Bookshelf v7.5: Connector Architecture

The Siebel Connector for PeopleSoft includes the following design and run-time tools and components:

Table 1. Siebel Connector for PeopleSoft Components
Function	Design Time Component	Design Time Tool	Run Time Component
Data Definition	Integration Objects	Integration Object Editor Integration Object Wizards
Data Transformation	Data Transformation Maps	Data Mapper Business Service Editor	Data Transformation Engine (DTE)
Business Process Integration	Integration Workflow	Workflow Process Designer	Business Integration Manager (BIM)
Data Transport			Siebel Adapter Database Adapter HTTP Adapter HTTP Receiver XML Converter

Integration Objects

Integration Objects are data containers that hold the information that is being exchanged between Siebel eBusiness Applications and PeopleSoft. When instantiated during run-time, they are used to hold the content of the data being sent from one application to the other. Two integration objects are typically defined for each data flow—an internal data object that represents Siebel eBusiness Applications data and an integration object that represents the corresponding external data object in PeopleSoft.

For example, to import employee data from PeopleSoft into Siebel eBusiness Applications, you must define an external integration object that represents the PeopleSoft's Employee data and another internal integration object that represents the corresponding Siebel Employee business component. Several predefined Integration Objects are provided by the connector. These objects can be used in defining integration points.

Integration Object Editor

Integration Objects can be defined manually using the Integration Object Editor in Siebel Tools. The procedure for defining an integration object is similar to the procedure for creating a Siebel Business Object.

Integration Object Wizards

You can use Wizards within Siebel Tools to create integration objects. These wizards can be used to ascertain the metadata definitions of applications or data sources including customizations to data model, and generate appropriate integration objects. You can use the Integration Object Editor to further edit the generated objects.

The following Integration Object Wizards are provided for integrating Siebel eBusiness Applications with PeopleSoft:

Siebel Wizard

This wizard is used to examine metadata definitions of Siebel eBusiness Applications and generate internal integration objects that are based on Siebel Business Objects.

XML DTD Wizard

The XML DTD Wizard is used to generate external integration objects based on PeopleSoft's XML DTD.

Database Wizard

The Database Wizard can be used to examine the data dictionary of the database that PeopleSoft uses to store data and extract the data definition. These data definitions can be used to create external integration objects to represent PeopleSoft data. The Database Wizard supports Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server, and IBM DB2 databases.

Data Transformation Maps and Data Transformation Engine

After the internal and external integration objects are created, a Data Transformation Map is used to transform data contained in the two objects. During run-time, a data transformation map is passed to the Siebel Data Transformation Engine (DTE) along with an internal and an external integration object. The map defines the relationships of data elements among the two integration objects. The DTE transforms the data following the map definitions.

Depending on the direction of data transfer, the internal and external integration objects may serve as either the DTE input or output. For example, when information flows inbound from PeopleSoft to Siebel, the external integration object is the DTE input and the output goes to the internal integration object. The arrangement is reversed for an outbound data flow.

You may define Data Transformation Map by using the Business Service Editor to write an eScript or by using the Siebel Data Mapper.

Business Service Editor

You can write a Siebel Business Service in Siebel eScript to process the integration object input to the Siebel Data Transformation Engine (DTE) and invoke DTE data transformation functions that put the transformed data into the DTE output.

Data Mapper

The Siebel Data Mapper is used to define data transformation maps declaratively. Instead of writing eScripts to traverse through integration objects and transform the data, the Data Mapper allows you to define the relationships between the components and fields of the internal and external integration objects. The Siebel Data Transformation Engine (DTE) interprets the relationships and performs the data transformation on your behalf. You may access the Data Mapper through the Siebel Web Client.

Integration Workflow

An Integration Workflow, a type of Siebel Workflow Process, defines the processing steps for data that will be exchanged between Siebel eBusiness Applications and PeopleSoft. For example, an integration workflow for outbound account data from Siebel eBusiness Applications to PeopleSoft may contain steps that invoke the Siebel Adapter to query the account object from the Siebel Object Manager, use the DTE to transform the data, convert the data into XML, and call the HTTP Adapter to send information to PeopleSoft through its interfaces.

Workflow Process Designer

Integration Workflows are created and maintained with the Siebel Workflow Process Designer, a graphical tool accessed through the Siebel Web Client.

Workflow Process Manager

The Siebel Workflow Process Manager is the run-time component that executes integration workflows. It can handle both interactive and batch data exchanges.

Siebel Adapter

Siebel Adapter moves data into and out of the Siebel Object Manager. When outbound data flows from Siebel eBusiness Applications to PeopleSoft, Siebel Adapter is the first step of the workflow. It queries the Object Manager for data and puts it into an instantiated integration object for additional processing. When inbound data flows from PeopleSoft to a Siebel application, Siebel Adapter is the last step of the workflow. It inserts or updates the incoming data into the Siebel Object Manager.

Database Adapter

The Database Adapter allows data exchanges between Siebel eBusiness Applications and PeopleSoft database tables. During an outbound data flow, the Database Adapter writes data to PeopleSoft's interface tables. During an inbound data flow, the Database Adapter can read data from PeopleSoft's interface tables or base tables and passes the data into Siebel eBusiness Applications. The Database Adapter can be used for both PeopleSoft 7.5 and 8.

HTTP Adapter and HTTP Receiver

The HTTP Adapter and HTTP Receiver allow Siebel eBusiness Applications to send and receive XML messages with PeopleSoft using HTTP as the communication protocol. The HTTP Adapter and HTTP Receiver support integrating Siebel eBusiness Applications with PeopleSoft 8.

XML Converter

XML Converter converts data between Siebel-native representation to XML. It supports integration between Siebel eBusiness Applications with PeopleSoft 8 by exchanging XML messages. During an outbound dataflow, the XML Converter converts data from Siebel-native format to XML before the data is sent to PeopleSoft using the HTTP Adapter. During an inbound flow, the converter converts XML-encoded data from PeopleSoft 8 back to Siebel-native representation.