Working with components in integration component libraries

The majority of your time is spent working with integration components when you implement a WebSphere InterChange Server 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:

For information on working with components that you have developed and deployed to an InterChange Server instance, see Working with components in an InterChange Server repository.

Launching designer tools

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.

Business Object Designer

To launch Business Object Designer, do one of the following:

For more information on Business Object Designer, see the Business Object Development Guide.

Connector Configurator

To launch Connector Configurator, do one of the following:

For more information on Connector Configurator, see Configuring connectors and the Connector Development Guide for C++ or Connector Development Guide for Java Server.

Map Designer

To launch Map Designer, do one of the following:

Map Designer has a feature called Automatic Mapping in the Tools menu. This feature allows you to create maps automatically between business objects with similar attributes. For more information regarding Map Designer and Automatic Mapping, refer to the Map Development Guide.

Relationship Designer

To launch Relationship Designer, do one of the following:

For more information on Relationship Designer, see the Map Development Guide.

Process Designer

To launch Process Designer, do one of the following:

For more information on Process Designer, see the Collaboration Development Guide.

Creating new components

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:

Some components do not have dedicated designer tools, so you create them in interfaces displayed by System Manager. To create new benchmarks, collaboration objects, database connection pools, and schedules see Table 3:

Table 3. Techniques for creating new integration components without designer tools

Component Technique For more information, see...
Benchmark Right-click the Benchmark folder in the WebSphere Business Integration System view and select one of the following from the Benchmark Setup context menu:
  • Configure new Benchmark
  • Edit existing Benchmark
  • Generate work load to a file
Benchmarking Guide
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

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:

Overview

Web services are applications distributed throughout a network that are part of a business process. They are not part of InterChange Server or any collaboration. However, they do communicate with InterChanger Server by using access framework. They update databases that are under InterChange Server management, therefore Web services must be contacted by InterChange Server for information in order for the data within the business process to be synchronized.

Web services can be local, distributed, or Web-based. They are built on top of open standards such as TCP/IP, HTTP, Java, HTML, and XML. Web services use new standard technologies such as Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) for messaging, and Universal Description, Discovery and Integration (UDDI) and Web Services Description Language (WSDL) 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 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.

Registering a Web service

In System Manager, use the Register a new Web servicewizard to register a Web service.

  1. To start the wizard, expand Integration Component Libraries in the WebSphere Business Integration System view, right-click the Web Services folder, and select Register New Web Service. The Choose a method to register Web services window appears.
  2. 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
  3. Click Next.
  4. If you clicked Enter a URL for WSDL file in Step 2, the Please enter WSDL URL window appears. In the WSDL URL field, specify the URL of the service you want to register, click Next, and proceed to Step 8.
  5. If you clicked Search UDDI registry for a Web service in Step 2, the Searching for Web services window appears. Do the following:
    1. In the Search terms field, type the search criteria for the Web service you want to find.
    2. Select one or more of the following supported UDDI registries:
      • IBM UDDI Registry
      • Microsoft UDDI Registry
      • XMethods UDDI Registry
    3. 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.
  6. For each registry name on the list, do the following:
  7. 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 window appears.
  8. On the New Web service is found page, you can do the following:
  9. 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.
  10. Click Finish to register the Web service.

Viewing a registered Web service

After you have registered a Web service, you can view it in System Manager.

  1. Under Integration Component Libraries > Web Services, double-click the name of the Web service: The Overview tab appears.
  2. Click the Overview tab to display the Available Operations window. This window 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.

  3. To re-create the business objects again, click Create Business Objects Definitions.
  4. 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.

Testing a registered Web service

You can test a registered Web service before deploying it to the integration server.

  1. Under Integration Component Libraries > Web Services, double-click the name of the Web service. The Overview tab appears, along with the Web Service Methods panel and the Method Parameters panel.
  2. In the Web Service Methods panel, select a method.
  3. In the Overview page, either double-click on the method name, or right-click it and select Test to test the method. A test page for the selected method appears with the name of the input and output business objects for the method. This page is used to test the selected method.
  4. To test the business object, do the following:
  5. Double-click each method in the Overview page to test that method in the test page.

Modifying existing components

To modify business objects, connectors, maps, relationships, and collaboration templates you can do the following:

See Table 4 for information on how to modify components benchmarks, collaboration objects, database connection pools, and schedules:

Table 4. Techniques for modifying integration components without designer tools

Component Technique For more information, see...
Benchmark Right-click the Benchmark folder in the WebSphere Business Integration System view and select one of the following from the Benchmark Setup context menu:
  • Configure new Benchmark
  • Edit existing Benchmark
  • Generate work load to a file
Benchmarking Guide
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

Importing components into a library from a server using the import wizard

You can import integration components into a library from an InterChange Server repository. This is most helpful when you join a development team and have to update your individual development environment with existing components.

You can import components from the libraries of other developers, but if they have not been maintaining their components properly then you may want to use only components of known quality. Test and production environments are typically maintained properly and can generally be trusted more than individual development environments.

Do the following to import components into an integration component library from an InterChange Server repository:

Note:
To import components into a library from an InterChange Server 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.
  1. Connect System Manager to InterChange Server as described in Connecting to InterChange Server.
  2. 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:

    System Manager displays the "Import the additional components from the server" wizard, as shown in Figure 11.

    Figure 11. Importing components from the server

    The figure shows the "Import the additional components from the server" dialog. At the top there is text that reads "Make sure you have not chosen the same object from two different servers". Underneath that text is a list of servers that expand to include the component groups and individual components. All have check boxes next to them for you to select. There are two check boxes, which are shown selected, underneath the list: Deep and Overwrite existing components without warning. At the bottom of the dialog are the "Back", "Next", "Finish" and "Cancel" push buttons.

  3. Enable check boxes next to the servers, component groups, or individual components that you want to import from the server.
  4. Enable the Deep check box if you also want to import the dependencies of the component. For more information about dependencies, see Dependencies and references.
  5. Enable the Overwrite the existing components without warning check box 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.

    If you did not select any maps or collaboration templates then proceed to step 7.

    If you selected any maps or collaboration templates to import then do one of the following:

  6. At the second screen of the "Import components" wizard, enable the Maps and Collaboration Templates check boxes to have System Manager convert any maps or collaboration templates among the components you selected to the 4.2.2 format.

    If you used repos_copy to deploy components from a release prior to 4.2.2 to a release 4.2.2 server repository then the maps and collaboration templates stored there are not upgraded. You can only upgrade these components to the 4.2.2 format using System Manager or the Map Designer and Process Designer tools.

    At the second screen of the "Import components" wizard you can leave the Maps and Collaboration Templates check boxes enabled to have them converted at this time, or you can disable the check boxes to defer the conversion until later, when you can do so in the designer tools. You may want to defer the conversion because it can be a time-consuming process, particularly with a large number of those types of components.

    Figure 12 shows the second screen of the "Import components" wizard:

    Figure 12. Converting maps and collaboration templates when importing from the server

    The figure shows the second screen of the "Import the additional components from the server" dialog with a list of the old maps and templates that need to be converted. At the bottom of the screen are the "Back", "Next", "Finish" and "Cancel push buttons.

  7. Click Finish.

Importing components into a library from the server using drag-and-drop

Do the following to import components into an integration component library by using drag-and-drop techniques among the System Manager views:

  1. Do the following in InterChange Server Component Management view to select the components you want to deploy:
  2. 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.

Importing components into a library from a package

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.
  1. 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 13.

    Figure 13. Importing a package

    The figure shows the "Import from Repository File" window. The first field is the Integration component library name field. Next are the InterChange server repository file option and the Import from a Repository Files directory option. Each option has a field to the right of it where you provide the path for the file, or you can click the Browse push buttons found to the right of both fields. At the bottom of the screen are the Finish and Cancel push buttons.

  2. 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.

  3. Do one of the following to specify the components you want imported:
  4. 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 package files have a .jar extension, the "Zip file" wizard does not work properly with package files.

Modifying map and collaboration object properties in integration component libraries

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.

An important feature in Map Designer is the ability to automatically generate maps between business objects having source and destination attributes with the same names. For more information about map properties, see the Map Development Guide.

Validating database connection pools

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..

Compiling maps and collaboration templates

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. System Manager uses asynchronous compile, which means that while you are compiling one component, System Manager is able to perform another task.

When compiling components, item-based progress reporting is used, as well as a progress bar. This information is held in a cache table on the server. The progress status is updated after the operation is completed on each artifact.

Note:
While System Manager uses asynchronous compile, only one compile can be performed at a time.

If the component you are compiling uses libraries that are not provided by IBM--for example, libraries you have created yourself, or are provided by another vendor--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:

Do one of the following to compile all the maps or collaboration templates in an integration component library:

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.

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