Why model messages?

WebSphere® Message Broker 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. Most message formats, however, are not self-defining, and the parser must have access to a predefined model that describes the message, if it is to parse it correctly.

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.

Examples of messages that do not have a self-defining format are binary messages that originate from a COBOL program, and from SWIFT formatted text messages. Neither contain sufficient metadata to enable a parser to understand the messages.

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 that are offered by WebSphere Message Broker, model your message formats.

To speed up the 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 predefined 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
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Copyright IBM Corporation 1999, 2009Copyright IBM Corporation 1999, 2009.
Last updated : 2009-01-07 15:21:01

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