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 overview
IBM WebSphere Adapter Toolkit helps developers implement the Adapter Foundation Classes, which establish a WebSphere Adapters standard for building resource adapters that conform to the Java™ Platform, Enterprise Edition (JEE) Connector Architecture (JCA) 1.5 specification.
- 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.- Architectural overview
With the appropriate enterprise information system-specific subclasses, WebSphere Adapter Foundation Classes provide a JCA-compliant resource adapter implementation that can be managed by the application server to enable bidirectional connectivity to an enterprise information system.- How metadata is used at build time and run time
Metadata is a set of characteristics that describe the structure of a WebSphere Business Integration component, such as a business object, collaboration, or adapter. Metadata describes facets common across an entire class of objects.For example, attributes, properties, verbs, and application-specific information constitute the metadata for a business object. Application-specific information is the part of metadata of a business object that enables the adapter to interact with its application or a data source.
- Use Enterprise Metadata Discovery to build services
In addition to using enterprise metadata discovery to discover existing services, you can use it to build services that include integrated processes to exchange information with an email or a file system.