Configuring Business Integration Connect

This section summarizes steps for configuring Business Integration Connect for use with a back-end system. These configuration steps assume that you have already configured the community participants in your hub community. In particular, this section assumes that the following configuration has already been performed:

Note:
You should login as the Community Administrator.

For a complete description of how to configure Business Integration Connect to support a hub community, see the Hub Configuration Guide.

Once the community participants are configured, you must configure Business Integration Connect so that it can communicate with a back-end system. This section provides the following information to describe how to incorporate a back-end system into your hub community:

Sending documents to the back-end system

To send a document to the back-end system, the Community Manager takes the following steps:

  1. Receive a document from some community participant.

    The Receiver retrieves this source document from a target that has been defined in Community Manager for incoming messages from the community participant and its associated transfer protocol. When sending a document to the back-end system, the source document is the document that is received from some community participant; it is therefore referred to as the participant document.

  2. Convert the participant document to the destination document, which is in format that the back-end system requires.

    The Business Integration Connect Document Manager performs this conversion to the destination document. When sending a document to the back-end system, the destination document is the document that is sent to the back-end system; it is therefore referred to as the back-end document.

  3. Send the back-end document to the back-end system.

    The Document Manager sends the back-end document through a gateway that has been defined in Community Manager for outgoing messages to the back-end system.

Therefore, for the Community Manager to be able to send a document to the back-end system, you must ensure that the configuration summarized in Table 14 has been performed within Business Integration Connect Enterprise or Advanced edition.

Table 14. Configuration steps to send documents to the back-end system

Configuration step Business Integration Connect steps For more information
1. Define where to send the document.

1. Create a gateway to the back-end system.

Defining where to send the participant document
2. Define how to process the document.

2. Create document flow definitions for the source and destination formats.

3. Enable B2B capabilities for the document flow definition of the document sent to the back-end system.

4. Create a document flow definition interaction between the source and destination document flow definitions.

Defining how to process the participant document
3. Define how to connect to the back-end system.

5. Create a participant connection that sends documents to the back-end system.

Defining how to connect to the back-end system

Defining where to send the participant document

To send documents to the back-end system, the Community Manager must have a gateway defined. This gateway specifies the destination for the converted documents; that is, it specifies the location (as a URI) to which the Community Manager sends the back-end document. This location is the same one at which the back-end system listens for incoming messages. The gateway identifies the entrance point into the enterprise application layer (within the back-end system). Within Business Integration Connect, it is Document Manager that checks for a gateway. Once the Document Manager has processed the document, it sends the converted document to the back-end system at the location specified in the gateway.

To define a gateway within Business Integration Connect Enterprise or Advanced edition, click:

Account Admin > Profiles > Gateways

When you define the gateway, you specify the transport protocol that the Community Manager and back-end system both use to transfer the back-end document. As Table 15 shows, the choice of transport protocol depends on the format of the document. Its format includes its packaging type and business protocol, which are defined in its document flow definition.

Note:
For more information on how to create a gateway in Business Integration Connect Enterprise or Advanced edition, see the Hub Configuration Guide.


Table 15. Supported transport protocols from Business Integration Connect to back-end system

Packaging type Business protocol HTTP or HTTPS? JMS? File system?
Backend Integration RosettaNet (RNSC)
Yes Yes No

XML Yes Yes No

Binary
Yes Yes No
None
Yes Yes Yes

EDI only
Yes Yes Yes

cXML only Yes No No

SOAP only
Yes No No

Binary Yes Yes No

Note:
The choice of transport protocol also depends on the transport protocols your particular back-end system supports. For more information, refer to the chapter in this guide for integrating your particular back-end system.

Once you have selected a valid transport protocol for your document, you can provide the other information you need to define for the gateway in the Gateways screen.

Defining how to process the participant document

For the Document Manager to be able to process the participant document, it must know the format to which it needs to convert this document; that is, it needs to know the format of the back-end document. As part of the back-end integration, you must ensure that the following entities are defined within your Business Integration Connect:

Defining the document flow definitions

Each document flow definition defines how Business Integration Connect processes a particular document. It includes the packaging type and business protocol of the document. Business Integration Connect provides some predefined packaging types and protocol definitions. If these predefined formats correctly define your participant and back-end documents, you do not need to define any document flow definition. However, if the predefined formats do not adequately define your participant or back-end document, you must create a valid document flow definition for that document. To define a document flow definition within Business Integration Connect Enterprise or Advanced edition, you use the Manage Document Flow Definitions screen of Business Integration Connect. To access this screen, click:

Hub Admin > Hub Configuration > Document Flow Definition > 
   Create Document Flow Definition

Note:
For more information on predefined document flow definitions as well as how to create document flow definitions in Business Integration Connect Enterprise or Advanced edition, see the Hub Configuration Guide.

For back-end integration, the packaging type of the back-end document must be one of the following:

You must determine which of these packaging types applies, based on the business protocol of your document and the particular back-end system you are using. For information on packaging types with back-end systems, see Which packaging will you use?. For information on supported back-end systems, see How do you access your back-end application?.

Setting the B2B capabilities for sending

Before the Document Manager can convert the source document, it must determine whether it can handle the format of the desired destination document. To make this determination, the Document Manager checks its B2B capabilities, which define which document flow definitions have been enabled. Supported document flow definitions have each of their component document types (such as packaging type, business protocol, and document) enabled. To enable a particular document flow definition, you use the B2B Capabilities screen of Business Integration Connect. To access this screen, click:

Account Admin > Profiles > B2B Capabilities

Note:
For more information how to set B2B capabilities in Business Integration Connect Enterprise or Advanced edition, see the Hub Configuration Guide.

For back-end integration, make sure each of the component document types for the back-end document's document flow definition has been enabled to serve as a destination (target). Table 16 summarizes the action to take on the B2B Capabilities screen to create B2B capabilities for sending a document to the back-end system.


Table 16. Creating B2B capabilities for sending a document

B2B Capabilities column Document flow definition to enable
Set Target Enable each document-type component in the back-end document's document flow definition.

Important:
If your Community Manager will also be receiving documents from the back-end system, you might want to enable B2B capabilities required while you still have the B2B Capabilities screen displayed. In this case, you enable the component document types of the back-end document's document flow definition to serve as a source. Table 22 summarizes the action to take on the B2B Capabilities screen to create B2B capabilities for receiving a document from the back-end system.

Defining the document flow interaction for sending

For the Document Manager to know how to convert the participant document, it must be able to locate a document flow definition interaction that combines the document flow definitions for the participant document and the back-end document and identifies which is the source and which is the destination participant.

When the Document Manager is ready to send the converted document to the back-end system, it must be able to locate a participant connection between the source participant and the destination participant (back-end system). However, for a participant connection to exist, a valid document flow definition interaction between the source and the destination documents must exist. To define a document flow definition interaction within Business Integration Connect Enterprise or Advanced edition, click:

Hub Admin > Hub Configuration > Document Flow Definition > 
   Manage Interactions > Create a Valid Interaction

Note:
For more information how to create document flow definition interactions in Business Integration Connect Enterprise or Advanced edition, see the Hub Configuration Guide.

To send documents to the back-end system, define an interaction between the source and destination (target) documents, as summarized in Table 17.

Table 17. Creating an interaction for sending a document

Manage Interactions section Action
Source Select the component document-types in the participant document's document flow definition.
Target Select the component document-types in the back-end document's document flow definition.

Note:
For more information how to create document flow definition interactions in Business Integration Connect Enterprise or Advanced edition, see the Hub Configuration Guide.

Defining how to connect to the back-end system

For the Document Manager to be able to send the converted document to the back-end system, it must find a valid participant connection, which identifies the source and destination participants and provides the location through which these two participants communicate. To create a participant connection, you use the Manage Connections screen in Business Integration Connect. To access this screen, click:

Account Admin > Participant Connections

For a participant connection to be defined, a document flow definition interaction between the source and destination documents must already exist. On the Manage Connections screen, you first check for an existing interaction by specifying the source and destination (target) participants. Table 18 lists the participants to choose on the Manage Connections screen to define a participant connection for sending a document to the back-end system.

Table 18. Creating a participant connection for sending a document

Manage Connection dropdown list Name of community participant
Source Name of the community participant that is sending the document to Community Manager
Target Name of Community Manager, who receives the document from the community participant

Once you specify the Source and Target, you then click Search to check for an existing document flow definition interaction. If no interaction exists, you must create one before you can proceed with the creation of a participant connection. If an interaction does exist (one whose source is the participant document flow definition and whose target is the back-end document flow definition), you can configure the participant connection for communication with the back-end system.

Note:
For more information how to create a participant connection in Business Integration Connect Enterprise or Advanced edition, see the Hub Configuration Guide.

For back-end integration, this participant connection should specify as its target gateway the gateway you defined in Defining where to send the participant document. You must ensure that all Target Gateways on the Gateways Section screen to the name of the gateway you have created.

Receiving documents from the back-end system

To receive a document from the back-end system, the Community Manager takes the following steps:

  1. Receive a document from the back-end system.

    The Business Integration Connect Receiver retrieves this source document from a target that has been defined in Community Manager for incoming messages from the back-end system and the associated transfer protocol. When receiving a document from the back-end system, the source document is the document that is received from the back-end system; therefore, this document is referred to as the back-end document.

  2. Convert the back-end document to the destination document, which is in format that the designated community participant requires.

    The Document Manager performs this conversion to the destination document. When receiving a document from the back-end system, the destination document is the document that is sent to some community participant; therefore, this document is referred to as the participant document.

  3. Send the participant document to the appropriate community participant.

    The Document Manager sends the participant document through a gateway that has been defined in Community Manager for outgoing messages to the appropriate community participant.

Therefore, for the Community Manager to be able to receive a document from the back-end system, you must ensure that the configuration summarized in Table 19 has been performed within Business Integration Connect Enterprise or Advanced edition.

Table 19. Configuration steps to receive documents from the back-end system

Configuration step Business Integration Connect steps For more information
1. Define where to retrieve the document.

1. Create a target that receives incoming messages from the back-end system.

Defining where to retrieve the back-end document
2. Define how to process the document.

2. Create document flow definitions for the source and destination formats.

3. Enable B2B capabilities for the document flow definition of the document received from the back-end system.

4. Create a document flow definition interaction between the source and destination document flow definitions.

Defining how to process the back-end document
3. Define how to connect to Business Integration Connect.

5. Create a participant connection that sends documents to Business Integration Connect.

Defining how to connect to Business Integration Connect

Defining where to retrieve the back-end document

To receive documents from the back-end system, the Community Manager must have a target defined. This target specifies the source of the documents; that is, it identifies the location (as a URI) at which the Community Manager listens for incoming documents. This location is the same one to which the back-end system sends documents. The target identifies the entrance point into the Receiver (within Business Integration Connect). Within Business Integration Connect, it is the Receiver that checks for a target. Once the Receiver has processed the document, it saves the converted document to the Persistent Shared Storage for later retrieval by the Document Manager.

To define a target within Business Integration Connect Enterprise or Advanced edition, click:

Hub Admin > Hub Configuration > Targets

Note:
For more information on how to create a target in Business Integration Connect Enterprise or Advanced edition, see the Hub Configuration Guide.

When you define the target, you specify the transport protocol that the Community Manager and back-end system both use to transfer the back-end document. As Table 20 shows, the choice of transport protocol depends on the format of the document. Its format includes its packaging type and business protocol, which are defined in its document flow definition.

Table 20. Supported transport protocols from back-end system to Business Integration Connect

Packaging type Business protocol HTTP or HTTPS? JMS? File system?
Backend Integration RosettaNet (RNSC)
Yes Yes No

XML Yes Yes No

Binary
Yes Yes No
None XML only Yes Yes Yes

EDI only
Yes Yes Yes

cXML only Yes No No

SOAP only
Yes No No

Binary only No No No

Note:
The choice of transport protocol also depends on the transport protocols your particular back-end system supports. For more information, refer to the chapter in this guide for integrating to your particular back-end system.

Once you have selected a valid transport protocol for your document, you can provide the other information you need to define for the target in the Target Details screen.

Defining how to process the back-end document

For the Document Manager to be able to process the back-end document, it must know the format to which it needs to convert this document; that is, it needs to know the format of the participant document. As part of the back-end integration, you must ensure that the entities summarized in Table 21 are defined within your Business Integration Connect.


Table 21. Defining how to convert the back-end document

Step For more information

1. Document flow definitions must exist to define the format of both the participant document and the back-end document.

Defining the document flow definitions

2. The Community Manager's B2B capabilities must include enablement of the back-end document's document flow definition as a source.

Setting B2B capabilities for receiving

3. A document flow definition interaction must exist that brings together the back-end document as the source and the participant document as the destination.

Defining an interaction for receiving

Setting B2B capabilities for receiving

For a summary of B2B capabilities as they apply to back-end integration, see Setting the B2B capabilities for sending. This section summarizes how to set B2B capabilities for receiving a document from the back-end system.

For back-end integration, make sure each of the component document types for the back-end document's document flow definition has been enabled to serve as a source. Table 22 summarizes the action to take on the B2B Capabilities screen to create B2B capabilities for receiving a document from the back-end system.


Table 22. Creating B2B capabilities for receiving a document

B2B Capabilities column Document flow definition to enable
Set Source Enable each document-type component in the back-end document's document flow definition

Defining an interaction for receiving

For a summary of document flow definitions interactions as they apply to back-end integration, see Defining the document flow interaction for sending. This section summarizes how to define the interaction for receiving a document from the back-end system.

To receive documents from the back-end system, define an interaction between the document flow definitions of the source and destination (target) documents as summarized in Table 23.

Table 23. Creating an interaction for receiving a document

Manage Interactions section Action
Source Select the component document-types in the back-end document's document flow definition.
Target Select the component document-types in the participant document's document flow definition.

Defining how to connect to Business Integration Connect

For the Receiver to be able to retrieve the document from the back-end system, it must find a valid participant connection, which identifies the source and destination participants and provides the location through which these two participants communicate. For a summary of participant connections as they apply to back-end integration, see Defining how to connect to the back-end system.

Table 24 lists the participants to choose on the Manage Connections screen in Business Integration Connect to define a participant connection for receiving a document from the back-end system.

Table 24. Creating a participant connection for receiving a document

Manage Connection dropdown list Name of community participant
Source Name of Community Manager, who receives the document from the community participant
Target Name of the community participant that is sending the document to Community Manager

Once you specify the Source and Target, you then click Search to check for an existing document flow definition interaction. If no interaction exists, you must create one before you can proceed with the creation of a participant connection. If an interaction does exist (one whose source is the back-end document flow definition and whose target is the participant document flow definition), you can configure the participant connection for communication with the back-end system.

Note:
For more information how to create a participant connection in Business Integration Connect Enterprise or Advanced edition, see the Hub Configuration Guide.

For back-end integration, this participant connection should specify as its target gateway the gateway you defined in Defining where to send the participant document. You must ensure that all Target Gateways on the Gateways Section screen to the name of the gateway you have created.

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