Using Enterprise Designer

You use Enterprise Designer to set up the B2B Host, connect it to LDAP, and build it. The B2B Host includes one or more sets of attribute definitions for protocol-related and transport parameters:

• Business protocol attribute definitions (BPADs) that contain business and enveloping attribute definitions (BADs and EADs).

• Delivery protocol attribute definitions (DPADs) contain messaging and packaging attribute definitions (MADs and PADs).

• Transport attribute definitions are called TADs.

The business protocol manager applications available for eXchange Integrator, such as X12 or HIPAA, come equipped with prebuilt BPADs. You can also create your own BPADs for custom business protocols. Similarly for transport: You can use either the standard TADs supplied with eXchange Integrator (HTTP, FTP, ...) or create custom ones that you set up yourself.

After the B2B Host is set up with all its attribute definitions, a connectivity map is created to connect it to an LDAP server that is also connected to the ePM GUI. In the same connectivity map, the B2B Host is connected to an Oracle Server that is also connected to a Message Tracker application. Building the connectivity map causes the metadata to be stored on the LDAP server, and also creates an external, an eXchange Service, in the same Environment that contains the Oracle and LDAP externals.

For business logic, many prebuilt business processes BPs are supplied with eXchange Integrator to handle such B2B functions as batching, tracking, and dialogs. All of these BPs can be customized if you want. In addition, the eXchange Protocol Designer can be used to design and configure custom BPs that you create.

BPs for inbound and/or outbound messages are dragged into a connectivity map, where they are represented as services. There, they are connected in usual fashion with externals (including the eXchangeService) and with other services. Activation of a corresponding Deployment Profile exposes the connectivity map’s components for processing by Logical Hosts. All information is stored to LDAP, thus making it available for viewing or modification by ePM.