Message Sets: Generate message dictionaries

A dictionary describes the logical structure and content of a set of messages, and typically contains one or more physical formats that describe how those messages are serialized in a bit stream. The MRM parser within IBM App Connect Enterprise uses this information to parse an incoming message bit stream into a message tree, or to write a message tree into a physical bit stream.

A message dictionary contains the same information as the message set from which it was created, but in a compressed form that the MRM parser within IBM App Connect Enterprise can understand and use. A message dictionary contains all the elements in the message set, the structure of the messages, and all the value constraints. A message dictionary also contains any physical formats that were defined in the message set.

Before a message dictionary can be used, it must be deployed to IBM App Connect Enterprise. To do this, add the message set to a BAR file, then deploy the BAR file to an integration node. The generation of the message dictionary is performed automatically when a message set is added to a BAR file, if the message set supports the MRM domain.

Before adding a message set to a BAR file, the IBM App Connect Enterprise Toolkit performs a full validation of the message set. If this validation finds any errors, the message set is not added to the BAR file, and therefore no message dictionary is generated.

Whenever a message dictionary is generated, a user log file is also generated and added to the same BAR file. This file contains informational messages and warnings that relate to the use of the generated dictionary. Always check this file after generating a message dictionary.