Defining connector metadata

The Retek connector is metadata driven. In the WebSphere business integration system, metadata is application-specific information that is stored in a business object and that helps the connector interact with the application. A metadata-driven connector handles each business object that it supports based on the metadata encoded in special metadata business object definitions rather than on instructions hardcoded in the connector.

The connector's configured business object handler makes assumptions about the structure of its supported business objects, the relationships between parent and child business objects, the format of the application-specific text, and the database representation of the business object.

Therefore, when you create or modify a business object, your modifications must conform to the rules the connector is designed to follow, or the connector will not be able to process new or modified business objects correctly.

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