Creating Adapter Metadata

You define the configuration information that is required for your adapter type in the adapter metadata. You use adapter metadata to define the part of a communication channel that is specific to the adapter type.

The metadata is used to generate the user interface and save the configuration data in the database. The adapter metadata is an XML document.

More information: Defining Communication Channels

Interface Overview

The adapter must support at least the sender or the receiver direction. It should support both directions.

• The schema for the adapter metadata differentiates between the sender and the receiver direction of the adapter.

  A sender adapter sends from the connected system to the Integration Server, the Advanced Adapter Engine Extended, or the PCK. A receiver adapter receives from the Integration Server, the Advanced Adapter Engine Extended, or PCK for the connected system. The view is always that as seen from the connected system.

• The adapter configuration differentiates between the transport layer and the message layer. The external protocol provided by the adapter determines what is configured in the transport layer and what is configured in the message layer. In some adapters this differentiation is not relevant.

  You define the transport and message protocol depending on the sender and receiver direction. The adapter definition permits several transport and message protocols to be supported. The user interface displays the selection options for the protocols as selection lists. When the user selects one of the protocols, the interface displays the corresponding attributes.

  Tip

  In the definition for the JMS adapter, you can choose between various providers such as JNDI, SonicMQ, and so on for the transport protocol. Depending on your selection, you must then make the provider-specific entries in the adapter configuration.

  More information: JMS Adapter

• The adapter type and the namespace determine the adapter uniquely.

  You must specify the type and the namespace to be able to load the adapter metadata. If you make an incompatible change to the adapter configuration (for example, between SAP NetWeaver 2004 and SAP NetWeaver Process Integration 7.1), select a different namespace for the adapter.

  With regard to the communication channels, the new adapter must then register itself with the old and the new namespaces. The adapter must administer the communication channels with the old namespace so that existing scenarios continue to run.

  The Integration Directory does not have a mechanism for upgrading or migrating communication channels.

  If the changes are incompatible changes, for example you add a parameter, keep the old namespace.

  The software component version (in PCK adapter version) cannot be used version management.

• The adapter metadata schema comprises the following.

  Main Part of the Adapter Metadata

  It also comprises schemata for the following groups and attributes:

  • AttributeReference
  • AttributeGroup
  • TransportProtocol and MessageProtocol
  • ChannelAttribute, SecurityAttribute, and GlobalChannelAttribute
  • ModuleProcessorAttributes
  • Attributes
  • AttributeTables
  • LabelListType
  • ValueType
  • RecursiveCondition