WebSphere Message Brokers
File: ad10280_
Writer: Terry Cowling

Concept topic

This build: July 31, 2007 21:23:41

Why model messages?

A product such as WebSphere Message Broker typically supplies a range of parsers to parse and write message formats. Some message formats are self-defining and can be parsed without reference to a model. An example of a self-defining message format is XML. In XML the message itself contains metadata as well as data values, enabling an XML parser to understand an XML message even if no model is available. Most message formats, however, are not self-defining. As examples, a binary message originating from a COBOL program and a SWIFT formatted text message do not contain sufficient metadata to enable a parser to understand the message. The parser must have access to a model that describes the message to parse it correctly.

Even if your messages are self-defining and do not require modeling, there are still advantages in modeling them:

To make full use of the facilities offered by WebSphere Message Broker, you should model your message formats.

To speed up creation of message models, importers are provided that take metadata such as C header files, COBOL copybooks, XML Schema and DTDs, and WSDL files, and create message models from that metadata. Alternatively, IBM has pre-built models for common industry standard message formats such as SWIFT, EDIFACT, X12, FIX, HL7 and TLOG.

Related concepts
Message modeling concepts
Which message domain and format to use?
The message model
Project references
Ways to create message definitions
Related tasks
Developing message models
Notices | Trademarks | Downloads | Library | Support | Feedback

Copyright IBM Corporation 1999, 2007Copyright IBM Corporation 1999, 2007. All Rights Reserved.
This build: July 31, 2007 21:23:41

ad10280_ This topic's URL is: