WebSphere Message Broker, Version 8.0.0.7 Operating Systems: AIX, HP-Itanium, Linux, Solaris, Windows, z/OS

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Using graphical data maps

You can use graphical data maps to transform input messages into a required output message, using the functions specified in the map.

You can use the Graphical Data Mapping editor to transform a message assembly, message body, and properties, according to the transform functions in the map. The input and output data must be defined by a message model, which defines the structure of the data and provides information about the data type.

The Mapping node invokes a map-based transform. The input to the Mapping node is the input message assembly that is propagated from the upstream node, and the output is the new message assembly that is created by the mapping operation and propagated from the output terminal of the Mapping node. The message assembly consists of the properties tree and relevant headers and environment trees, in addition to the message body.

The broker defines the structure of the properties and transport headers, and the message body is defined by associating an input message model such as a DFDL or XML schema, or an MRM Message Set and an output message model. The Mapping node creates an output tree by using the output parser domain specified as a property of the message assembly in the map. The map uses the schema types of the output elements when creating and setting the elements of the output message tree.

You can also configure the mapping transform to enrich, or conditionally set the output message with data from a database table. The table data structure must be defined to the map, and an SQL where clause can be used to select specific rows. The resulting row data is presented as an additional input in the map, according to the database schema.

The Graphical Data Mapping editor provides a set of structural and functional mapping operations, which enable you to graphically construct the required message transformations to build the output message. In addition to supplied core mapping transforms, the applicable XPath 1.0 and XPath 2.0 functions are available as mapping transforms. Support is also provided for custom transforms in which you can build your own XPath 2.0, Java™, or ESQL functions, which can be invoked to perform specialized transformations within the map. Transforms that support conditional control can use XPath 2.0 expressions, or invoke Java or ESQL functions. XPath 1.0 functions are valid XPath 2.0 expressions. You can use the XPath Expression Builder to generate simple XPath 1.0 expressions.

When constructing your transformation map, you can invoke a submap to perform a part of the transformation. This can be used to enable reuse of common transformations for sections of, or the whole of, the message body.

The Graphical Data Mapping editor saves maps as .map files. These map files are deployed to the broker runtime to enable them to be executed in a message flow. When building and deploying a BAR file for an Application or Library, the map files are automatically included. When deploying independent resources, the BAR file editor provides a resource category to allow maps to be selected for deployment

Use of mapping solutions from previous versions of WebSphere® Message Broker:

You can import message flows fromWebSphere Message Broker Version 7.0, and you can still compile and deploy message flows that use message map files (.msgmap files). However, from VersiWebSphere Message Broker Version 8.0 onwards, message map files are accessible in read-only mode and cannot be modified by using the toolkit. If you want to modify mapping operations that are defined in a message map, you must first convert your message map to a graphical data map (.map file); see Converting a message map from a .msgmap file to a .map file.

Preparing graphical data maps on deployment

From WebSphere Message Broker Version 8.0.0.4, setting the MQSI_PREPARE_MAPS_ON_DEPLOY environment variable to TRUE alters the behavior of graphical data maps that are used in the flow Mapping node. When this variable is set to TRUE, the graphical data maps are prepared for execution on deployment instead of when the first message is flowed through the node.

For a full list of the changes that affect graphical data maps, see Preparing graphical data maps on deployment.

The following topics provide information about mapping:

Concept topics:

Reference topics:

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        Last updated: 2016-05-23 14:48:26


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