This section provides an overview of map development, which includes the
following high-level tasks:
- Installing and setting up the map development software and installing the
Java Development Kit.
- Designing and implementing the map.
Requirements: Before you start the development process,
the following must be true:
- The map development software is installed on a machine that you can
access.
For information on how to install and start up the map development software
system, see your system installation guide.
- The IBM
Java Development Kit (JDK) is installed from the product CD.
Be sure to update the
PATH environment variable to include the installed Java
directory. Restart InterChange Server Express after you have updated
the path.
- System Manager is running.
For information on starting up System Manager, see your system installation
guide.
- Map Designer Express is open and connected to System Manager.
For information on how to start Map Designer Express, see Overview of Map Designer Express.
To design and implement maps you need to do the following:
- Learn the data formats used by all business objects involved in the
map.
- Create the map within Map Designer Express.
- Customize any required transformation rule.
- Define any relationships within Relationship Designer Express that the map
needs.
- Customize the mapping transformation to perform relationship
management.
- Implement error and message handling if appropriate.
- Generate the .java file and compiled code. The
compiled code is an executable Java class. For more information, see "Map development files".
- Test and debug the map, recoding as necessary.
Figure 4 provides a visual overview of map development and provides a
quick reference to chapters where you can find information on specific
topics.
Tip: If a team of people is available for map development,
the major tasks of developing a map can be done in parallel by different
members of the development team.

Figure 5. Overview of the map development task
The following information forms the basis of the map:
- When you compile a map,
Map Designer Express generates two types of files (.java,
.class) or an optional message file (.txt) if
map-specified messages are defined in the map. These files are saved in
the project in System Manager.
- Map Designer Express generates a map definition when you save a map to the
project in System Manager. This map definition contains general
information about the map (such as map properties) as well as information
about how the destination attributes are mapped.
- Attention:
- Do not modify the mapname.java
file. If you do, your changes are not reflected in the map design,
which is stored in the project in System Manager. Therefore, these
changes are not editable in Map Designer Express. Map Designer Express
reads only the map definition.
Relationship Designer Express also stores relationship definitions in XML
format in System Manager. At deployment, System Manager creates table
schemas in the relationship database to contain the relationship run-time
instance data. For each relationship, you can specify the location of
all its relationship tables. The default location for these
tables is the IBM WebSphere InterChange Server Express repository.
Table 4 lists the file types that Map Designer Express can generate
(.java, .class, .cwm,
.bo, .txt) and their locations relative to
the System Manager workplace.
Table 4. Map file types
File type
| Description
| Location relative to System Manager workspace
|
.java
| Generated Java code, created by Map Designer Express when you compile a
map.
| Stored in ProjectName\Maps\Src.
|
.class
| Compiled Java code, created by Map Designer Express when you compile a
map.
| Stored in ProjectName\Maps\Classes.
|
.cwm
| Map definition file, generated by Map Designer Express when you save a
map definition.
| Saved to ProjectName\Maps when "Saved" to System
Manager.
|
.bo
| Plain text file, used to save and load test run data and to save test run
results.
| You can save these files to any location.
|
.txt
|
Message file, created by Map Designer Express from information in the Messages
tab when it compiles the map.
| Stored in ProjectName\Maps\Messages.
|
