Determining mapping requirements for business objects (InterChange Server only)

When an application-specific business object has been designed to match an application entity, it may not match its corresponding generic business object. Therefore, you must create maps between the application-specific business object and the generic business object so that the application data can be transported across the WebSphere business integration system.

An application-specific business object may not need to include all the fields or columns or elements in an application entity. Use the functional requirements of the application and the business processes in which it participates to identify which attributes belong in the application-specific business object.

You can also examine the correspondence between the generic business object and the application entity. You may choose to include fields in the application-specific business object that correspond those in the generic, which allows these data elements to participate in the business process.

When designing the business object, note the differences between the application entity and the generic business object. These differences define what kind of data transformation needs to take place. You may need to design mapping to:

To assist with mapping and design concepts, the relationship among fields in a table, attributes in an application-specific business object, and attributes in a generic business object is shown in a highly simplified way in Figure 20. The differences between the application-specific business object and the generic business object are handled in mapping. If the business object has attributes that do not have a representation in the database, the connector can provide a default value for the attribute.

Figure 20. High-level view of field/attribute relationships.

For information on creating maps, see the Map Development Guide.

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