Datalnsert node

This topic contains the following sections:

Purpose

Use the DataInsert node to interact with a database in the specified ODBC data source. The DataInsert node is a specialized form of the Database node, and the interaction is restricted to inserting one or more rows into a table within the database. You define what is inserted by defining mapping statements that use the data from the input message in some way to define the action required.

You can set a property to control whether the update to the database is committed immediately, or deferred until the message flow completes, at which time the update is committed, or rolled back according to the overall completion status of the message flow.

The DataInsert node is represented in the workbench by the following icon:

DataInsert node icon

Using this node in a message flow

Consider a situation in which your company has developed a new product. The details about the product have been sent from your engineering department, and you need to extract details from the message and add them as a new row in your stock database.

Configuring the DataInsert node

When you have put an instance of the DataInsert node into a message flow you can configure it. Right-click the node in the editor view and click Properties. The node's basic properties are displayed.

All mandatory properties for which you must enter a value (those that do not have a default value defined) are marked with an asterisk on the properties dialog.

Configure the DataInsert node as follows:

  1. Specify in Data Source the name by which the appropriate database is known on the system on which this message flow is to execute. The broker connects to this database with user ID and password information that you have specified on the mqsicreatebroker, mqsichangebroker, or mqsisetdbparms command.

    On z/OS systems, the broker uses the broker started task ID, or the user ID and password that were specified on the mqsisetdbparms command JCL, BIPSDBP in the customization data set <hlq>.SBIPPROC.

  2. In Statement, identify the associated mapping routine that is to be executed in this node. By default, the name assigned to the mapping routine is identical to the name of the mappings file in which the routine is defined. The default name for the file is the name of the message flow concatenated with the name of the node when you include it in the message flow (for example, MFlow1_DataInsert.mfmap for the first DataInsert node in message flow MFlow1). You cannot specify a value that includes spaces.

    If you click Browse next to this entry field, a dialog is displayed that lists all available mapping routines that are accessible by this node. Select the routine that you want and click OK. The routine name is set in Statement.

    To work with the mapping routine associated with this node, right-click the node and select Open Mappings. If the mapping routine does not exist, it is created for you with the default name in the default file. If the file already exists, you can also open file <flow_name>_<node_name>.mfmap in the Navigator view.

    A mapping routine is specific to the type of node with which it is associated; you cannot use a mapping routine that you have developed for a DataInsert node with any other node that uses mappings (for example, a DataDelete node). If you create a mapping routine, you cannot call it from any other mapping routine, although you can call it from an ESQL routine.

  3. Select the Transaction setting from the drop-down menu. The values are:
    • Automatic (the default). The message flow, of which the DataInsert node is a part, is committed if it is successful. That is, the actions that you define in the mappings are taken and the message continues through the message flow. If the message flow fails, it is rolled back. Therefore if you choose Automatic, the ability to commit or roll back the action of the DataInsert node on the database depends on the success or failure of the entire message flow.
    • Commit. If you want to commit any uncommitted actions taken in this message flow on the database connected to this node, irrespective of the success or failure of the message flow as a whole, select Commit. The changes to the database are committed even if the message flow itself fails.
  4. Select Basic in the properties dialog navigator and set or clear the two check boxes:
    • If you want database warning messages to be treated as errors, and the node to propagate the output message to the failure terminal, select the Treat Warnings as Errors check box. The box is initially cleared.

      When you select the box, the node handles all positive return codes from the database as errors and generates exceptions in the same way as it does for the negative, or more serious, errors.

      If you do not select the box, the node treats warnings as normal return codes, and does not raise any exceptions. The most significant warning raised is not found, which can be handled as a normal return code safely in most circumstances.

    • If you want the broker to generate an exception when a database error is detected, select the Throw Exception on Database Error check box. The box is initially selected.

      If you clear the box, you must handle the error in the message flow to ensure the integrity of the broker and the database: the error is ignored if you do not handle it through your own processing, because you have chosen not to invoke the default error handling by the broker. For example, you could connect the failure terminal to an error processing subroutine.

  5. Select Description in the properties dialog navigator to enter a short description, a long description, or both.
  6. Click Apply to make the changes to the DataInsert node without closing the properties dialog. Click OK to apply the changes and close the properties dialog.

    Click Cancel to close the dialog and discard all the changes that you have made to the properties.

Terminals and properties

The terminals of the DataInsert node are described in the following table.

Terminal Description
In The input terminal that accepts a message for processing by the node.
Failure The output terminal to which the input message is propagated if a failure is detected during the computation. If you have selected Treat warnings as errors, the node propagates the message to this terminal even if the processing completes successfully.
Out The output terminal that outputs the message following the execution of the database statement.

The following tables describe the node properties; the column headed M indicates whether the property is mandatory (marked with an asterisk on the properties dialog if you must enter a value when no default is defined), the column headed C indicates whether the property is configurable (you can change the value when you add the message flow to the bar file to deploy it).

The DataInsert node Basic properties are described in the following table.

Property M C Default Description
Data Source No Yes   The ODBC data source name of the database in which reside the tables to which you refer in the mappings associated with this node (identified by the Statement property).
Statement Yes No DataInsert The name of the mapping routine that contains the statements that are to be executed against the database or the message tree. The routine is unique to this type of node.
Transaction Yes No Automatic The transaction mode for the node. This can be Automatic or Commit.
Treat Warnings as Errors Yes No Cleared Treat database SQL warnings as errors. If you select the check box, this action is performed.
Throw Exception on Database Error Yes No Selected Database errors cause the broker to throw an exception. If you select the check box, this action is performed.

The Description properties of the DataInsert node are described in the following table.

Property M C Default Description
Short Description No No   A brief description of the node.
Long Description No No   Text that describes the purpose of the node in the message flow.