The WebSphere Transformation Extender Integration Flow Designer is the modeling component used to define and manage data integration processes. The Integration Flow Designer is used to define interactions among maps and systems of maps, to validate the logical consistency of workflows, and to prepare systems of maps to run.
A system is a set of maps, or subsystems, that are combined to form a data integration process flow. Systems are defined in the Integration Flow Designer.
Systems are defined as having one of two execution modes-Launcher or Command Server, depending upon how they will be deployed. If a system is developed for the Launcher, the system will include definitions of events based upon the map execution to be triggered. As mentioned previously, these events may be time events (for example, execute every 10 minutes or every Monday at 2:43 AM), source events (for example, a message appearing on a queue, a row being updated in a database), or compound events comprised of some combination of time and/or source events.
The set of events that initiates a map within a system is called a watch. Each event that contributes to the initiation of a map is called a trigger. When the resource (file, database, or message queue) that is an input to a map changes state (that is, it is created or modified), this input event can cause the Launcher to initiate a map. Adapters that can be used to trigger maps have a listener function to detect the appropriate external resource change.
The Launcher starts maps based upon these triggers. There may be multiple triggers that must collectively exist before a map is initiated. The Launcher manages the coordination of these events to ensure that the correct set of circumstances has occurred before a map is initiated.
For more information about the Integration Flow Designer, see the Integration Flow Designer documentation. For more information about the Launcher, see the Launcher documentation.
A link is a connection that the Integration Flow Designer creates between two components in a system. Links represent the direction of data flow between the system components at execution time, thus showing the source and target dependencies between system components.
The Integration Flow Designer provides clarity and control to manage the more complex systems built using WebSphere Transformation Extender products. It also reduces the administrative burden and simplifies the non-development activities associated with interface development. Some of the key features of the Integration Flow Designer are:
Visual data flows are created to aid in the design of integration solutions. You can use a graphical palette to produce system definition diagrams and to easily navigate among the WebSphere Transformation Extender Design Studio tools. Point-and-click techniques can be used to select the map and subsystem components to place in a specific integration flow diagram.
Using the Integration Flow Designer, you can also define specific map settings that take effect at run time. Select the maps and the data flow between them is automatically determined from the inputs and outputs. The Override tool in the Integration Flow Designer toolbox can be used to modify the inputs and outputs to achieve the desired data flows. These modifications do not affect the source map. This allows the same map to be reused in multiple data flows.
The Integration Flow Designer includes a System Analyzer that checks your system definitions for logical consistency to ensure they can be executed. The System Analyzer detects any inconsistencies you may have introduced in the definition while experimenting with system models.
After a system has been designed, the Integration Flow Designer offers another benefit that saves time when preparing a system for operation. One mouse-click builds and deploys all of the integration objects and supporting data (such as lookup files and scripts).
Parameters for different servers representing different operating environments can be defined within the Integration Flow Designer.
After the appropriate server definitions have been created, it is then possible to produce, using the wizard, automated deployment definitions that are specific to each server.
It is possible to specify, within a script, that either all maps are built and transferred or that only a specific subset of the maps in a system are build and transferred. You can also include additional files required to support the system's operation in the transfer.
For more information about the Integration Flow Designer, see the Integration Flow Designer documentation.