prepackaged data handler or data binding, you can write your own data binding, or you can use the WebSphere Transformation Extender data handler to convert native data to data object, and vice versa, at the edges of your modules.
WebSphere Transformation Extender is a transaction-oriented data integration solution that automates the transformation of high-volume, complex transactions without the need for hand-coding. It supports real-time integration of data from multiple applications, databases, messaging middleware, and communications technologies across the enterprise. WebSphere Transformation Extender provides a metadata-driven, tool-oriented approach to data transformation.
WebSphere Transformation Extender is a separately licensed product and is not included as part of WebSphere ESB.
For WebSphere ESB to work with WebSphere Transformation Extender, you must use the WebSphere Transformation Extender installer for WebSphere ESB.
The client delivers the data to the export in some native format. The export then passes this data in the same native format to WebSphere Transformation Extender by way of the WebSphere Transformation Extender Data Handler. WebSphere Transformation Extender converts the data to data object format and returns it to the export. The export passes the data object on to the relevant SCA component.
The SCA component sends a data object to the import. The import passes this data object to WebSphere Transformation Extender by way of the WebSphere Transformation Extender Data Handler. WebSphere Transformation Extender converts the information to the native format of the client, and this information is returned to the import. The import sends the native data to the client.