Running the Connect:Direct file transfer sample step by step
The test messages which are used to run this sample represent an
account transfer between bank accounts:
<AccountTransfer>
<TransferNumber>2</TransferNumber>
<TransferAmount>666.66</TransferAmount>
<From>
<AccountNumber>00251672</AccountNumber>
<SortCode>01-29-57</SortCode>
</From>
<To>
<AccountNumber>00145222</AccountNumber>
<SortCode>01-29-57</SortCode>
</To>
</AccountTransfer>
In this scenario, each branch (Winchester or Eastleigh) sends a
message like this to the bank headquarters (HQ) when an account
transfer occurs, so that the transfer can be authorized. In the MQMD
header of the message, the branches also provide a reply-to queue. As
soon as HQ authorizes the transfers, it sends them to this reply-to
queue.
The following table shows the MQ queues that are used
for communication between the branches and HQ.
Queue name |
Description |
CD.SAMPLE.REQUEST |
Account transfers sent by the
branches to the HQ for authorizing |
CD.SAMPLE.WINCHESTER |
Authorized account transfers for the
Winchester branch |
CD.SAMPLE.EASTLEIGH |
Authorized account transfers for the
Eastleigh branch |
Running the sample
- To see how the account transfers are processed step by step,
stop the AuthorisingSystem.msgflow and
ReceiveFromAuthorisingSystem.msgflow message flows:
- In the WebSphere Message Broker Toolkit, switch to the
Brokers view.
- Expand the CDSAMPLE execution group in your default broker
and Right-click the AuthorisingSystem message flow in the CD Sample Authorising System Application
group. Click Stop. The message flow
indicates that the message flow has stopped.
- Repeat the previous steps for the
ReceiveFromAuthorisingSystem message flow in the CD Sample HQ Broker Application group.
- Send some account transfer records to the first message flow
SendToAuthorisingSystem. The message
flow collects the account transfers in one batch file. As soon as the
flow receives two end-of-day messages, the batch file will be
transferred by using IBM Sterling Connect:Direct (Connect:Direct):
- In the WebSphere Message Broker Toolkit, switch to the
Broker Development view and expand the CD
Sample HQ Broker Application application.
- Right-click the Send Test
Messages.mbtest file in the Flow
Tests group and click open.
- The opened test client has eight test messages prepared as
enqueue events.
Six of the test messages are account
transfer records; three of them belong to the Winchester branch and
three of them belong to the Eastleigh branch. The messages from the
Winchester branch have different ReplyToQ entries in their header
from those from the Eastleigh branch. The other two messages are
end-of-day messages, one for each branch.
- Click the first enqueue event and expand the Detailed
Properties panel.
- In the Detailed Properties panel, examine the message that will be sent to
HQ.
- In the same window, expand the Header
field and click the Header link
to open the Configuration view. Expand the MQ
Message Headers group and confirm that the Reply
to queue name for the Winchester
Branch Header has the value CD.SAMPLE.WINCHESTER.
This is the reply-to queue to which HQ sends the authorized account
transfer record after it is processed.
- Return to the Events panel by clicking on the Events tab.
- Now send the first seven test messages by clicking on the Send Message button in the Detailed
Properties panel for the first seven enqueue events.
- To see whether a file has been transferred using Connect:Direct, go to
the file system and look in the appropriate directory. The default
download directories for Connect:Direct are, for example:
- On Windows:
The download
directory in your IBM Sterling Connect:Direct installation
directory.
- On Linux:
The default download directory specified
during the setting up the sample step.
Because you sent six account transfer records but only one
end-of-day message, the batch file accountTransfers.rqst
does not yet exist.
- Now send the last message which is the second end-of-day
message:
- In the WebSphere Message Broker Toolkit, switch to the
Broker Development view and expand the CD
Sample HQ Broker Application application.
- Right-click the Send Test
Messages.mbtest file in the Flow
Tests group and click open.
- Click the last Enqueue Message Flow Test Event and send
a message by clicking on the Send
Message button in the Detailed Properties panel.
- A few seconds after sending that message, the accountTransfers.rqst file appears in the
default download directory of the Connect:Direct server. This is the batch file
which was transferred to your local Connect:Direct Server from the CDOutput node.
It contains all of the account transfer records and information about
the reply-to queue name for each record.
- Start the AuthorisingSystem message flow. This flow emulates
the authorizing system from the external service provider, and
retrieves and processes the batch file:
- In the WebSphere Message Broker Toolkit, switch to the
Brokers view.
- Expand the CDSAMPLE execution group in your default broker
and right-click the deployed AuthorisingSystem message flow in the
CD Sample Authorising System
Application group. Click Start.
- The message flow now retrieves and processes the accountTransfers.rqst batch file. The
processed records are collected in another batch file reply.rply which is then transferred by
using a CDOutput node. The accountTransfers.rqst
batch file is deleted.
- To check if the message flow processed the records, open the
default download directory of the Connect:Direct server. Now the file reply.rply appears and includes all account
transfer records, authorized and not authorized. The accountTransfers.rqst file is no longer
there anymore as it has been deleted.
- Finally, start the ReceiveFromAuthorisingSystem message flow
which retrieves the batch file with the authorized account transfers
and replies to the branches:
- In the WebSphere Message Broker Toolkit, switch to the
Brokers view.
- Expand the CDSAMPLE execution group in your default broker
and Right-click the deployed ReceiveFromAuthorisingSystem message
flow in the CD Sample HQ Broker
Application group. Click Start.
- To see whether the message flow has processed the records,
open the default download directory of the Connect:Direct server. The file reply.rply is renamed and includes a current
timestamp.
- To see the reply messages, read the messages on the
CD.SAMPLE.WINCHESTER and CD.SAMPLE.EASTLIEIGH WebSphere MQ queues:
- In the WebSphere Message Broker Toolkit, switch to the
Broker Development view and expand the CD
Sample HQ Broker Application application.
- Right-click the Send Test
Messages.mbtest file in the Flow
Tests group and click open.
- The two Dequeue test events retrieve the messages from the
WebSphere MQ queues for the Eastleigh and Winchester branches. To
retrieve a message, click a Dequeue test event and click the
Get Message button in the Detailed
Properties panel. You get a message containing the authorized
account transfer.
- Because every branch sent three account transfer records,
repeat the previous step two more times in order for both branches
to get all authorized account transfer records.
Expected output messages
The expected reply messages provide information about the
authorization of an account transfer. The account transfer described
in the input test message generates
the following reply:
<AccountTransfer>
<TransferNumber>2</TransferNumber>
<Authorised>no</Authorised>
</AccountTransfer>
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