The MRM domain can be used for modeling a wide range of messages.
The key features of the MRM domain are:
- Support for modeling messages from legacy applications written in C, COBOL, PL/1 and other languages, using the Custom Wire Format (CWF) physical format. This support includes the ability to create a message model directly from a C header file or COBOL copybook.
- Support for modeling XML messages, including those that exploit XML namespaces, using the XML Wire Format (XML) physical format. This support includes the ability to create a message model directly from an XML DTD or XML Schema file.
- Support for modeling formatted text messages, perhaps with field content identified by tags or separated by specific delimiters or both, using the Tagged Delimited String Format (TDS) physical format. This includes industry standards such as SWIFT, EDIFACT and X12.
- Easy transformation from one physical format to another. For example, a model can be created by importing a C header file, and the equivalent XML Schema can be generated for use by a different application.
- The MRM domain comes with a specialized parser that is used by runtime products such as WebSphere Business Integration Message Broker. Once you have completed your message set, you generate a message dictionary which is deployed to the runtime product. The MRM parser then uses the dictionary to parse and write messages that are defined within that message set.
- The MRM parser can perform runtime validation of messages against the deployed dictionary.
See XML messages in the MRM and XML domains for more details about the relative strengths and weaknesses of using the MRM domain or one of the XML domains to model XML messages.