Some adapters support specific message attributes, which contain additional information about messages. This information is not located in the payload of the message, but in additional message header fields.
Every adapter has a defined set of attributes, which are described for every adapter type as part of the configuration for each of the adapters. You can set the attributes in the sender adapter and use the attributes in the receiver adapter.
The length of the attribute value is defined by the XI message protocol. Values can be a maximum of 200 characters long. If, for example, you assign longer values in the mapping or adapter modules then this can lead to processing errors at runtime or the values are shortened to 200 characters. This shortening can also lead to a processing error. The processing error that occurs depends on the components that access the attributes.
In routing and mapping you can use the namespace and the technical name of attributes to access them.
The attribute namespace comprises the namespace in the Enterprise Services Repository in which the adapter metadata for the adapter is saved and the name of the adapter metadata object.
The adapter namespaces for the adapters shipped by SAP therefore have the following format:
http://sap.com/xi/XI/System/<Adapter Metadata Object Name of Adapter>
The SAP adapter metadata objects are in namespace http://sap.com/xi/XI/System of software component SAP BASIS .
In the sender adapter, select Set Adapter-Specific Message Attributes and select the attributes you want to use in the message header.
For more information, see the Adapter-Specific Message Attributes :
Configuring the Sender RFC Adapter
Configuring Sender Plain HTTP Adapter in Integration Directory
Configuring the Sender File Adapter
Configuring the Sender FTP Adapter
Configuring the Sender JMS Adapter
Configuring the Sender SOAP Adapter
Configuring the Sender Mail Adapter
Configuring the Sender RNIF 1.1 Adapter for Requests
Use the set attributes in routing, mapping, or in the receiver adapter of the same type:
Specify an adapter-specific attribute as a context object when formulating a routing condition in the expression editor.
For more information, see Expression Editor
To evaluate the routing condition at runtime, the current value of the attribute is read from the message header.
Routing is not available in the PCK.
In the mapping, you can use Java functions to get read and write access to attributes.
For more information, see Java Mapping of Adapter-Specific Message Attributes
Select the adapter-specific message attributes in the receiver adapter.
The attributes are read from a message and used instead of a static parameter from the adapter configuration.
For more information, see the Adapter-Specific Message Attributes :
Configuring the Receiver Plain HTTP Adapter in the Integration Directory
Configuring the Receiver File Adapter
Configuring the Receiver FTP Adapter
Configuring the Receiver JMS Adapter
Configuring the Receiver SOAP Adapter
Configuring the Receiver Mail Adapter
Message attributes are listed in the message header DynamicConfiguration in message monitoring.
More information about monitoring in the Integration Engine: Displaying XML Message Versions .