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
Outbound processing
During outbound processing, the adapter receives a request from the module, in the form of a business object, to perform an operation on a file in the local file system. The adapter performs the requested operation and returns a business object, if applicable, that represents the result of the operation to the component.
The following illustration shows the outbound processing flow for WebSphere Adapter for Flat Files.
Figure 1. Outbound processing
- Outbound operations
An operation is the action that an adapter can perform on the local file system during outbound processing. The name of the operation indicates the type of action that the adapter takes.- Outbound data transformation
During outbound processing, the adapter performs data transformation based on the adapter-specific data binding and data handler you select when you configure the adapter for outbound processing in the external service wizard.- File splitting
To support files that contain multiple records, the adapter provides an optional file splitting feature. When you use this feature during the Retrieve operation, the adapter divides large files into smaller chunks, which are then retrieved separately.- Generate unique file names
To generate unique file names during Create operations, add a persistent sequence number to the default file name or use random numbers to generate file names.