XML-formatted IMS messages

SOAP Gateway sends and receives messages in XML.

IMS requires that all transaction messages be prefixed by a 2-byte LL field, a 2-byte ZZ field, and the transaction code. For messages to flow between your IMS application and an external SOAP Gateway client (such as a web service or a Java™ application), when you use IBM® Rational® Developer for System z® to generate the XML converter from your application source file, the LL field, the ZZ field, and the transaction code are handled for you.

When you generate a PL/I application from a web service WSDL file by using the top-down development approach in Rational Developer for System z, Rational Developer for System z also generates an XML converter for each operation defined in that WSDL file (that is, it is a one-to-one mapping between each operation and the converter). The required LL and ZZ fields are also handled for you.

At run time, SOAP Gateway adds the simple EBCDIC byte values of the transaction code and LL and ZZ fields to an XML-formatted IMS data input message.

To ensure that the messages are sent and received in the cases you expect, use the EDIT keyword of the IMS TRANSACT macro statement. The EDIT keyword specifies whether the transaction is uppercase (UC) or a mix of upper- and lowercase (ULC).