Data Transformation Engine Intelligent Business Integration Reference Guide

Chapter 2 - Integration Maps Anatomy of a Mercator Map
Intelligent Business Integration Reference Guide
27
Note Adapter settings defined in the map can be overridden with different adapter
settings at map runtime.
The resource adapters are loosely coupled with the transformation process. An
adapter retrieves data to be processed by the map as a byte stream. This means
that to the extent that the type definitions and byte streams are compatible, type
trees and adapters can be used interchangeably.
For example, when testing, it may be quicker to debug problems with the map’s
logic using a file. However, for production, the data source may be from a
database. As long as the format of the data retrieved from the database is
consistent with the format of the data in the file that was used for development
and debugging, the only change that has to be made to the map is to change the
relevant input(s) from using the File adapter to using the Database adapter.
Furthermore, the map source file need not be changed at all, as the map’s
execution settings, including the adapter configuration settings, can be overridden
at runtime.
Where possible, resource adapters utilize the native client libraries of the
resources concerned for connecting to those resources. It is through this
mechanism that Mercator products can achieve “direct” connectivity to those
resources. For example, the Mercator Oracle adapter uses the Oracle Net8 client
to achieve connectivity to Oracle databases.
Mercator provides an open API to allow for development of a user-defined adapter,
should the need arise. This allows connectivity to unforeseen, possibly proprietary
systems (such as a “home-grown” HR system), in addition to the standards-based
adapters that Mercator provides.
Note For more information, see Application-Embedded Execution Model.