Understanding eLink and the Data Integration Option

BEA eLink provides an open Enterprise Application Integration (EAI) solution that allows applications throughout organizations to communicate seamlessly. Using EAI, you gain the long-term flexibility and investment protection you need to keep up with today's ever-changing business environment.

Typically, companies use packaged applications to automate internal operations, such as financial, manufacturing, human resources, etc. While they successfully address the needs of these specific areas, these proprietary platforms often do not work together. To compete today, you need a much greater exchange of information. Systems need to communicate at a process level within your own organization, as well as with customer's and supplier's systems. BEA eLink Platform is the underlying basis of BEA eLink, a family of off-the-shelf enterprise application integration (EAI) products that leverage BEA's transaction platform to integrate existing legacy applications with customer-focused and business-to-business e-commerce initiatives.

BEA eLink Platform provides a proven infrastructure for integrating applications within the enterprise and across the Web. BEA eLink Platform ensures high-performance, secure transactions and transparent access to mission-critical applications and information throughout the enterprise and across the Web. Figure 1-1 illustrates the eLink logical architecture and shows where the eLink Adapters fit into the process.

Figure 1-1 BEA eLink Solution Illustration

The entire BEA eLink family (including all options and adapters) is highly scalable. Multiple instances of BEA eLink components can collaborate so that work is divided between eLink domains. BEA eLink includes SNMP integration for enterprise management.

The current BEA eLink Platform leverages the BEA TUXEDO infrastructure because it is based on a service-oriented architecture. Both BEA TUXEDO and BEA eLink communicate directly with each other and with other applications through the use of services. Multiple services are grouped into "application servers" or "servers". The terms, TUXEDO services/ servers and eLink services/servers can be used interchangeably.

The BEA eLink Data Integration Option uses the eLink Platform product for processing service requests for data mapping and data conversion. The following products are part of the eLink DIO data conversion solution:

• BEA eLink Data Integration Option Design Client

  The eLink DIO Design Client is used for the development phase, which includes defining the data mappings between the FML and non-FML buffers. The Design Client is supported on Windows NT only. The Design Client consists of the following components:

  • TSI Mercator Authoring System

  • BEA eLink FML Importer

  • TSI Mercator Online Documentation

  • BEA eLink Data Integration Option Online Documentation

• BEA eLink Data Integration Option Server

  The eLink DIO Server is the component used for execution of the data translation and will run on Windows NT and supported UNIX platforms (AIX, HP-UX, and Solaris.) The eLink DIO Server consists of the following components:

  • BEA eLink Executable Server (ELINKDIO)

  • BEA eLink Data Integration Option Online Documentation

Overview of the eLink DIO Data Mapping Process

The data mapping process includes two phases: the development phase and the execution phase. The development phase uses the eLink DIO Design Client and sets up the environment and mapping rules for data conversion.

Figure 1-2 describes the data mapping development process flow. Simply put, the process flow begins with an input file or an FML Field Definition File and an FML Group Format file (.fgf) and creates a compiled Mercator map file (.mmc).

Figure 1-2 Data Map Development

Development Phase

The development phase uses the eLink DIO Design Client and sets up the environment and mapping rules for data conversion. This phase is separated into two parts, the creation of Mercator type tree files and the creation of the Mercator map file. You must have a source type tree and a destination type tree. Use a supported Mercator Importer and the eLink DIO FML Importer to create the type tree files. Before creating the type tree files, you must describe your input data as well as the format of your output data. The eLink DIO FML Importer in the eLink DIO Design Client also creates a Meta-Type Information (.mti) file which the TUXEDO ELINKDIO server uses during execution. After both the non-FML and the FML type trees are created, a Mercator map file (.mmc) is created and compiled using the type tree files. The eLink DIO Server during the execution phase issues the TUXEDO service request for data mapping. It is during execution that the actual mapping occurs.

Using Importers to Create Mercator Type Tree Files

Use a supported Mercator Importer to input a type of file and create a type tree file as output. For more information on how to use the Mercator Importers, refer to the Mercator documentation. Use the eLink DIO FML Importer to create an FML type tree.

You must input into the eLink DIO FML Importer an FML Field Definition file and an FML Group Format (.fgf) file. To define these groups, refer to "Data Mapping Conversion." After defining these groups in the FML Group Format file, use the eLink DIO FML Importer to create a Meta-Type Information file (.mti) and create an output FML type tree file (.mtt).

The eLink DIO reads the FML data to convert it to the proprietary format. The Meta-Type Information (.mti) file determines which FML fields will be retrieved and in what order.

Compiling Type Tree Files into Mercator Map Files

Mercator map files define adapters, source and destination type trees, and transformation rules. One map must be created for each message that is to be mapped. One map is needed to convert the FML buffer to a non-FML buffer type, and another map is needed for the conversion from the non-FML buffer type back to FML for the response.

Execution Phase

Prior to a TUXEDO service request executing a Mercator map file, be sure that you have specified the ELINKDIO server and the eLink DIO configuration file in the UBBCONFIG file. Also define the services for data mapping in the eLink DIO configuration file.

The execution phase requires that certain files exist in the execution environment. After moving the files to this environment, ELINKDIO server can process a service request for data mapping.

Setting Up the Execution Environment

Certain files must be transferred from the development environment on Windows NT to the execution environment, which is also where APPDIR is pointing. If your execution environment is HP-UX, SUN Solaris, or AIX, use the Mercator Map>Port functionality to convert the Mercator map files (*.mmc) to a format that is suitable for these UNIX platforms.

Note: If your execution environment is Windows NT, you do not need to perform the Map>Port step.

After performing the Port process for the Mercator map files, transfer the required files to the execution environment. When transferring these files from the development environment on Windows NT to the execution environment, such as HP-UX, AIX, or SUN Solaris, specify the appropriate mode (ASCII or binary) to use during the transfer.

• fml2nonf.mti (ASCII file)

  Note: This file is a copy of the sample.mti renamed to match the name of the fml2cob.mmc map file.

• nonf2fml.mti (ASCII file)

  Note: This file is a copy of the sample.mti renamed to match the name of the cob2fml.mmc map file.

• sample.fml (ASCII file)

• fml2nonf.mmc (binary file)

• nonf2fml.mmc (binary file)

Initiating a Service Request for Data Mapping

After the execution environment is set up, you can issue a TUXEDO service request that will implement the data mapping rules defined in the map files. Before issuing the TUXEDO service request, be sure the following tasks are complete.

1. Edit the TUXEDO UBBCONFIG file to define the ELINKDIO server.

2. Transfer the required files to the execution environment.

3. Add sample.fml to FIELDTBLS and FIELDTBL32. Also add the path for sample.fml to FLDTBLDIR and FLDTBLDIR32.

4. Ensure that TUXDIR and APPDIR are appropriately set.

5. Initiate the eLink Platform software.

6. Issue the eLink service request.

   Note: For information on the eLink Platform software, refer to the eLink Platform documentation.

The following software must be used to map data between an FML buffer and a non-FML data format.

• eLink DIO Design Client

• eLink DIO Server

eLink DIO Design Client

The eLink DIO Design Client provides a data mapping development environment that runs on Windows NT. For more information about the development environment for data mapping and translations, refer to the "Overview of the eLink DIO Data Mapping Process."

TSI Mercator Authoring System Components

The following sections describe the different Mercator Authoring System components necessary for defining the data mapping rules in the development environment. Importers

Use the Mercator Importers to create type tree files. For example, to convert an FML buffer to a COBOL Copybook, use the COBOL Copybook Importer to create a COBOL type tree. For information about using Importers, refer to the Mercator documentation. BEA eLink DIO supports the following Mercator Importers:

• COBOL Copybook Importer

  Note: The COBOL Copybook Importer is supported with BEA eLink for Mainframe products only.

• SAP R/3 ALE IDOC Importer

  Type Editor

Use the Mercator Type Editor to make any modifications to the type tree files, such as adding the Control information to the header. The Type Editor also provides an Export feature that will produce a type tree file in a suitable format for different platforms. For information about using the Type Editor, refer to the Mercator Type Editor Reference Guide. Map Editor

Mercator uses user-defined files called maps to perform data translations. An eLink DIO service performs the data translation. The eLink DIO configuration file defines the services and the maps that eLink DIO uses for the data translations.

Each map has at least one input card and one output card. The service passes the input data to input card 1 and returns data back to the service-requester via output card 1. There may be any number of additional input or output cards (for example, to read from a file or create a file). Output card 1 has a header with control information set in the map. This card determines the destination and format of the output buffer.

Note: The header information is required in the output card. For information about defining Control information with /Q, refer to the "Control Information for TUXEDO /Q."

Use the Mercator Map Editor to define the mapping rules and compile a map file. For information about creating a Mercator map file, refer to the Mercator Map Editor Reference Guide. Type Tree Maker

Use the Mercator Type Tree Maker to build your own Importer. Creating your own Importer provides conversion to user-defined formats. For information about using the Type Tree Maker, refer to the Mercator Type Tree Maker Reference Guide. Unsupported Mercator Components

The following Mercator software components are not supported with BEA eLink DIO:

• Type Tree Collections (ANSI, X12, EDIFACT, HL7)

• Tree Installer

• Application and Database adapters

• System Editor

BEA eLink DIO FML Importer

The eLink DIO FML Importer reads the FML Field Definition file and an FML Group Format file to create a type tree file. This component reads the FML Field Definition file and creates a Type Tree Maker Command file (.mts) which is then run through the type tree maker. The eLink DIO FML Importer also creates a Meta-Type Information (.mti) file which the TUXEDO ELINKDIO server uses during execution.

eLink DIO Server

The eLink DIO Server is the component used for execution of the data translation and will run on Windows NT and supported UNIX platforms (AIX, HP-UX, and Solaris.) For more information about executing data translations, refer to the "Overview of the eLink DIO Data Mapping Process."

ELINKDIO Server

The ELINKDIO server is an executable program that runs on HP-UX, SUN Solaris, AIX or Windows NT. It runs in an eLink Platform environment performing the following functions:

• Specifies the eLink DIO configuration file by defining the -c option in the CLOPT parameter in the SERVERS section of the UBBCONFIG file. The eLink DIO configuration file advertises the maps which are advertised as TUXEDO services.

• Maintains other command line information for execution of the Mercator Mapping Library.

• Executes TuxRunMap library which calls the Mercator Mapping Library to perform data mapping.

• Receives the FML buffer and converts it into an internal format for use by Mercator.