IBM BPM, V8.0.1, All platforms > Authoring services in Integration Designer > Services and service-related functions > Access external services with adapters > Configure and using adapters > IBM WebSphere Adapters > Flat Files
Overview of WebSphere Adapter for Flat Files
With WebSphere Adapter for Flat Files, you can create integrated processes that can exchange data with the local file system, without special coding.
You can use the adapter to read data from a file in the local file system, use it in an application on IBM BPM or WebSphere Enterprise Service Bus, and send it back to the local file system.
You can also use the adapter to poll a directory in the local file system for new files and send them to an application for processing.
The adapter can be used to read and write any type of file stored in the local file system. It can:
- Create new files
- Append or overwrite existing files
- Retrieve the content of a given file, retrieve a list of file names in a directory, or delete a file
- Check whether a particular file exists or not
- Poll a directory for new files and send them to an application for processing
The following illustration shows the adapter as part of an SOA implementation.
Figure 1. Adapter overview
- Hardware and software requirements
The hardware and software requirements for WebSphere Adapters are provided on the IBM Support website. - Technical overview of the WebSphere Adapter for Flat Files
IBM WebSphere Adapter for Flat Files makes it possible for services running on IBM BPM or WebSphere Enterprise Service Bus to exchange data with the local file system.