Using a Channel to Construct a Message Flow
The use of iWay Service Manager utilizes a channel,
which is a container for all the iWay business components used in
a HIPAA message flow.
At a high level, a channel accepts input data via an inlet,
processes the data via a route, and outputs the resulting
data via an outlet. Another component in the process is an Ebix (e-Business
Information Exchange). An Ebix provides an archiving executable
solution for e-business metadata components, which allows integration
with iWay Service Manager for end-to-end e-business document processing.
The following diagram shows the channel components available
in the construction of a message flow.
In the following diagram, the value n underneath a component
name indicates how many instances of that component you can have
in a channel configuration—zero, one, or more than one. For example,
n = 1 for Inlet means that you can have only one inlet on the channel.
Required components are in boldface type.
x
A channel consists of:
- An inlet,
which defines how a message enters a channel.
- A route, which
defines the path a message takes through a channel.
- An outlet,
which defines how transformed messages exit a channel.
- An e-Business
Information Exchange (Ebix), which is a collection of metadata that defines
the structure of data.
iWay Service Manager provides a design-time repository called
the Registry, where you assemble and manage the components in a
channel.
An inlet can contain:
- A listener
(required), which is a protocol handler responsible for picking
up an incoming message on a channel.
- A decryptor,
which applies a decryption algorithm to an incoming message and verifies
the security of the message.
- A preparser,
which is a logical process that converts an incoming message into
a processable document. The preparsed document then passes through
the standard transformation services to reach the designated processing
service.
A route can contain:
- An in
transformer, which is an exit sequence that applies to a message
before processing occurs.
- A reviewer,
which is either the first exit to receive a document after parsing
(inbound), or the last exit to receive a document prior to the actual
emit operation (outbound). These exits are intended for envelope
handling but can be used for any desired purpose.
- Validation
rules, which apply validation using the rules validation engine.
Rules are provided when the iWay Integration Solution for HIPAA
is installed.
- A transform,
which is a transformation definition file that contains sets of
rules, interpreted and executed by a transformation engine. Transformation
is the process by which data is transformed from one structure/format
to another.
- A process,
which is a stateless, lightweight, short-lived microflow that is
executed by iWay Service Manager on a message as it passes through
the system. Processes that are published using iWay Designer are
available in the Registry and can be bound to channels as routes.
- A pFlow process.
- An agent list.
- A service,
which is an executable Java procedure that handles the business
logic of a message.
- An adapter,
which refers to a target that represents a specific instance of
a connection to a back-end system.
- An out
transformer, which is an exit sequence that applies to a message
after processing occurs.
- A transform,
which is a transformation definition file that contains sets of rules,
interpreted and executed by a transformation engine. Transformation
is the process by which data is transformed from one structure/format
to another.
- Validation
rules, which apply validation using the rules validation engine.
Rules are provided when the iWay Integration Solution for HIPAA
is installed.
- A reviewer,
which is either the first exit to receive a document after parsing (inbound),
or the last exit to receive a document prior to the actual emit
operation (outbound). These exits are intended for envelope handling
but can be used for any desired purpose.
- An outlet
(optional), which is responsible for all aspects of preparing a document
for emission and then emitting it.
- A preemitter,
which is a logical process that handles a document immediately before
transmission. Normally it converts an XML document into non-XML
format.
- An encryptor,
which can be called to encrypt an outgoing document.
- An emitter,
which is a transport protocol that sends a document to its recipient.
An outlet can contain:
- A preemitter.
- An encryptor.
- Multiple emitters.
For details on the preceding components, see the iWay Service
Manager User's Guide.