DFDL domain

IBM® Integration Bus uses the DFDL parser to read and write messages that belong to the DFDL domain.

Use the DFDL domain to parse and write a wide variety of message formats. The DFDL domain is intended for text and binary message formats that are described by Data Format Description Language (DFDL) schema files. The DFDL parser uses DFDL schema files (.xsd) from an IBM Integration Bus library when it parses and serializes messages. A DFDL schema (.xsd) file is an annotated XML Schema file. The TX Map node can consume and create messages in the DFDL domain.

Use the IBM Integration Toolkit to create a message flow that uses the TX Map node to create or consume messages in the DFDL domain.

  1. In the Integration Development perspective, model the message format as a message in a DFDL (.xsd) file, within a broker library. See the IBM Integration Bus product documentation for details.
  2. In the Transformation Extender Development perspective:
    1. Use Map Designer to create a map and add input or output cards as required.
    2. In the New Card dialog, select the DFDL (.xsd) file as the Type tree, and select XSD as the Type.
  3. Switch to the Integration Development perspective, and create a message flow containing a TX Map node that uses your map.
    • If the message is consumed by an input card, configure the input node of the message flow to specify the Message Domain property as DFDL, and the Message property as the name of the message in the DFDL schema.
    • If the message is created by an output card, configure the corresponding TX node output terminal to specify the Message Domain as DFDL, and the Message property as the name of the message in the DFDL schema. Set the Encoding and Coded Char Set ID properties to match the byte order (endianness) and character set of the output data from the map.
  4. Complete the message flow and deploy it to the broker along with the message set.
When the message is to be consumed by an input card, at run time the input node of the message flow starts the DFDL parser. The DFDL parser uses the DFDL schema to create a message tree from the message bit stream. The TX Map node receives the DFDL domain message tree and passes it to the input card. When the map runs, it uses the tree directly.

When the message is to be created by an output card, when the map runs, it creates the DFDL domain message tree directly. The TX Map node propagates the message tree to the next node in the message flow. The output node of the message flow starts the DFDL parser. The DFDL parser uses the DFDL schema to serialize the message tree.

You do not have to create an equivalent type tree for the message. The map is built using the DFDL schema. At run time, the map operates directly on the DFDL domain message tree, and not on a bit stream.