What's new in 9.0.0

This information describes new and changed functions in IBM Transformation Extender version 9.0.0. The product name is now IBM Transformation Extender. Disregard any references to "WebSphere Transformation Extender" in the documentation.

Design Studio

Resource Registry enhanced encryption: You can encrypt resource values that contain sensitive data, such as user credentials and database passwords. The Resource Registry uses a secure encryption key that it stores separately from the resource values, so you can share a resource name file but withhold the key file to protect confidential information.
Resource Registry trace logging is controlled by the [Launcher] settings in the wtx_install_dir\dtx.ini configuration file.
Platform-independent compiled maps and generated system files: A single compiled map can run on multiple platforms. You can select the platforms that you want the map to support before you compile the map.
Multi-platform Launcher system files: A single generated system file (.msl file) can run on multiple platforms.
Support for resource aliases in the MapServerLocation setting: You can specify a resource alias as the MapServerLocation setting in the Launcher settings of the Integration Flow Designer. The Resource Registry resolves the map server location when you deploy the maps to a server from the Integration Flow Designer.
Support for resource aliases in the user ID and password settings: In the Integration Flow Designer, you can specify resource aliases as the User ID and Password when you define a server. The Resource Registry resolves the user ID and password when the Integration Flow Designer connects to the server to deploy Launcher system (.msl) files, maps, or other files.
In the Database Interface Designer, you can specify resource aliases as the User ID and Password in the Database Definition window. The Resource Registry resolves the user ID and password when the Database Interface Designer connects to the database to generate a type tree at design time or to query a database at run time.
WSDL importer support for native XML and derived types: The WSDL import process can create a native XML schema (.xsd) with support for derived types (such as through the xsi:type attribute) from a WSDL document.

IBM Transformation Extender

Local GSKit installation

IBM Transformation Extender installs a local version of IBM Global Security Kit (GSKit). GSKit provides the cryptographic capabilities and security protocols that are used for Resource Registry encryption and SSL-based adapters. Local GSKit installation enables Transformation Extender to automatically run with a specific version of GSKit without additional software installation or environment configuration.

Common trace logging interface

The wtx_install_dir\dtx.ini configuration file controls trace logging for the Launcher file listener, the Resource Registry, and the Transformation Extender environment layer.

In a Launcher environment, the log settings in the [Launcher] section of the dtx.ini file control trace logging for these components.
In a Command Server or Design Studio environment:
- The IBM Transformation Extender environment layer and Resource Registry use the log settings in the [Launcher] section of the dtx.ini file.
- The Connection Manager uses the log settings in the [Connection Manager] section of the dtx.ini file.
The log file name is set by the DebugName setting in the [Connection Manager] section of the dtx.ini file. If not specified, the log file name is:
- On Microsoft Windows: c:\dtxconn.log
- On UNIX, Linux, and z/OS® UNIX System Services: $DTX_TMP_DIR/dtxconn.log

Product .jar files include version information

The Transformation Extender product .jar files include version information that you can access through the dtxver utility.

Launcher

Cooperative file listening: Multiple watches can run on multiple Launchers and monitor the same trigger directory for arriving source-event files. The trigger directory must be on a supported file system. The File adapter ensures that only one watch triggers on a particular source event. You can scale your solution to the volume of input files. As the volume of incoming source events increases, you can add Launchers to the same computer or to different computers.
The Launcher can save source-event files when a map succeeds or fails: Depending on the OnSuccess and OnFailure settings, the Launcher can save source-event files in a keep directory when the map succeeds or in an error directory when a map fails.
Log warnings or errors when a map takes too long to run: You can specify a MapInstanceTimeout value to log a warning or an error message in the compound system log when a map instance runs longer than expected. The timeout value does not cause the map to fail.

IBM Transformation Extender for z/OS

Single FMID

To simplify installation, IBM Transformation Extender for z/OS has a single FMID that includes:

Transformation Extender common components
IBM Transformation Extender with Command Server
IBM Transformation Extender for Application Programming
IBM Transformation Extender with Launcher
IBM Transformation Extender for Integration Servers

IBM Transformation Extender for Integration Servers

Design Studio includes the design artifacts that IBM Transformation Extender for Integration Servers previously installed: Design Studio includes the IBM Transformation Extender for Integration Servers design artifacts. You no longer have to separately install IBM Transformation Extender for Integration Servers in your design-time environment to use the design artifacts.

Adapters

Aspera® adapter

The Aspera adapter integrates IBM Transformation Extender with the IBM® Aspera Enterprise Server for high-speed file transfer functions. The Aspera adapter uses Aspera's FASP® transport technology to move large files or large sets of files over wide area networks (WANs). The Aspera adapter is supported only on the Linux on Intel platform.

Extreme Scale adapter

The Extreme Scale adapter connects IBM Transformation Extender to an Extreme Scale server to access data, set data, or retrieve data through SQL queries. Extreme Scale can scale processing to serve more users in less time.

Standards Processing Engine adapter

With new options on the Standards Processing Engine (SPE) adapter DEENVELOP, TRANSFORM, and ENVELOPE commands, you can:

Locate envelope information in the SPE database by acceptor lookup alias.
Commit a transaction immediately when the SPE adapter processes the command, instead of when the map completes. With this capability, a command that executes later in a map can use the output of a command that executes earlier in a map.
Limit the SPE run time to using only the SPE database artifacts that are associated with one or more tenant IDs.
Specify SPE options in an options file or on the command line.
Omit the repository information and use a repository that is configured in the dbprops.cfg file in the SPE installation directory.
Omit the sender, receiver, and acceptor lookup alias information when you use deferred enveloping.

New examples of using the DEENVELOPE, TRANSFORM, and ENVELOPE functions are available in the itx_install_dir\examples\adapters\spe directory.

Static File adapter

With the new Static File adapter, you can include an input file of up to 10 MB in a compiled map.

Secure adapters are included with the base product

Secure adapters are included in the base product and no longer need to be installed separately. The HTTP/S and FTP/S adapters use an advanced set of security protocols that are provided through GSKit. Older RSA-based maps that use privacy-enhanced electronic mail (.pem) certificates on the command line can be supported by following the readme.txt file in the secure adapter example (itx_install_dir\examples\secureadapt\ssl).

Archive (Zip) adapter

The Archive (Zip) adapter is now available on UNIX platforms.

TX Programming Interface

New MPI_LOGFNCALLBACK global logging callback

Like the MPI_MAP_TRACE_CALLBACK_PROC callback function, the MPI_LOGFNCALLBACK global logging callback enables the IBM Transformation Extender environment layer to send log messages to an Transformation Extender API. The MPI_LOGFNCALLBACK callback is set during Transformation Extender initialization instead of on a per-map basis.

New mpiInitAPIex initialization interface

Like the mpiInitAPI initialization interface, mpiInitAPIex initializes Transformation Extender outside of the Launcher or Command Server environment. With mpiInitAPIex, you can pass the Resource Registry configuration (.mrc) file and the new MPI_LOGFNCALLBACK log function callback to mpiInitAPIex.

Trace logging

The log settings in the [Launcher] section of the dtx.ini file control Resource Registry logging.The log settings in the [Connections Manager] section of the dtx.ini file control Connection Manager logging.

With no log callbacks, there is no IBM Transformation Extender environment layer or Resource Manager logging. The log file name is set by the DebugName setting in the [Connection Manager] section of the dtx.ini file. If you omit the log file name, the default is:
- On Microsoft Windows: c:\dtxconn.log
- On UNIX, Linux, and z/OS UNIX System Services: $DTX_TMP_DIR/dtxconn.log
With a MPI_MAP_TRACE_CALLBACK_PROC callback, IBM Transformation Extender environment layer and Resource Manager logging is sent to the API callback. The log file name is set by the DebugName setting in the [Connection Manager] section of the dtx.ini file. If you omit the log file name, the default is:
- On Microsoft Windows: c:\dtxconn.log
- On UNIX, Linux, and z/OS UNIX System Services: $DTX_TMP_DIR/dtxconn.log
With global logging (mpiInitAPIex initialization using MPI_LOGFNCALLBACK callback), there is no IBM Transformation Extender environment layer or Resource Manager logging.
With both MPI_MAP_TRACE_CALLBACK_PROC and global logging, Transformation Extender environment layer and Resource Manager logging is sent to the API callback.