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 > Adapter Toolkit > IBM WebSphere Adapter Toolkit technology overviews
IBM WebSphere Adapters
WebSphere Adapters implement the Java™ Platform, Enterprise Edition (JEE) Connector Architecture (JCA), version 1.5. WebSphere Adapters enable managed, bidirectional connectivity between enterprise information systems (EIS) and Java Platform, Enterprise Edition components supported by multiple server run time environments, including IBM BPM and WebSphere Application Server.
WebSphere Adapters support outbound request processing and inbound event processing.
WebSphere Adapters support outbound and inbound processing for IBM BPM and outbound processing only for IBM WebSphere Application Server.
Outbound processing refers to a process in which request data flows from a client application to an enterprise information system. In an outbound processing scenario, the adapter acts as the connector between the application component and an enterprise information system. The adapter provides a set of standard operations, which process either an after-image or Delta style business objects. An outbound request can read data from or write data to an enterprise information system.
Inbound event processing refers to a process that is initiated by an event on an enterprise information system. During inbound event processing, the adapter converts events generated from an enterprise information system into business objects and sends the business object to the client application. Inbound event notification complements outbound request processing, enabling adapters to provide bidirectional communication between business processes and enterprise information system applications.
Figure 1. A WebSphere Adapter
The IBM WebSphere Adapters portfolio of adapters is based on the Java Platform, Enterprise Edition (JEE) Connector Architecture (JCA) standard. JCA is a standard architecture for integrating Java Platform, Enterprise Edition applications with enterprise information systems. Each of these systems provides native APIs for identifying a function to call, specifying its key data, and processing its output data. The goal of the JCA standard is to provide an independent API for coding these functions, to facilitate data sharing, and to integrate Java Platform, Enterprise Edition applications with existing and other enterprise information systems. The JCA standard accomplishes this goal by defining a series of contracts that govern interactions between an enterprise information system and Java Platform, Enterprise Edition component within an application server.
WebSphere Adapters are developed to run on multiple server run times, to perform the following actions:
- Integrate with multiple server run times, including IBM BPM, WebSphere Enterprise Service Bus, and WebSphere Application Server.
- Connect an application running on IBM BPM with an enterprise information system.
- Enable data exchange between the application and an enterprise information system.
WebSphere Adapters comprise:
- An implementation of the Java Platform, Enterprise Edition (JEE) Connector Architecture (JCA), version 1.5, which supports IBM BPM and WebSphere Application Server.
- An enterprise metadata discovery component.
You use this component with the external service wizard to introspect an enterprise information system to discover and generate business objects and other service component architecture (SCA) artifacts that are compiled in a standard enterprise application archive file. You can also use the external service wizard to build a service (rather than discover a service).
For example, you can use the enterprise service discovery wizard to build services (based on search criteria you provide), and generate business objects and interfaces.
The enterprise metadata discovery component implements version 1.2 of the enterprise metadata discovery specification.
WebSphere Adapters use a format-independent data model for representing data objects. In IBM BPM or WebSphere Enterprise Service Bus run time environment, WebSphere Adapters use an extension of the service data objects (SDO) for representing data objects.