Object structures

An object structure is the common data layer that the integration framework uses for all outbound and inbound application data processing. For the software catalog import, six object structures are specified for the software catalog business objects.

An object structure consists of one or more business objects that make up the content of an XML data message. The object structures for importing the software catalog XML file are based on the business objects required for the Maximo IT Software Catalog.

Object structures logically group together one or more Maximo® Business Objects (MBOs) and are the building blocks that are used to import and export data. In general, each MBO represents a particular database table. The attributes of a MBO equate to the columns of the database table, and an instance of a MBO equates to a row of data in the table.

If more than one MBO is in an object structure, a defined relationship is used to tie them together. Once defined, each object structure is used to create an associated XML Schema Definition (XSD). This XSD defines the format of data exchange at the object structure level.