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

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.

Services can use the adapter to exchange data with the local file system in two ways:

You configure the adapter to perform either outbound or inbound processing through the external service wizard, launched through IBM Integration Designer. Using the external service wizard, you can create a module, which consists of a project in IBM Integration Designer and a unit of deployment to IBM BPM or WebSphere Enterprise Service Bus. Each module contains components that make up a service for either an import or an export:

The module is packaged and deployed to IBM BPM or WebSphere Enterprise Service Bus as an enterprise archive (EAR) file.

To represent files that are exchanged between a module and the local file system, the adapter uses business objects. A business object is a logical data container that contains the data that is processed by the adapter.

You can create business objects using the external service wizard or by using the business object editor in IBM Integration Designer.

The adapter uses adapter-specific data bindings and data handlers to transform data from one format to another during inbound and outbound processing. Data bindings are essentially maps that define how a business object is to be formatted. A data binding reads the fields in a business object and populates the corresponding fields in the file. The data binding that is used depends on the internal format of the file. Each data type has an equivalent data binding. You use the external service wizard to configure the data binding.

Data handlers perform the conversions between a business object and a native format. When you select a data type that contains business objects, you must specify the data handler that performs the conversion. Data handlers are provided by IBM BPM or WebSphere Enterprise Service Bus.

Overview of WebSphere Adapter for Flat Files