Using the ECI resource adapter with channels and containers

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To use channels and containers in the JEE Connector Architecture (JCA), use an ECIChannelRecord to hold your data. When the ECIChannelRecord is passed to the execute() method of ECIInteraction, the method uses the ECIChannelRecord itself to create a channel and converts the entries inside the ECIChannelRecord into containers before passing them to CICS®.

The ECIChannelRecord allows multiple data records to pass over the same interface to and from the execute() method of ECIInteraction. A container is created for each entry in the channel. You can have a combination of container types in one channel. The containers are of the following types:
  • A container with a data type of BIT. This type of container is created when the entry is a byte[], or implements the javax.resource.cci.Streamable interface. No code page conversion takes place.
  • A container with a data type of CHAR. This type of container is created when you use a String to create the entry.

You can create your own data records, which must conform to existing JCA rules (they must implement the javax.resource.cci.Streamable and javax.resource.cci.Record interfaces). Any data records you create are treated as containers with a data type of BIT.

You can also use an existing Record type, for example, JavaStringRecord, to create a container with a data type of BIT.

The ECIChannelRecord.getRecordName method obtains the name of the channel. When creating your Record, you must make sure that the name is not an empty string. The record.getRecordName method retrieves the name of the containers.

The JCA resource adapter handles ECIChannelRecord and Records differently, when it receives the data in the execute() method of ECIInteraction.
  • When an ECIChannelRecord is received, the resource adapter uses a channel to send the data.
  • When a Record (that is not an ECIChannelRecord) is received, the resource adapter uses a COMMAREA to send the data.
Figure 1. Data conversion by the execute() method of Interaction when it receives a Record
A Record and Streamable Record are passed to the execute() method of ECIInteraction, which implements a COMMAREA.
Figure 2. Data conversion by the execute() method of Interaction when it receives an ECIChannelRecord
Four Records (byte[], String, JavaStringRecord,, and Record and Streamable) are passed in a ECIChannelRecord to the execute()method of ECIInteraction. Each record is implemented in a CHAR container (String) or a BIT container (byte[], JavaStringRecord,, and Record and Streamable).