Scope of a connector development project

IBM provides a connector framework as part of the Java Connector Development Kit. The connector framework contains all the code necessary for the connector to interact with an integration broker and provides a basic infrastructure for interaction with the application.

Your task as a connector developer is to code the application-specific component of a connector, and if necessary, develop the event notification mechanism. The complexity of the design for your connector and the time required for the connector's implementation will vary based on the application.

To understand the scope and complexity of a connector development project, you may want to develop a project plan before beginning a new connector. As you develop the project plan, you need to identify the business requirements for the connector, define the application data that the connector will handle, and determine what application business processes the connector and business objects will work with. Developing a project plan can help you understand application functionality in the areas of business objects, business object processing, and event management.

Working through the topics in this chapter can help you estimate the time and effort needed to complete the connector development task. Each topic provides a set of questions that are intended to develop understanding of specific aspects of an application that might increase or decrease the complexity of the connector development task. A complete set of answers to the questions for each topic provides a high-level architecture for your connector.

Step in connector design For more information
Obtain information about the application that is relevant to the design of the connector architecture. "Designing the connector architecture"
Ensure that application-specific business objects adequately represent the application entities that the connector needs to export. "Designing application-specific business objects"
Design the event notification mechanism so that the application can notify the connector of relevant events. "Event notification"

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