MFG/PRO data handler

The MFG/PRO data handler is a data-conversion module whose primary roles are to convert business objects into MFG/PRO formats and vice versa. For an overview of how the data handler functions in the context of overall connector processing, see Data formats. This chapter describes how the data handler processes messages from one format to another as well as meta-data requirements.

Event Processing As shown in Figure 4,, the MFG/PRO data handler has a mapping engine that converts a triplet messages to an XML Qdoc, which is QAD's proprietary XML format. The XML data handler is then invoked to convert the Qdoc to the corresponding business object (BO). (The business object is generated from Qdoc schema during design time; for further information, see Generating business object definitions: overview.) Applying the values of operation tags in the Qdoc, the XML data handler sets the verb at the business-object level as well as for any child BO's.

Meta-data helps guide the format conversions:

Figure 10. MFG/PRO data handler processing


Request Processing In the other direction, the XML data handler component converts a BO into a Qdoc. Then a mapping engine converts the Qdoc content into a message encoded in CIM (or triplet) format that is then passed on to the QAD MFG/PRO application.

The MFG/PRO application requirements determine which format--CIM or triplet--to use when encoding messages from the connector. If enabled, a SQL Query Dispatcher, using a Java RMI server and Progress 4GL query dispatcher, can query MFG/PRO databases and evaluate an expression to determine CIM content. The data handler uses mapping meta-data, stored in the InboundMappingMO as follows:

These formats and the mapping meta-data are described below.

Copyright IBM Corp. 1997, 2003