Issuing the access request

Once the access client has created an access session, it can send an access request to IBM WebSphere Business Integration Server Express and Express Plus. The access request is what initiates the call-triggered flow within IBM WebSphere Business Integration Server Express and Express Plus. Before it can send its triggering access call, the access client must generate the triggering access data that is sent to the collaboration. The Server Access provides the following ways for an access client to issue an access request, based on the format of the triggering access data:

Sending a business object

The access client can send its triggering access data encapsulated in an IBM WebSphere Business Integration Server Express and Express Plus business object. The IInterchangeAccessSession interface provides methods for creating business objects and executing collaborations. For a more detailed explanation of this interface, see IInterchangeAccessSession interface.

Sending a business object as triggering access data involves the following steps:

Creating the business object

Table 3 shows the methods that the Server Access API provides in the IInterchangeAccessSession interface for the access client to create a business object.

Table 3. IInterchangeAccessSession methods for creating a business object

Creating the business object IInterchangeAccessSession method
Create a business object IcreateBusinessObject()
Create a business object with a verb that specifies an operation on the object attributes. IcreateBusinessObjectWithVerb()
Create a business object array that contains one or more attributes, each attribute having a business object as its type. IcreateBusinessObjectArray()
Create a business object from data that is formatted in a specified MIME type. IcreateBusinessObjectFrom()

Operating on the business object

Once the access client has created the business object, it can use the interfaces in Table 4 to perform any operations required to put the triggering access data into this object.

Table 4. Interfaces to access a business object

Type of business object Server Access API For more information
Business object (single cardinality) IBusinessObject Allows the access client to perform business object operations such as getting, setting, and comparing attribute values.
IBusinessObject interface
Business object array IBusinessObjectArray Allows the access client to interact with and manipulate business object arrays. The methods include setting or getting business object array elements, copying an array, adding a business object to an array, or fetching the number of elements in an business object array.
IBusinessObjectArray interface

Requesting execution of the collaboration

The IInterchangeAccessSession interface provides the IexecuteCollaboration() method for sending a business object as the triggering access data in the triggering access call. This method tells the Server Access within IBM WebSphere Business Integration Server Express and Express Plus to send the business object as the triggering access data to the specified collaboration.

Note:
The collaboration, port, and business object must be configured and mapped for direct call access and manipulation.

Sending serialized data

The access client can send its triggering access data as serialized data in a specified MIME type. The

Server Access within the IBM WebSphere Business Integration Server Express and Express Plus performs the data conversion necessary from the serialized data to an IBM WebSphere business object. Sending a serialized data involves a call to a single method of Server Access API, IexecuteCollaborationExtFmt(). This method provides the following tasks for the access client:

Locales and encoding

By default, the access session uses the Locale value of the IBM WebSphere Business Integration Server Express and Express Plus. However, you may wish to change the Locale value to match the Locale value of a business object or collaboration that you are creating or executing through the access session.

Input data sent to the Server Access must use Unicode encoding.

For an overview of Locales, see Appendix A, Internationalization Considerations.

For a description of the method for setting Locale values, see setLocale(String) in IInterchangeAccessSession interface.

Copyright IBM Corp. 2004