The majority of your time is spent working with integration components when
you implement a WebSphere Business Integration Server Express integration
system. Although this guide does not go into detail about how to
develop individual components, this section does cover how to launch the
designer tools, how to start creating new components, how to start modifying
existing components, and how to work with the few components that are
developed in System Manager.
For more information on how to develop integration components, see the
following guides:
- Collaboration Development Guide
- Map Development Guide
- Business Object Development Guide
- Access Development Guide
For information on working with components that you have developed and
deployed to an InterChange Server Express instance, see Working with components in an InterChange Server Express repository.
When you create components, keep in mind the following general guidelines
and requirements
- In general, limit component names to combinations of alphanumeric
characters and underscores because most punctuation and special characters are
not used in an ICS system. Do not use spaces in component names.
- Begin all component names with a letter (not a digit or an
underscore). See specific sections for exceptions.
- In property names, do not use apostrophes (') or double quotation
marks (").
- Many component names have a maximum length limit:
- Map names: Maximum 76 characters
- Collaboration templates: Maximum 80 characters
- Collaboration object: Maximum 80 characters
- The following components must be composed only of characters in the code
set associated with the U.S. English locale, en_US:
connectors and connector configuration properties, collaboration templates,
collaboration objects, collaboration properties, collaboration ports, maps,
business object definitions, attributes, attribute types, and verbs.
In the interest of backward compatibility, IBM enforces only a few naming
requirements. However, because naming is subject to restrictions from
underlying system components, follow the conventions in this guide. For
example, Java imposes restrictions on Java class names, and your operating
system and database likely have restrictions on the length of and characters
used in file names.
This section describes the different ways you can launch each of the
designer tools. You can use the designer tools to create new components
or to open and modify existing components.
- Note:
- If you attempt to launch one of the designer tools and experience an error
about a class not being found, you must launch System Manager and then try to
launch the designer tool again. System Manager does not have to remain
running after the tool is initially launched, however.
To launch Business Object Designer Express, do one of the following:
- Right-click the Business Objects folder in the WebSphere
Business Integration System view and choose Create New Business
Object from the context menu
- Select any folder in the WebSphere Business Integration System Manager
view and do one of the following:
- Select Tools > Business Object Designer Express from the
menu bar
- Click the Business Object Designer Express toolbar button
- Use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+4
- Select Start > Programs > WebSphere Business Integration
Express > Toolset Express> Development > Business Object Designer
Express
For more information on Business Object Designer Express, see the Business Object Development Guide.
To launch Connector Configurator, do one of the following:
- Right-click the Connectors folder in the WebSphere Business
Integration System view and choose Create New Connector from the
context menu
- Select any folder in the WebSphere Business Integration System Manager
view and do one of the following:
- Select Tools > Connector Configurator from the menu bar
- Click the Connector Configurator toolbar button
- Use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+1
- Select Start > Programs > IBM WebSphere Business Integration
Express >Toolset Express> Development > Connector Configurator
For more information on Connector Configurator, see Configuring connectors .
To launch Map Designer Express, do one of the following:
- Right-click the Maps folder in the WebSphere Business
Integration System view and choose Create New Map from the context
menu
- Select the folder for any type of integration component in the WebSphere
Business Integration System Manager view and do one of the following:
- Select Tools > Map Designer Express from the menu bar
- Click the Map Designer Express toolbar button
- Use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+3
- Select Start > Programs > IBM WebSphere Business Integration
Express >Toolset Express> Development > Map Designer Express
For more information on Map Designer Express, see the Map Development Guide.
To launch Relationship Designer Express, do one of the following:
- Right-click the Relationships folder in the WebSphere Business
Integration System Manager view and choose Relationship Designer
Express from the context menu
- Select the folder for any type of integration component in the WebSphere
Business Integration System view and do one of the following:
- Select Tools > Relationship Designer Express from the menu
bar
- Click the Relationship Designer Express toolbar button
- Use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+5
- Select Start > Programs > IBM WebSphere Business Integration
Express > Toolset Express> Development > Relationship Designer
Express
For more information on Relationship Designer Express, see the Map Development Guide.
To launch Process Designer Express, do one of the following:
- Right-click the Collaboration Templates folder in the WebSphere
Business Integration System view and choose Create New Collaboration
Template from the context menu
- Select the folder for any type of integration component in the WebSphere
Business Integration System view and do one of the following:
- Select Tools > Process Designer Express from the menu bar
- Click the Process Designer Express toolbar button
- Use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+2
- Select Start > Programs > IBM WebSphere Business Integration
Express>Toolset Express> Development >Process Designer Express
For more information on Process Designer Express, see the Collaboration Development Guide.
For the following components, launching their respective designer tools as
described in Launching designer tools allows you to create a new component of that type:
- Business objects
- Maps
- Relationships
- Collaboration templates
Some components do not have dedicated designer tools, so you create them in
interfaces displayed by System Manager. To create new collaboration
objects, database connection pools, and schedules see Table 4:
Table 4. Techniques for creating new integration components without designer tools
Component
| Technique
| For more information, see...
|
Collaboration object
| Right-click the Collaboration Objects folder in the WebSphere
Business Integration System view and select Create New Collaboration
Object from the context menu
| Configuring collaboration objects
|
Database connection pool
| Right-click the Database Connection Pools folder in the
WebSphere Business Integration System view and select Create New Database
Connection from the context menu
| Configuring database connection pools
|
Schedule
|
- Right-click the Schedules folder in the WebSphere Business
Integration System view and select Edit Components' schedule
from the context menu
- Right-click any component that can be scheduled in a library or the
shortcut to any component that can be scheduled in a user project and select
Edit Components' schedule from the context menu
| System Administration Guide
|
Web service
| To designate a Web service as an integration component, right-click
theWebServices folder in the WebSphere Business Integration System
view and select Register New Web Service from the context
menu.
| Designating web services as integration components
|
This section describes how to register and invoke a web service as an
integration component in System Manager and contains the following
sections:
Web services are self-contained, modular, distributed, dynamic applications
that can be described, published, located, and invoked over the network to
create products, processes, and supply chains. They can be local,
distributed, or Web-based. Web services are built on top of open
standards such as TCP/IP, HTTP, Java, HTML, and XML. Web services use
new standard technologies such as SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol) for
messaging, and UDDI (Universal Description, Discovery and Integration) and
WSDL (Web Services Description Language) for publishing and discovery.
Using System Manager, you can register a web service as a component of an
integration component library (ICL). The registration process lists the
web service as a component under Integration Component Libraries and
automatically generates the business objects that InterChange Server Express
will use to communicate with the web service. You can also use System
Manager to test the registered web service before deploying it to the
server.
In System Manager, use the Register a new web service wizard to
register a web service.
- To start the wizard, expandIntegration Component Libraries in
the WebSphere Business Integration System view, right-click the
WebServices folder, and select Register New Web
Service. The Choose a method to register web services
page appears.
- Click one of the following options:
Option
| Description
|
Enter a URL for WSDL file
| Allows you to specify the exact web service you want to register
|
Search UDDI registry for a web service
| Allows you to specify a UDDI registry that you can further search to
locate the web service.
|
- Click Next.
- If you clicked Enter a URL for WSDL
file in Step 2, the Please enter WSDL URL page
appears. In the WSDL URL field, specify the URL of the
service you wish to register, click Next, and proceed to Step 8.
- If you clicked Search UDDI registry for a
web service in Step 2, the Searching for web services page
appears. Do the following:
- In the Search terms field, type the search criteria for the web
service you wish to find.
- Select one or more of the following supported UDDI registries:
- IBM UDDI Registry
- Microsoft UDDI Registry
- XMethods UDDI Registry
- Click Search. The Search Results tab displays the names
of those registries in which results have been found. If the registry
you selected is not available, an error message appears on the page.
- For each registry name on the list, do the following:
- Select the registry name to view the number of search results for that
registry.
- Expand the registry list to view the names of the services found in that
registry.
- Select the name of a service to view the web service details.
- Select the name of the web service you want to register and click next to
proceed to the next page of the wizard. The New Web service is
found page appears.
- On the New Web service is found page,
you can do the following:
- Click the Available Methods tab to view the list of callable
services for the web service. The services are essentially methods that
can be called by a client.
- Click the WSDL tab to view the XML code that describes the web
service.
- When you click on an available method, more information (if
available) will be displayed on the right hand pane. Note that the
Fault(s) parameter is used to store errors or exceptions that may
occur when the service is called.
- Click Finish to register the web service.
After you have registered a web service you can view it in System
Manager.
- Under Integration Component Libraries > WebServices,
double-click the name of the web service: The Overview tab
appears.
- Click the Overview tab to display the Available Operations
page. This page provides the list of services, or methods, for that web
service. The Web Service Methods panel, which appears to the right of
the Available Operations page, also displays the list of methods.
All the methods of the web service, whether you intend to use them or not,
are registered and appear on the Available Operations page, in the
Operation column.
The business objects that were created for each method when you registered
the web service (see Registering a web service) are listed under the Input BO and Output
BO columns.
- To refresh the list, click the Create Business Objects
Definitions button.
- In the Web Service Methods panel, select a method to view its parameters
in the Method Parameters panel. Parameters are listed under the
Input, Output, and Fault categories.
You can test a registered web service before deploying it to the
integration server.
- Under Integration Component Libraries > WebServices,
double-click the name of the web service. The Overview tab
appears, along with the Web Service Methods panel and the Method Parameters
panel.
- In the Web Service Methods panel, select a
method.
- In the Overview page, either double-click on the method name, or
right-click it and select Test to test the method. A
business object editing page appears with the name of the input and output
business objects for the method. This page is used to test the input
business object.
- To test the business object, do the following:
- Click the Create New Request. The request business
object will be created in the left pane. Supply the input
parameters. You can ignore the following attributes:
SOAPConfigMO, ProtocolConfigMO, OBjectEventID.
- Click the Invoke Web Services button to call the web
service. The response from the web service displays in the
Response business object panel.
- Click the panel of each web service method with which you want to test the
business objects created when you registered the service.
To modify business objects, maps, relationships, and collaboration
templates you can do the following:
- Double-click the component in a library or the shortcut to a component in
a user project
- Select the component in a library or the shortcut to a component in a user
project and do one of the following:
- Launch its designer tool as described in Launching designer tools
- Press Enter
- Press Ctrl+E
- Select Component > Edit Definitions from the menu bar
- Right-click the component in a library or the shortcut to a component in a
user project and choose Edit definition from the context menu
- Launch the component's designer tool as described in Launching designer tools and then open the component after the tool has started
See Table 5 for information on how to modify collaboration objects,
database connection pools, and schedules:
Table 5. Techniques for modifying integration components without designer tools
Component
| Technique
| For more information, see...
|
Collaboration object
| Double-click the collaboration object in the Collaboration
Objects folder in the WebSphere Business Integration System view
| Configuring collaboration objects
|
Database connection pool
| You cannot modify a database connection pool. You may modify some
properties of the pool component, but cannot change definition elements such
as the database to which the pool connects.
| Configuring database connection pools
|
Schedule
|
- Right-click the Schedules folder in the WebSphere Business
Integration System view and select Edit Components' schedule
from the context menu
- Right-click any component that can be scheduled in a library or the
shortcut to any component that can be scheduled in a user project and select
Edit Components' schedule from the context menu
The "Schedule" interface appears and allows you to modify schedules
that have been defined.
| System Administration Guide
|
You can import integration components into a library from an InterChange
Server Express repository.
Do the following to import components into an integration component library
from an InterChange Server Express repository:
- Note:
- To import components into a library from an InterChange Server Express
instance, the server must be running. If System Manager is not
connected to the server when you start the "Import components" wizard
then no components will be displayed for importing.
- Connect System Manager to InterChange Server Express as described in Connecting to InterChange Server Express.
- In the WebSphere Business Integration System Manager view, right-click the
library into which you want to import components, select Import
components from server from the context menu, and then do one of the
following to start the "Import components" wizard:
- Select Components from the submenu to display all types of
components in the server.
- Select a component type from the submenu to only display that type of
component.
System Manager displays the "Import the additional components from the
server" wizard, as shown in Figure 13.
Figure 13. Importing components from the server

- Enable checkboxes next to the servers, component groups, or individual
components that you want to import from the server.
- Enable the Deep checkbox if you also want to import the
dependencies of the component. For more information about dependencies,
see Dependencies and references.
- Enable the Overwrite the existing components without warning
checkbox if you want to overwrite any components you currently have in the
library that have the same name as those you selected to import from the
server.
- Click Finish.
Do the following to import components into an integration component library
by using drag-and-drop techniques among the System Manager views:
- Do the following in the InterChange Server Express Component Management
view to select the components you want to deploy:
- Choose all components of one type by selecting its folder in a user
project or integration component library.
- Expand the component folders and select individual components to choose
them. You can use standard Windows selection techniques to select
multiple user projects for deployment at the same time, such as the
following:
- Hold down Shift to select contiguous items
- Hold down Ctrl to select non-contiguous items
- Drag-and-drop the selected resources onto the integration component
library into which you want to import the components in the WebSphere Business
Integration System Manager view.
System Manager attempts to import the components to the specified
integration component library. Messages and errors are displayed in the
Console view.
You can export integration components to a .jar file
package, as described in Exporting components to a package using System Manager. This makes it easy to migrate components between
environments, share them with other developers, and submit them to technical
support.
Do the following to import components into an integration component library
from a package:
- Important:
- If there are components with the same name as those in the package you are
importing, System Manager overwrites the existing components without a
warning.
- Right-click an integration component library and choose Import from
Repository File from the context menu.
System Manager displays the "Import Repository File" wizard, as
shown in Figure 14.
Figure 14. Importing a package

- At the "Import Repository File" screen, ensure that the
Integration Component Library Name drop-down menu contains the name of the
library into which you want to import the components.
If you launched the "Import from Repository File" wizard from a
library other than the one into which you want to import the components, you
can change the destination this way instead of closing the wizard and
launching it again.
- Do one of the following to specify the components you want imported:
- To import a single package file, either type the full path and name of the
.jar file that you want to import in the InterChange
server repository file field or click Browse to select the
file.
- To import an entire directory of package files, either type the full path
to the directory in the Import from a Repository Files directory
field or click Browse to select the file.
- Click Finish.
- Note:
- Do not use the File > Import menu item in the workbench to
import a package file. Although the "Zip file" wizard works
with archives with the .jar extension, and InterChange
Server Express package files have a .jar extension, the
"Zip file" wizard does not work properly with package files.
Maps and collaboration objects have properties that you can modify to
change the behavior of those components. To modify the properties of a
component, right-click either the component in an integration component
library or a shortcut to it in a user project and select Properties
from the context menu. System Manager displays a dialog to configure
the properties of the component.
For more information about collaboration object properties, see Configuring collaboration objects.
For more information about map properties, see the Map Development Guide.
The Map Designer Express tool has a feature that allows you to create maps
and reverse maps automatically between business objects that have source and
destination attributes with similar attributes. To do this, Map
Designer Express looks for attributes with matching names between the source
and destination business objects.
System Manager enables you to enhance this basic matching process by
creating multiple synonyms for attribute names of business objects.
This is done at the ICL project level in System Manager. The
synonyms created are attached to the ICL, and are used by the map automation
algorithm when it is invoked by Map Designer.The synonyms created are
attached to the ICL project, and are used by the map automation algorithm when
it is invoked by Map DesignerThe synonyms created are attached to the ICL
project, and are used by the map automation algorithm when it is invoked by
Map DesignerThe synonyms created are attached to the ICL project, and are used
by the map automation algorithm when it is invoked by Map Designer."The
synonyms created are attached to the ICL project, and are used by the map
automation algorithm when it is invoked by Map Designer.""The synonyms
created are attached to the ICL project, and are used by the map automation
algorithm when it is invoked by Map Designer."
After they have been created, the synonyms from one ICL can be exported to
a file (*.syn), and that file can be imported into another ICL.
To export or import a synonyms file, right-click on the ICL, and click
Synonyms > Export or Synonyms > Import.
Following are the steps for creating synonyms.
For a complete discussion of map automation, see the Map Development
Guide.
To add synonyms for attributes present in business objects, perform the
following steps:
- Right-click on an ICL in System Manager to open the Context menu.
Click Synonyms > Edit.
Figure 1 shows the Synonyms option in the Context menu.

Figure 15. Synonyms option in the Context menu
Result: After you click Edit, the Synonyms window
opens.
Figure 2 shows the Synonyms window.

Figure 16. Synonyms window
- On the left-hand side are the business objects. On the right-hand
side are two windows for configuring synonyms for attributes: Business
Object Specific and Global.
- From the business objects on the left-hand side,
select the attributes you want to use and drag and drop them onto the
right-hand side under the Attribute column in the Business Object Specific
window.
- From the business objects on the left-hand side,
select the attributes you want to use as synonyms and drag and drop them onto
the right-hand side under the Synonyms column of the Business Object Specific
window.
- Repeat steps 2a and 2b to configure synonyms that apply to all the
business objects in the project. Drag and drop the selected attributes
under the Attribute column and the Synonyms column, respectively, in the
Global window.
Result: Map Designer Express will search for all the
synonyms for a given attribute and perform automatic mapping when it finds the
matches.
Tip: Use the same procedure to edit attribute and synonym
entries and to add comma strings under the Synonyms column.
Example: The synonym configuration shown in Figure 2 will
have the following results:
- The business object specific attribute AmazonCustomer.Email will
match up with EMailID.
- The business object specific attribute Order.SalesBranch will match
up with SalesRegion.
- For all the business objects in the project, PostalCode1 will match up
with Pin and Zip.
This topic described the procedure for setting up the synonyms in System
Manager. For information about how to utilize the map automation
feature when you work with Map Designer Express, see the Map Development
Guide.
There is a context menu item named Validate Connection for
database connection pool components. For more information about this
menu item, see Validating database connection pools..
You can compile maps and collaboration templates in System Manager, which
is very convenient because components must be compiled to be deployed or
exported to a package.
If the component you are compiling uses libraries that are not provided by
IBM--for example, libraries in which you have created some components
yourself--then you must configure System Manager to reference those
libraries. For more information, see 4 for information about the "Compiler" preferences
interface.
Do one of the following to compile a map or collaboration template:
- Select the map or collaboration template in an integration component
library or the shortcut to one in a user project and do one of the
following:
- Press Ctrl+F7
- Select Component > Compile from the menu bar
- Right-click the map or collaboration template in an integration component
library or the shortcut to one in a user project and select Compile
from the context menu
Do one of the following to compile all the maps or collaboration templates
in an integration component library:
- Select the Maps or Collaboration Templates folder in
an integration component library and do one of the following:
- Press F7
- Select Component > Compile all from the menu bar
- Right-click the Maps or Collaboration Templates
folder in an integration component library and select Compile all
from the context menu
To compile a map with its submaps, right-click the map in an integration
component library or the shortcut to a map in a user project and select
Compile with submap(s) from the context menu.
