Configuring external systems

Overall processing

To configure the external systems to perform general interface queue table and interface table processing:

1. Define procedures to restore the backups of the interface tables.
2. Create interface tables in the user interface.
3. Manage the archiving of interface tables.

Inbound processing

To configure the external system to perform inbound interface queue table and inbound interface table processing:

1. Create and initialize the outbound TRANSID counter.
2. Create records for each interface table that an inbound transaction writes to:
   1. Create an interface table record and populate it with the following information:
      • The transaction data
      • The incremented TRANSID value
      • If multiple records exist for the same interface table, the incremented TRANSSEQ value
   2. Create an MXIN_INTER_TRANS queue record with the following information:
      • The same TRANSID value that is contained the interface table record
      • The name of the enterprise service that corresponds to the interface table, in the IFACENAME column
      • Optional: The ACTION value
      • The identifier of the external system, in the EXTSYSNAME column
   3. Perform a single commit, to commit all records for a transaction at one time.

Inbound null columns

If a column in an interface table contains a null value, the applicable objects process the column in the following ways:

• By default, the field is not updated by the transaction.
• If you add the empty tag when you are using a user exit, the object adds a null value to the field in the Maximo® Asset Management database.

Outbound processing

To configure the external system to perform outbound interface queue table and inbound interface table processing:

1. Set up a process to retrieve interface table transactions by using the MXOUT_INTER_TRANS queue table. You can use a polling program, a trigger, or any other mechanism.
2. For the polling program to process transactions sequentially:
   1. Read the records in the MXOUT_INTER_TRANS queue table in the TRANSID sequence.
   2. Enable each record in the MXOUT_INTER_TRANS queue table:
      • Access the interface table that you just identified, and retrieve the first record in which the TRANSID value matches the TRANSID value in the current MXOUT_INTER_TRANS queue record. If the interface table contains multiple records with the same TRANSID value, retrieve and process them in TRANSSEQ sequence.
      • Process data according to the value in the ACTION column of the interface queue table.
   3. Commit all records for a single database transaction.
   4. Delete the current record from the MXOUT_INTER_TRANS queue table.
3. Implement error management, based on your external system requirements.