IFS Connect Architecture

[HAETSE: Redo pictures. Content is fairly ok.]

IFS Connect is a complete framework for processing messages in any formats. The framework provides Messaging and Scheduling Services for applications internal to IFS Applications as well as external to IFS Applications.

Contents

• Messaging architecture overview
• Supported Message Types
• IFS XML
• XML schemas and WSDL

Messaging architecture overview

Messaging System Elements in IFS Connect

• Connect Sender
  Sends messages using a native protocol.
  Delivers the output from the Bizapi's via the native protocol.
  More info : About Transport Connector Senders

• Connect Agent
  Reads/polls messages from a native protocol and format.
  Deliver the input file in native format to the IFS Connect module in the application server.
  Available protocols are : Ftp, Pop3, File and MQSeries
  More info : About Transport Connector Readers

• SOAP Gateway
  Listens for incoming HTTP calls. If the incoming format is SOAP Access provider format the
  invoked business method is executed directly. If some other format is used the native input file is delivered to IFS Connect
  and Message Routing.
  More info : About SOAP gateway

• Message Routing
  Provides the means of configuring how messages of various types will be sent, and which business method will be invoked for received messages.
  Message routing also allows for the definition of Connect Transformers that may be used for transforming the message contents from IFS XML to other formats (outbound) and from those other formats to IFS XML (inbound). Both inbound and outbound messages may be handled synchronously (direct calls) or asynchronously (stored in a message queue and processed sequentially from the queue).
  Routing rules are both based on the content of the message and from the source location of the message.
  More info : About Message Routing
• Message Queues
  Used for storage of messages when message are processed asynchronously.
  Used for storage of background jobs.
  More info : About Message Queues
• Message Archiving
  Message archive that stores messages in original format.
  More info : About Message Archiving
• Envelopes
  The Connector Framework supports placing outbound messages in envelopes, and recognizing and opening inbound envelopes.
  More info : About Envelopes
• Transformers
  IFS Connect supports transformation of outbound messages from IFS  XML format to other XML formats, HTML files or text files, and transformation of inbound messages from those external formats to IFS XML. A transformer is implemented by either a stylesheet (XSL) or a java class that implements a special interface.
  More info : About Transformers

• Batch Server
  An executable that processes and delivers messages in one or more message queues.
  Contain scheduling services which release a message for delivery at a specific time or on a recurring basis. For example: continuous polling of the Connectivity outbox

Other Messaging System Elements

• Bizapi
  Units of application logic providing business data and services to other applications. Every Bizapi has an xml representation that is documented as xml schemas.
  More info : About Bizapi's
• PLSQL Access Provider
  Provides functionality for  PLSQL Components in Base Server to send outbound messages.
  More info : PLSQL Access Provider Note: This is only available on sites with an IFS Development License.
• Connectivity
  It's possible to publish existing EDI messages to XML.
  The batch server can read messages from the outbox and Bizapi's can store messages to the inbox.
  More info : About Connectivity

Supported Message Types

IFS Connect supports the following messaging types :

• Inbound synchronous messages. (Request/Response)
  IFS Connect calls the Bizapi directly and waits for a response. Messages are not queued.
• Inbound asynchronous messages.
  The inbound message is posted to the IN-queue and will be executed by the BatchServer.
• Outbound synchronous messages.
  The PLSQL access provider makes a  direct call to the transport connector and waits for a response.
• Outbound asynchronous messages.
  The outbound message is posted to the OUT-queue and will be executed by the BatchServer.
  

IFS XML

IFS has an automatic conversion from the Bizapi input and output record parameters to XML.
The conversion to/from record (view) from/to XML is done with fixed rules.
This XML-format is called IFS XML.
 

XML Schemas

Due to the fact that fixed conversion to/from XML is used and that the meta data definitions for the records are available
in runtime it is possible to generate xml schemas for the input and output parameters for every Bizapi.
The following schemas can be generated in runtime:

• XSD Schema (W3C Recommendation version from 2 May 2000)
  is available at  http://www.w3.org/TR/xmlschema-1/
• WSDL (Web Services Description Language)
  see http://www.w3.org/TR/wsdl
• Example XML file that shows the structure

More info : Read how the SOAP Gateway can distribute this xml schemas