Business Object Importer 

Definition

A utility for importing business objects from the Portal Content Directory (PCD).

Use

The Business Object Importer utility enables the content administrator to import back-end system business objects, located in the PCD, into the Business Object folder of the Portal Content Catalog.

To create new folders and to access the business object importer:

·        Right-click the Business Object folder and choose New ® Folder. Enter the required field values and choose Finish.

·        Right-click the Business Object node, or any subfolder node, and choose Import Business Objects. The Business Object Importer opens in a new tab in the working area.

The Business Object Importer allows for single or multiple imports of business objects to the desired folder. It also enables the administrator to import, individually, business objects that are not available for automatic import. Examples of this would be a business object from a system that does not support a connector object model, or a logical business object that does not exist as a physical object in the database of the back-end system.

Structure

The Business Object Importer is divided into two main parts: the upper part contains the automatic import utility; the lower part is for individual, manual imports. There is also a search capability available at the top of tab.

Searching for Business Objects

In the event of numerous systems and/or business objects, which would make navigation among them difficult, the search utility enables a search for the desired object and limiting the search to a specific folder.

Automatic Import

The main import utility opens from the context menu of a folder in the Portal Content Catalog, and consists of a left and right pane. The left pane displays all available systems, meaning those existing as system objects in the PCD, and the business objects they contain. The right pane represents the folder from which the import tool was opened. Between the two panes are Add and Remove buttons for loading and unloading to the business objects folder.

The Left Pane – Available Business Objects

The Available Business Objects pane contains folders representing systems in the PCD. Expand a system folder to expose its business objects. To add business objects to the right pane, select them individually or multiply, using the Ctrl or Shift keys, and click Add.

Choosing and adding a system icon does not add its contents, just the folder.

The Right Pane – The Selected Business Object Folder

The right pane is the folder to which you are importing business objects. It displays all the contents of the selected folder: existing business objects, if any, newly imported business objects, and subfolders, if any.

There is an up-arrow icon in the upper right corner to navigate to the next highest folder in the tree, placing that folder name as the title of the pane. Double-clicking a subfolder moves down the tree to that folder.

Manual Import

In the lower part of the Business Object Importer is the Add Manually section. This section requires the administrator to know the name and ID of the desired business object, and to enter the respective system alias. If the object is from an existing portal system, the system alias is chosen from the Existing drop-down selection list.

It is also possible, however, to add a semantic object that is not from an existing portal system by entering a new system name in the field New field, and giving the object a name and ID. This can be useful for implementing object-based navigation on a static object, such as a folder in the Portal Catalog, an icon, or an image.

This section has its own Add button.

Save and Refresh

The Save and Refresh buttons are located at the top of the Business Object Importer. The Refresh button is useful for keeping up with the latest changes to the system landscape.

All additions of business objects to business object folders are kept only after choosing the Save button.