The current design provides a limited solution for bidirectional
support. Listed here are some of the limitations:
- Support for bidirectional metadata is provided by only one parameter
applicable for all metadata bidirectional properties. This means that
when an attribute is based on one bidirectional parameter, either all metadata
attributes or no metadata attributes are transformed. Therefore, you
cannot set different bidirectional formats for different metadata
bidirectional properties or specify what meta-data parameters you want to
leave unaffected by this bidirectional property.
- Because not all components in WebSphere Business Integration products are
enabled for bidirectional languages for example, Server Access Interface and
various connectors, in case such components are used alongside ones that are
enabled for bidirectional languages, no uniform bidirectional format of data
residing on either InterChange Server or WebSphere Business Integration
Adapters can be guaranteed. Consequently, this situation might result
in inconsistent representation of bidirectional data on either InterChange
Server or WebSphere Business Integration Adapters and incorrect processing
based on it. However no mechanism, for enforcing uniform bidirectional
format of data in the either InterChange Server or WebSphere Business
Integration Adapters is provided. The responsibility for enforcing this
format is the responsibility of the user. For enforcing bidirectional
format on data received from components that are not enabled for bidirectional
languages the user is provided with BiDi APIs.
- Support for bidirectional content is provided at the connector
level. Consequently, the user is restricted to use only one
bidirectional format specification per connector. In other words, all
business objects supported on the particular connector are supposed to hold
bidirectional data in only one bidirectional format.
- WebSphere Business Integration products are enabled for bidirectional
languages when the proper manual installation configuration is performed (see
System Installation Guide for Windows for more information).
- WebSphere Business Integration products have only nine adapters that are
enabled for bidirectional languages: JText, JDBC, Email, XML, WebSphere
MQ, SAP, PeopleSoft, Web services, and Lotus Domino.
- Selection of the WebSphere Business Integration products internal
bidirectional format to be identical to Windows bidirectional format is
closely related to the fact that WebSphere product Tools, such as Connector
Configurator, Map Designer, BO Designer, etc., are supported only on
the Windows platform. In the event that tools support is expanded to
include different platforms, the current design will not be sufficient and
will need to be modified.
- Selection of Windows bidirectional format as the internal format for
InterChange Server and WebSphere Business Integration Adapters presents limits
for communication with applications using different bidirectional
formats. For example, two applications using a visual bidirectional
format that communicates via WebSphere Business Integration products that
have, by design, an internal logical bidirectional format. This is due
to limitation of bidirectional transformation that is not transitive.
- WebSphere does not support bidirectional characters as part of business
object and business object attribute names. Consequently, after the
generation of a business object template based on XML/XSD files or database
tables with attribute, element, or column names having bidirectional
characters, you are required to rename all business object and business object
attribute names including non-Latin characters, so that they only include
Latin characters.
- Currently, only XML and delimited data handlers are supported.
Request-Response data handler is supported only if it uses either XML and
delimited data handlers or uses XML and delimited data handlers separately for
Request-Response handling. EDI, Fixed Width, and Name-Value data
handlers are not supported.
- WebSphere does not support non-Latin characters, including bidirectional
characters, as part of its basic entity names, for example Connector,
Collaboration, Map, Business Object, Business Object attribute, etc.
