Connector architecture

The connector is meta-data-driven. Message routing and format conversion are initiated by an event polling technique. The connector uses an MQ implementation of the Java(TM) Message Service (JMS), an API for accessing enterprise-messaging systems that also makes possible guaranteed event delivery.

The connector allows IBM WebSphere Business Integration Collaborations to asynchronously exchange business objects with applications that issue or receive WebSphere MQ messages when changes to data occur.

The connector retrieves WebSphere MQ messages from queues, calls data handlers to convert messages to their corresponding business objects, and then delivers them to collaborations. In the opposite direction, the connector receives business objects from collaborations, converts them into WebSphere MQ messages using the same data handler, and then delivers the messages to an WebSphere MQ queue.

You can configure the connector to use any data handler when processing messages. For more information, see the Data Handler Guide.

The type of business object and verb used in processing a message is based on the FORMAT field contained in the WebSphere MQ message header. The connector uses meta-object entries to determine business object name and verb. You construct a meta-object to store the business object name and verb to associate with the WebSphere MQ message header FORMAT field text.

You can optionally construct a dynamic meta-object that is added as a child to the business object passed to the connector. The child meta-object values override those specified in the static meta-object that is specified for the connector as a whole. If the child meta-object is not defined or does not define a required conversion property, the connector, by default, examines the static meta-object for the value. You can specify one or more dynamic child meta-objects instead of, or to supplement, a single static connector meta-object.

The connector can poll multiple input queues, polling each in a round-robin manner and retrieving a specified number of messages from each queue. For each message retrieved during polling, the connector adds a dynamic child meta-object (if specified in the business object). The child meta-object values can direct the connector to populate attributes with the format of the message as well as with the name of the input queue from which the message was retrieved.

When a message is retrieved from the input queue, the connector looks up the business object name associated with the FORMAT field contained in the message header. The message body, along with a new instance of the appropriate business object, is then passed to the data handler. If a business object name is not found associated with the format, the message body alone is passed to the data handler. If a business object is successfully populated with message content, the connector checks to see if it is subscribed, and then delivers it to InterChange Server Express using the gotApplEvents() method.

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