Creating message flow

applications

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2015, 2019

Course materials may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the prior written permission of IBM.
 Unit objectives
• Create a message flow application
• Add nodes to a message flow
• Package and deploy message flow applications and resources
• Use the IBM App Connect Enterprise web user interface to monitor the
integration node, integration server, and message flow

Creating message flow applications © Copyright IBM Corporation 2015, 2019

 Topics
• Create a message flow
• Deploy a BAR file
• The IBM App Connect Enterprise web user interface

Creating message flow applications © Copyright IBM Corporation 2015, 2019

 Create a message flow

Creating message flow applications © Copyright IBM Corporation 2015, 2019

 Quick starts
• Start building
message flow
applications
▪ By creating an
application
▪ By creating an
integration service
▪ By creating a REST
API
▪ By creating a library
▪ From a WSDL or
XSD file
▪ By discovering a
service

Creating message flow applications © Copyright IBM Corporation 2015, 2019

 IBM App Connect Enterprise Tutorials Gallery
• Introduce the features that are available in IBM App Connect Enterprise
and how to use them
▪ End-to-end IBM App Connect Enterprise message flow applications
▪ Demonstrate a specific feature of IBM App Connect Enterprise such as file
processing, message transformation, and modeling
• Access from the
Welcome page
or by clicking
Help >
Tutorials
Gallery

Creating message flow applications © Copyright IBM Corporation 2015, 2019

 Creating an application

1
Click New Application

2
Enter an application
name

Creating message flow applications © Copyright IBM Corporation 2015, 2019

 Creating a message flow

1
Click New > Message Flow

2
Specify message flow name
and optionally, a different
broker schema

Creating message flow applications © Copyright IBM Corporation 2015, 2019

 Adding nodes to the message flow

1
Find the node
in the Palette
drawers of the
Message Flow
editor

2
Drag the node from the
Palette onto the Message
Flow editor canvas

3
Enter properties for
each node in the
Properties view

Creating message flow applications © Copyright IBM Corporation 2015, 2019

 Wiring nodes

• Use one of the following methods to create a connection:

▪ Right-click the node, click Create connection, and then select the
source and target nodes and terminals
▪ Click the source terminal and then click the target terminal
• Hover the cursor over terminals to identify the terminal name
• Hover the cursor over a wire to identify the wire connection source
and target
• Directional lines indicate the direction that a message travels

Creating message flow applications © Copyright IBM Corporation 2015, 2019

 Saving the message flow

Asterisk in front of file

name indicates that a
change was made
Click File > Save
or
Click the Save icon
or
Press Ctrl+S
or
Close the view and then
click Yes to the prompt
to save

Errors and warnings

are listed in the
Problems view

Creating message flow applications © Copyright IBM Corporation 2015, 2019

 Deploy a BAR file

Creating message flow applications © Copyright IBM Corporation 2015, 2019

 Deploying solutions
After a message flow is developed, the flow and all related components
must be moved (deployed) to an integration server so that it can be run
1. Create a BAR file that contains the resources to deploy
2. Ensure that the integration server is running
3. Configure queues and DSNs as needed by the message flow nodes
4. Deploy any shared libraries that the application uses
5. Deploy the BAR file to the integration server by using:
 IBM App Connect Enterprise Toolkit
 IBM App Connect Enterprise web user interface
 The mqsideploy line command
 IBM Integration API
6. Monitor the Deployment log for the status

Creating message flow applications © Copyright IBM Corporation 2015, 2019

 Creating a BAR file
• Create a BAR file to hold the deployable components by using:
▪ IBM App Connect Enterprise Toolkit by clicking File >New > BAR file
▪ The mqsicreatebar or mqsipackagebar command on Windows and
Linux

• If using mqsipackagebar, you must use the mqsicreatebar

command first to compile any message sets and Java code
• Add a message flow (defined in a .msgflow file) or a compiled
message flow (.cmf)
▪ Select Compile and in-line resources to add flows as a compiled
message flow

Creating message flow applications © Copyright IBM Corporation 2015, 2019

 BAR file contents
Message flow Message model

Code

Refers
to
BAR file (.bar)
Integration node

Integration node
Integration server
Creating message flow applications © Copyright IBM Corporation 2015, 2019
 Creating the BAR file in the App Connect Enterprise Toolkit
• From the IBM App Connect Enterprise Toolkit:
1. Click File > New > BAR File
2. Specify the name of the BAR file
3. Add components to the BAR file by using the editor, or drag components
from the Application Development view
• By default, the BAR file is created in the BarFiles project
 To change this value in the IBM App Connect Enterprise Toolkit, click
Window > Preferences, expand Integration Development, and then
select Build BAR

Creating message flow applications © Copyright IBM Corporation 2015, 2019

 Adding components to the BAR file 2
Select the build options

3
Click Build and Save
1
Select the BAR file contents

• Prepare view build options include:

▪ Remove contents of the archive before building to remove all existing
contents of the BAR file before building the new BAR file
▪ Override configurable properties values to override the values from the
message flow
▪ Add workspace project source files to include source files in the BAR file
Creating message flow applications © Copyright IBM Corporation 2015, 2019
 Modifying a BAR file

2 Select the action:

1 • Rebuild and save
Double-click the • Remove
BAR file to open the • Edit
BAR File editor • Add
Creating message flow applications © Copyright IBM Corporation 2015, 2019
 BAR file message flow properties

1
Select the message flow on
the BAR file editor Manage
tab

2
Override the configurable
properties in the Properties
view

Creating message flow applications © Copyright IBM Corporation 2015, 2019

 BAR file node properties

1
Expand the message flow and
then select node on the BAR
file editor Manage tab

2
Override the configurable
node properties in the
Properties view

Creating message flow applications © Copyright IBM Corporation 2015, 2019

 Message flow packaging and validation
• Message flow validation
▪ Ensure that mandatory properties are set
▪ Finds associated resources in referenced projects such as subflows, ESQL,
and maps
▪ Calculates values for promoted properties; promoted from node to subflow to
main flow
▪ Identified errors and warnings are listed in the Problems view

• Cannot deploy from an application, library, or project that contains

errors (but can deploy with warnings)

Creating message flow applications © Copyright IBM Corporation 2015, 2019

 Deploying in the App Connect Enterprise Toolkit

•Drag the BAR file, application, or library from

Application Development view onto the integration
server in Integration Nodes view
or
•Right-click the BAR file, click Deploy, and specify
the target integration server

Creating message flow applications © Copyright IBM Corporation 2015, 2019

 Deployment details
When a deployment operation is requested:
1. The integration node ends processing of application messages and
stops all message flows
2. The BAR is deployed, and the required updates are made to the
integration server and integration node environment
3. Message flows are restarted
4. The Deployment Log and Integration Nodes view are updated

• Always check the Deployment Log after deployment to verify that

the expected actions occurred

• If necessary, adjust timeout values for the integration node

 Depends on network delays, integration node workload, and system
load

Creating message flow applications © Copyright IBM Corporation 2015, 2019

 Deployment Log and Error Log
• Shows the result of deployment actions on an integration node
▪ Name of the integration node from which deployment message originated
▪ Detail of the deployment message

• Clean Log clears all log entries from the Deployment Log view, but
does not delete the log entries from the administration log
• Messages are automatically cleared after 72 hours

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2015, 2019

Creating message flow applications

 Managing the integration node in the Toolkit
• Connect to a remote integration node
• Start and stop an integration node, integration server, or message flow
• Start the IBM App Connect Enterprise web user interface
• Deploy applications, libraries, message flows, BAR files
• Verify the status of integration nodes, integration servers, and message
flows

Creating message flow applications © Copyright IBM Corporation 2015, 2019

 The IBM App Connect
Enterprise web user interface

Creating message flow applications © Copyright IBM Corporation 2015, 2019

 Using the IBM App Connect Enterprise web user interface

• Monitor the status of integration node,

integration servers, and applications
• Start and stop applications and
message flows
• Start and stop statistics collection
• Deploy BAR files

Creating message flow applications © Copyright IBM Corporation 2015, 2019

 Deploy a BAR file by using the web user interface
1. Expand the Servers section
2. Click Deploy for the integration server where you want to deploy
the BAR file
3. To select a BAR file, click
Browse
4. Go to the BAR file
directory, click the BAR
file, and click Open
5. (Optional) Override the
BAR file properties
6. Click Deploy

Creating message flow applications © Copyright IBM Corporation 2015, 2019

 Stop a message flow
• You can start and stop integration nodes, servers, and
message flows from the IBM App Connect Enterprise web
user interface.

Creating message flow applications © Copyright IBM Corporation 2015, 2019

 Unit summary
• Create a message flow application
• Add nodes to a message flow
• Package and deploy message flow applications and resources
• Use the IBM App Connect Enterprise web user interface to monitor the
integration node, integration server, and message flow

Creating message flow applications © Copyright IBM Corporation 2015, 2019

 Review questions
1. True or False:
True or False: You can override all node properties in the BAR file.
2. Which of the following options is the correct method for deploying
an App Connect Enterprise application that references a shared
library?
A. Deploy the application BAR file and then deploy the shared library
B. Deploy the shared library and then deploy the application BAR file
C. Include shared library in the BAR file with the application and then
deploy the BAR file

Creating message flow applications © Copyright IBM Corporation 2015, 2019

 Review answers
1. Answer: False You can override some node properties in the
BAR file.

2. Answer: B

Creating message flow applications © Copyright IBM Corporation 2015, 2019

 Exercise 2: Creating a
message flow application

Creating message flow applications © Copyright IBM Corporation 2015, 2019

 Exercise introduction
• Create a message flow application
• Use the IBM App Connect Enterprise Flow exerciser to test
the message flow application
• Use the IBM App Connect Enterprise web user interface to
check the status of an integration server and message flow
application and start and stop a message flow

Creating message flow applications © Copyright IBM Corporation 2015, 2019