Using Test Connector to view business data

Test Connector is a graphical interface that presents the structure of a business object in a tabular view. Connectors exchange data with applications through business logic and so do not have a graphical interface. Test Connector emulates connectors using a graphical view, making it easier to understand the role of a connector in an interface, while removing the complexity of running actual connectors.

The CustomerSynchronization_SourceToDestination collaboration object tests the IBM WebSphere Business Integration Server Express system by sending business objects from one instance of Test Connector to another. The Customer business object is flat rather than hierarchical. It does not contain any other business objects. The CustomerSynchronization collaboration template sends business objects, sent by the source connector in the interface, to the destination connector, and does not apply any noteworthy business logic. The SourceConnector and DestinationConnector definitions represent the server-side component of a connector. They do not represent executable connectors. These definitions are sufficient to validate the subsystems of IBM WebSphere Business Integration Server Express.

The following instructions use Test Connector to emulate connectors exchanging data through the IBM WebSphere Business Integration Server Express system.

Note:
For the purpose of these instructions, it is assumed that you have started InterChange Server Express, System Manager, registered an InterChange Server Express instance, and verified that the test connectors and collaboration objects are active.
  1. Click Start > Programs > IBM WebSphere Business Integration Express > Development > Test Connector to start Test Connector.
  2. Click File > Create/Select Profile in the Test Connector menu bar.
  3. Click to select the SourceConnector profile, and then click OK. The "Connector Profile" dialog is shown below with the SourceConnector profile selected.

  4. Click File > Connect in the "Test Connector" menu bar. This action connects the current instance of Test Connector with the SourceConnector profile loaded to the server.
  5. Repeat steps 1 through 4 to launch another instance of Test Connector. Specify the DestinationConnector profile instead of SourceConnector in step 3. The "Connector Profile" dialog is shown below with the DestinationConnector profile selected.



  6. Click File > Connect in the "Test Connector" menu bar. This action connects the current instance of Test Connector with the DestinationConnector profile loaded to the server.
  7. In the instance of Test Connector that has the SourceConnector profile loaded, click Edit > Load BO in the menu bar.
  8. In the "Open" dialog, navigate to \ProductDir \Samples\SystemTest, and then open the Customer.bo folder. The "Open" dialog is shown below.



  9. Click Open to open the Customer.bo file and display the "New Instance" dialog.
  10. Type Customer_0 in the "Enter Name" field, and then click OK. The "New Instance" dialog, with Customer_0 typed in the "Enter Name" field, is shown below.

  11. Note the values, for example FirstName, String, Tom, in the fields of the Customer business object, as shown below.

  12. Click Request > Send in the menu bar to send the business object.
  13. Give focus to the instance of Test Connector that has the DestinationConnector profile loaded. If the "BO Request List" pane contains Customer.Create, as shown below, the Customer business object has been received.

  14. Double-click the Customer.create event to view it as a response business object. The "Response BO" dialog is shown below.

  15. Optional: Double-click in each of the fields to edit the data in the way that a destination application typically assigns its own unique values to events that it processes. Click Ok when you have finished editing the fields.
  16. Click Request > Reply > Success in the menu bar to simulate the destination application successfully processing the business object and returning it to InterChange Server Express.
  17. When you have finished sending and replying to events, click File > Exit in the Test Connector menu bar, and then click Yes when prompted to shut down Test Connector.

Copyright IBM Corp. 2004