There are certain situations where special attention needs to be taken when handling bidirectional text. One situation that needs special attention is migrating repository data from previous versions of WebSphere Business Integration that are not enabled for bidirectional languages (see Migrating data for more information). If special actions are not taken, then data with two different bidirectional formats can reside in the same repository that can interfere with proper processing and functioning of business logic. Another situation involves transforming bidirectional text with exceptional patterns such as an FTP URL, and email addresses (see BiDi APIs for more information).
Some precautions should be used when migrating data from previous versions of WebSphere Business Integration products.
During the migration process the bidirectional data stored from an earlier version can persist and be used along with new bidirectional data introduced via the connectors that are enabled for bidirectional languages. If this situation occurs, the Window format for the bidirectional data being manipulated on the server level is not guaranteed. Consequently, the processing of bidirectional data in, for example, collaborations or maps, might be irreversibly corrupted.
It is suggested that before migrating to the current WebSphere product version, you convert all bidirectional data in the repository into the Windows bidirectional format by using the BiDi APIs provided in the current version. (See the CxBidiEngine chapter in Map Development Guide for more information.)
FTP URL, and email addresses are cases where explicit application of bidirectional transformation can result in the data being inaccurately interpreted. To ensure accurate interpretation, such strings are analyzed before transformation is begun and problematic subcomponents within the string values are identified. In cases where problematic subcomponents are identified, the string is split and bidirectional transformation is applied on each of the subcomponents. After the transformation process has completed, the subcomponents are reassembled into one single string that represents the accurate transformed value. This value is then stored for later use. This process is used for the treatment of Meta Business Objects.
WebSphere Business Integration products come bundled with BiDi API class to enforce bidirectional format in different components. The BiDi API class functions can be used in the Adapter Framework to enforce the bidirectional format of the content data, in connectors to enforce the bidirectional format of meta and configuration data, and in collaborations and maps to enforce the bidirectional format of data imported from an external source.
Within the BiDi API class are three methods:
The BiDiBusObjTransformation method transforms BusinessObject type business objects from one bidirectional format to the other. This method is useful for collaborations. (See CxBiDiEngine chapter in either the Collaboration Development Guide for more information.)
The BiDiBOTransformation function is applied to BusinessObject instances. This function is useful for the Adapter Framework. (See CxBiDiEngine chapter in either the Collaboration Development Guide or Map Development Guide for more information.)
The BiDiStringTransformation function is applied to String objects. This function can be used on objects both internal and external to WebSphere product environment. (See CxBiDiEngine chapter in either the Collaboration Development Guide or Map Development Guide for more information.)