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Data types for elements in a DFDL schema
DFDL uses a subset of XML Schema types to define the logical model of your message.
WebSphere® Message Broker includes a DFDL domain parser and DFDL domain serialiser to create and read the broker message tree representation of your DFDL domain message as a logical model. For more information, see DFDL parser and domain.
The data types that are used in a broker message tree are defined as ESQL data types. For details of the how the ESQL data types that are used in the broker message tree correspond to the XML Schema data types that are used in your DFDL schema message model, see ESQL to XML Schema data type mapping.
Note that the data types that are used in your DFDL schema message models are often derived from base XML Schema types. This derivation is to allow value constraints, ensuring a more accurate mapping of the XML Schema type. For example, the IBM® defined data format definition for COBOL models the COBOL data type "PIC 9(19) display" in DFDL as "PIC9-Display-Zoned_integer". In the DFDL schema editor, moving the cursor over a "PIC9-Display-Zoned_integer" type and clicking the Go to button displays this type and its Base Type in the Simple Types table. In this case, the base XML Schema type is listed as "nonNegativeInteger", so the data type that is used in the broker message tree is "DECIMAL".
Supported types for automatic casting
- String, see XML Schema Part 2: Datatypes on the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) website.
Unsupported types for implicit casting
- INTERVAL, see ESQL INTERVAL data type.
- BIT, see ESQL BIT data type.