iWay Adapter

The iWay adapter enables Sterling B2B Integrator to communicate with over 100 adapters that iWay communicates with through the iWay XML Transformation Engine (iXTE) server.

The following table provides an overview of the iWay adapter:

System name iWayadapter
Graphical Process Modeler (GPM) categories All Services, Applications > ERP
Description Enables Sterling B2B Integrator to communicate with over 100 adapters that iWay communicates with through the iWay XML Transformation Engine (iXTE) server. Adapter types that are supported by the iWay adapter include application systems adapters (ERP and CRM) and data adapters (relational data and connector technologies).
Business usage Sends documents from backend systems through Sterling B2B Integrator to iWay.
Usage example You are sending data to a PeopleSoft® application through iWay. The data is sent from your system to Sterling B2B Integrator, which translates the data into an XML document. The business process runs the iWay adapter, which takes the data, envelopes it, and sends it to iWay.
Preconfigured? No
Requires third-party files? Yes. The iWay Application Explorer version 5.2.1 or higher is needed to create XML schemas that can be used in a Sterling B2B Integrator translation map.
Platform availability All supported Sterling B2B Integrator platforms
Related services XML Translation service
Application requirements Sterling B2B Integrator supports iWay version 5.2.1 and higher. To use the iWay adapter, you must have:
  • iWay software installed and configured
  • iWay documentation
  • The appropriate adapter documentation
Initiates business processes? Yes
Invocation Runs as part of a business process.
Business process context considerations Resultant workflow context contains response from iWay adapter. It does not contain the original request. In bootstrap mode, a workflow context is created by the iWay adapter.
Returned status values Success, failureA status report is generated on failure.
Restrictions None
Persistence level System default (Full)
Testing considerations To test outbound, an iWay instance must be running and a listener configured on the iWay server. To test inbound, the iWay adapter agent must be installed on the iWay server.

Requirements

Sterling B2B Integrator supports iWay version 5.2.1 and higher. To use the iWay adapter, you must have:
  • iWay software installed and configured
  • iWay documentation
  • The appropriate adapter documentation

For information about iWay software, see http://www.iWaysoftware.com.

Before Using the iWay Adapter

Before you can use the iWay adapter, you must create XML schemas and translation maps to generate XML documents that can be sent to iWay. For each iWay configuration you have, use the iWay Application Explorer to create two XML schemas: one for Request documents and one for Response documents. For example, you may have separate iWay configurations for PeopleSoft, UCCnet, and SAP.

Follow these steps:
  1. Determine how many iWay configurations you will integrate with Sterling B2B Integrator by using the iWay adapter.
  2. Use the iWay Application Explorer to create Request and Response XML schemas for each.
  3. Check in the XML schemas to Sterling B2B Integrator.
  4. Using the Sterling B2B Integrator Map Editor, create maps for each schema to translate from your document format to the format required for iWay.
  5. Test the maps to verify that no translation errors exist.

For more information about the iWay Application Explorer, see your iWay documentation or the iWay website: http://www.iWaysoftware.com.

How the iWay Adapter Works

The following steps summarize how the iWay adapter works in an Sterling B2B Integrator business process:
  1. The business process passes XML data containing the executable command to the iWay adapter.
  2. The iWay adapter envelopes the incoming data into an iWay RequestXML document, and sends this request to the iWay Software iXTE server.
  3. The iWay adapter waits for a response from the iWay Software iXTE server.
  4. The iWay Software iXTE server receives the RequestXML document and passes it on to the appropriate iWay Software Intelligent adapter using a preconfigured datasource.
  5. The iWay Software Intelligent adapter executes the request against the back-end system and returns an answer set to the iWay Software iXTE server.
  6. The iWay Software iXTE server passes the results back to the Sterling B2B Integrator iWay adapter in the form of a ResponseXML document.
  7. The iWay adapter parses the response (ResponseXML) and places the data into the output business process context. The status of the output business process context is SUCCESS and the primary document contains the result set.
    Note: Not all commands produce a result set.

    Note the following exceptions:

    • If the XML data produces an empty result set (as with delete or update requests), the status of the output business process context is SUCCESS and the primary document contains the empty result set.
    • If the returned ResponseXML document contains an error, the ResponseXML document is parsed and the data is placed into the output business process context. The status of the output business process context is ERROR and the primary document contains the RequestXML document data.
    • If the returned ResponseXML document is not received within the specified time (default 30 seconds), the status of the output business process context is ERROR and the primary document contains the Request XML document data.
  8. The business process continues with the next activity.

Implementing the iWay Adapter

To implement the iWay adapter, complete the following tasks:
  1. Activate your license for the iWay adapter. See An Overview of Implementing Services.
  2. Create an iWay adapter configuration. See Creating a Service Configuration.
  3. Configure the iWay adapter. See Configuring the iWay Adapter.
  4. Create and enable a business process that includes the iWay adapter configuration.
    Note: The business process must be set up to move data between Sterling B2B Integrator and one or more of the systems supported by the iWay adapter.
  5. Test the business process and the adapter.
  6. Run the business process.

Configuring the iWay Adapter

To configure the iWay adapter, you must specify field settings in Sterling B2B Integrator:

Note: The names in parentheses represent the corresponding field names in the GPM. This information is provided for your reference.
Field Description
Name Unique, meaningful name for the adapter configuration. Required.
Description Meaningful description for the adapter configuration, for reference purposes. Required.
Select a Group Select one of the options:
  • None – You do not want to include this configuration in a group at this time.
  • Create New Group – You can enter a name for a new group in this field, which will then be created along with this configuration.
  • Select Group – If you have already created one or more groups for this service type, they are displayed in the list. Select a group from the list.
Note: See Using Service Groups.
iWay hostname(HostName) Host name or IP address of the iWay iXTE server. Required.
iWay port number(PortNumber) Port number of the iWay iXTE server listener. Required.
Inbound Service Listen Port(listenPort) Enter the port number for the iWay adapter to listen on. Required.
Inbound Service Bind Address(listenHostname) Host name and port number for the iWay adapter to listen on. Optional.
Note: This parameter provides multi-homed server support and allows tighter security. By default, the iWay adapter will bind to all available homes (network interfaces) on the iWay iXTE server and listen on all of them. If a host is entered for this parameter, the iWay adapter will only listen on that host. If left blank, the adapter will use the default behavior and listen on all available homes.
Bootstrap Process(bpID) If using the adapter to initiate a business process, select the name of the business process from the list.
Document Storage Type(docStorageType) Defines how the document will be stored in the system. RequiredValid values:
  • System Default
  • Database
  • File System
Note: See Selecting a Document Storage Method for Bootstrap Adapters.

Deploying the Sterling B2B Integrator iWay Agent

To deploy the Sterling B2B Integrator iWay Agent on the iWay iXTE server:
  1. Copy the GIS_Installation/client/iWay/GISiWayAgent.jar file to the system that contains the iXTE server.
  2. From the iXTE console, select Configuration > Register Libraries
  3. Add the GISiWayAgent.jar file from this interface.
  4. Select Configuration > Defines > Agent
  5. In the New Agent dialog box, enter the following:
    • For Alias, enter GISAgent
    • For Procedure, enter com.sterlingcommerce.woodstock.services.iWay.agent.GISRequestAgent (gisservername,iWay adapter Listen port,GIS User,GIS Password)

      For example, assume Sterling B2B Integrator is running on a machine named fred and the iWay adapter is configured to listen on port 50000 and you have a user called joe with a password of wilma. The resulting procedure setting would be:

      com.sterlingcommerce.woodstock.services.iWay.agent.GISRequestAgent (fred,50000,joe,wilma)

    • For Comment, enter GIS Request Agent
  6. Configure your listener to use this agent:
    1. Go to Configuration/Listeners and select the listener to configure.
    2. In the upper right hand corner, click Agents.
    3. Select Add Agents > GISAgent.
    4. Click Add.

Anything received by this listener will now be forwarded to Sterling B2B Integrator.

Note: The Sterling B2B Integrator iWay Agent only works with XML payloads.