WebSphere Data Interchange

What's new in V3.3 - Details

• Document Store tables to support flat-file, XML and international (Unicode) data, in addition to storing EDI data, which is currently supported.
• Data transformation processing to store and retrieve data using the updated tables for flat-file, XML and international (Unicode) data. Addition of a PERFORM command that can check the Document Store for any overdue functional acknowledgements, and generate errors for any that are overdue. These errors may be used to trigger new e-mail alerting and event handing capabilities.
• WebSphere® Data Interchange Client users can reprocess transactions and interchanges from the Document Store, similar to the capabilities currently in the z/OS® Facility.
• Migration of reporting function to a browser-based interface, and removal of dependency upon external viewer software. The reporting function includes the capability to generate pre-defined reports associated with the use of all WebSphere Data Interchange objects.
• Improved error handling and related e-mail-based notification of translation errors. The replacement of the Common Error Services with a new Common Event Handler to allow pluggable actions when any event (including any message) occurs.
• Support for error and informational messages in a program-readable format (XML and/or fixed-record), to allow automated processing.
• Support for message files to be routed to designated files or WebSphere MQ queues for handling by a user-defined or a WebSphere Data Interchange-provided program. These may be routed based on criteria specified by the user, such as a given error severity level or the presence of specific errors.
• Inclusion of a Java API™ to read and parse the message files, and allow users to process them easily including the creation of CBE/CEI messages for use in SOA implementations.
• Support for improved filtering of error messages to reduce the PRTFILE size.
• Support for adding the physical filenames to messages in the PRTFILE.
• Support for e-mail alerts via SMTP when errors or other conditions occur. These alerts can also be sent to pagers, cell phones, and any other devices that support SMTP-based text messages. A handler is provided to process the program-readable message log, and generate alerts. Configuration parameters will be provided to allow users to customize the content and format of e-mail alerts.
• Support for pluggable e-mail component to support integration with other systems.
• Inclusion of sample source code for the e-mail handler program to allow customers to customize functionality.
• Extension of management reporting function to Data Transformation maps, which currently exists only for send/receive maps in WebSphere Data Interchange 3.2. Such function captures operational metrics such as, but not limited to, number, size, document type and status of transactions exchanged with trading partners, and to be able to identify which trading partner are using which maps. Such functionality is used for reporting and trouble-shooting.
• Improved role and group-based access and management for the WebSphere Data Interchange Client. Allows assignment of users to roles and groups, to allow permissions to be granted to such roles and groups, and to restrict access based upon such roles and groups.
• Improved audit trail functionality to maintain a complete chronological log of all changes made to WebSphere Data Interchange objects, such as the date, time, and user ID associated with create, update, and delete changes.
• Support for submitting transaction replay and resend commands, and the ability to view results, from a list within the WebSphere Data Interchange Client and from the Document Store.
• Support for ad-hoc submission of transformation commands, and the ability to view results, from within the WebSphere Data Interchange Client. Allows greater flexibility in testing and production management and the ability to view related audit logs.
• Support for IBM Support Assistant which includes a new Tool workbench which provides users with the problem determination tools that IBM Support uses to resolve issues. Ongoing, different product teams will make more and more tools available for ISA's tools framework in order to enable users to perform problem determination on users' desktops.
• Service feature provided by IBM Support Assistant with an automated system and symptom-based collector. The system collector gathers general information from user operating system, registry, and so on. The symptom-based collection provides the unique ability to collect specific information relating to a particular problem that users are having. It can also provide users with the ability to automatically enable tracing that will be helpful to IBM support as part of the data gathering process.
• Problem submission tool as another aspect of the Service feature. This allows users to enter entitlement information once and have it saved for future sessions. Users will then be able to easily create a problem report and attach the collector file at the same time.
• Added support for IBM Education Assistant which provides online training and documentation for WebSphere products. Through this support, users will be able to benefit from additional Web-based educational and training materials.