PeopleSoft Integration Broker provides a mechanism for communicating
with the outside world using XML files.
Communication can take place between different PeopleSoft
applications or between PeopleSoft and third-party systems.
To subscribe to data, third-party applications can accept
and process XML messages posted by PeopleSoft using the
available PeopleSoft connectors or by adding a custom built
connector to the Integration Gateway.
This topic primarily covers publishing outbound
asynchronous messages from a PeopleSoft system to a
third-party application using the delivered File Output
connector.
For information on outbound synchronous messages, see
"Using Outbound Synchronous Messages".
To send a message, you must properly configure various
internal structures and processes.
Here are some of the relevant components:
- Gateways are essetially a pathway out of the
system. There is always a LOCAL gateway in PeopleSoft
which refers to the source PeopleSoft system. Other
gateways may exist - for example when there are
differences between PeopleTools versions.
- Domains refer to PeopleSoft application
server (tuxedo) domains.
- Nodes define what application a message
belongs to - any system that integration broker can talk
to (including the local system) will have a node.
- Messages define the structure of the XML sent
between nodes. The key difference between asynchronous
and synchronous messages is acknowledgement -
synchronous messages need to be acknowledge by the
receiver, aynychronous ones don't. Synchronous messages
aren't used much in PeopleSoft, but I believe their main
purpose is for reliability.
- Queues are used to manage and group messages
so that all messages are sent through the multiple
pipes. Queues are used for administration of integration
broker to avoid stopping everything when something is
wrong. For example you can pause a one queue for
messages to the report architecture without say stopping
messages to the finance system.
- Service Operations bring together messages,
queues, handlers and routings. They essentially define
how the message moves between systems.
- Services seem to be used to group service
operations.
- Routings are used to link a service operation
to a node, and can also specify transformation of a
message.
- Handlers contain code and logic for
sending/receiving/manipulating messages.