A database connection pool consists of a number of reserved database
connections. The reserved database connections are made available only
to the collaboration and map processes that you design to use the pool.
To create a database connection pool, you define the values necessary for
making a database connection beforehand. The IBM WebSphere InterChange
Server business integration system saves this database connection information
and uses it at runtime to more quickly establish connections for collaboration
and mapping processes that you have assigned.
The configuration of database connection values that you define can be used
by one or more pools. For each pool you will specify a number of
connections; these connections will be allocated, used, and freed back to
the pool.
- Note:
- It is recommended that you connect to the InterChange Server instance that
will use the database connection pool in System Manager before you create the
pool, so that you can validate the connection.
Do the following to create a database pool:
- Right-click the Database Connection Pools folder in your
integration component library in System Manager and choose Create New
Database Connection from the context menu.
The "Database Connection" dialog appears.
- Note:
- Although the name of the dialog would suggest that what you are creating at
this point is a database connection, it is really a database connection
pool. In later steps you will define database connections within the
pool.
- Select the appropriate value in the Database Driver drop-down
menu--either DB2 (Type 2), MS SQL Server(Type 4),
or Data Direct Oracle(Type 4)--depending on the database
vendor.
- If you chose MS SQL Server(Type 4), or Data Direct
Oracle(Type 4) in the Database Driver drop-down menu, then
you must type the name of the computer on which the database server resides in
the Host name field.
- Type the name of the database in the Database field.
- If you chose MS SQL Server(Type 4), or Data Direct
Oracle(Type 4) in the Database Driver drop-down menu, then
you must type the port number through which clients communicate with the
database server in the Port number field.
- If you are connected to the InterChange Server instance that will use the
pool, select that instance from the Connected Servers drop-down
menu.
- Type in the number of times you would like WebSphere InterChange Server to
try to regain a database connection when the connection is broken or cannot be
established in the Max connect retries field.
- Type a name for the pool in the DBConnection Name field.
You specify this database connection pool name when writing Java code to
establish the connection in maps or collaboration templates.
- Type the user name that should be used by InterChange Server to log in to
the specified database in the Login field.
- Type the password for the user name specified in step 6d in the Password field.
- Type the maximum number of connections that should be established by the
pool for all the individual database connection objects you plan to create
within it in the Maximum connections field, or enable the
Unlimited check box to allow as many connections to be established
as are permitted by the database server configuration and licensing.
- Warning:
- Be careful when working in this field. It is not a single-line text
field, even though it should be, so you can accidentally press
Enter. You will not see the value you entered then, and will
justifiably try to re-type the value. Then when you try to finish
creating the database connection pool you receive an error that a valid value
must be entered for the field. Do not press Enter in this
field.
- In the Connect retry interval field, enter the amount of time
(in seconds) that you would like InterChange Server to wait between attempts
to regain the database connection.
Figure 50 shows the New Database Connection Pool wizard.
Figure 50. Create New Database Connection wizard

- To create a new database connection object in the pool, right-click a row
in the New Connection Pool table at the bottom of the wizard and
choose New Connection Pool from the context menu.
- Note:
- Although the interface would suggest that what you are creating at this point
is also a database connection pool, it is really a database connection object
that you are creating within the pool you just created.
The "Connection Pool" dialog appears.
- Type a name for the database connection object in the Name
field.
- In the Minimum connections field, enter the minimum number of
connections that the database connection object should establish. Note
that the sum of the minimums for all the pools that you create in pool cannot
exceed the maximum number that you specify for the database connection pool
object itself. System Manager does not allow you to attempt to add a
connection object or modify an existing connection object so that the maximum
number of connections for the pool would be exceeded. Figure 51 shows the "Connection Pool" dialog.
Figure 51. "Connection Pool" dialog

- Click Finish.
System Manager saves the database connection pool object and an icon
appears under the Database Connection Pools folder in the
integration component library.
- Use the wizard to create another database connection pool at this time or
click Cancel to close the wizard.
