XML Interface Toolkit

The XML interface toolkit provides mechanisms to import and export data in XML format. Arbitrary structured XML data is mapped to according UBIK^® objects and its properties by a mapping specified in a separate mapping configuration file. Both files have to be specified in the interface command file additional to the default parameters.

The XML data file must use the correct encoding, e.g. UTF-8!

Workflow

Import

Create a XML data file to be imported in UBIK^® according to the description for the mapping configuration
Use the Interface Manager to create a proper interface command file specifying the required server parameters, folder and file locations
Manually start and test the import by executing the interface via the Interface Manager

Export

Use the Interface Manager to create a proper interface command file specifying the required server parameters, folder and file locations
Manually start and test the export by executing the interface via the Interface Manager

Parameters

The general parameters, marked by Import/Export, are equivalents of the settings used by UBIKSTUDIO to connect to a database, please refer to its settings section for a detailed description.

The parameter DataView is used only for export purposes and defines the name of a UBIK^® View object. In an export process the XML toolkit

evaluates the view hierarchy and its objects
exports an object as defined in the mapping
in the same hierarchy as placed in the view

Key	Application	Description
Server	Import/Export	Name of the SQL Server (DataSource)
InitialCatalog	Import/Export	The name of the instance on the SQL Server (DataBase)
UserID	Import/Export	SQL Server user name (User)
Password	Import/Export	SQL Server password (Password)
RecordLifeTime	Import/Export	Duration how long records are valid before they will be requeried for changes by the kernel; -1 to turn off
WorkingFolder	Import/Export	Defines a folder where temporary files will be placed and deleted after processing
DataFile	Import/Export	Import: File path to XML data file to be imported; Export: Exported XML data will be stored in this file
DataMappingFile	Import/Export	File path to file containing the XML mapping information, both for import as well as export
DataView	Export	Name of a UBIK^® view object defining the scope and hierarchy of exported objects
DataObject	Export	Guid of a single UBIK^® object to be exported
DeleteFile	Import/Export	Defines whether or not the specified DataFile should be deleted after processing
LogFolder	Import/Export	Defines a folder where log files will be created into; if set a log file will be created always!
LogFile	Import/Export	Optional: defines a certain log file name; it not set the system will create an arbitrary one

Example: Export

Example: Import

Mapping configuration

The XML data is converted into according UBIK^® data (objects, property values,...) by applying a mapping between XML elements / attributes and UBIK^® MetaClasses / MetaProperties.

Sections of mapping file

A mapping configuration file consists of two distinctive sections for the general import and export configuration, labeled as <Import> and <Export>, respectively.

Each such section consists of multiple sections describing the mapping of UBIK^® MetaClasses to XML elements, labeled similar to the name of the related XML element. These class related mapping sections (also called ClassMapping) consist of sections for defining

possible key properties, labeled <Identifiers>
general properties, labeled <Property>
references for objects, labeled <Reference>
relations between objects, labeled <Relation>
possible child objects, labeled <Object>

The mapping information must be enveloped by a XML tag <UbikXMLMap>!

Section: <Import> / <Export>

Attributes

Attribute	Values	Description
EvaluateReferences	0 or 1	Set to 1 if references shall be evaluated (default = 1)
EvaluateRelations	0 or 1	Set to 1 if relations shall be evaluated (default = 1)
DataEnvelope	Text	Specify XML envelope (root node, default = UbikXMLData)
EvaluateUTS	0 or 1	Set to 1 to export UpdateTimeStamp of objects (default = 0)

The default envelope for the XML data is <UbikXMLData> and can be modified via the mapping configuration settings.

Section: <NameOfXmlElement>

This section defines the ClassMapping (as mentioned above) for mapping XML elements to UBIK^® MetaClasses
Each XML element contained in the data file requires an appropriate mapping

<NameOfXmlElement MetaClass="SAPObject"> Map a XML element NameOfXmlElement to MetaClass SAPObject
<NameOfXmlElement MetaClass="UID:11ffa6b5-0ada-41f5-bcd8-89fff9247d4d"> Using its Guid
...
</NameOfXmlElement>

Attributes

Attribute	Values	Description
MetaClass	Text	Specify the UBIK^® MetaClass either by its name or its Guid (via UID:Guid)

Section: <Identifier>

Mapping of XML elements to key properties used to identify an UBIK^® object
The value of the XML attribute of the XML object in the data file will be used as key value
Identifier properties can be concatenated with AND or OR
Values of identifier properties can have data type Guid
If one identifier mapping has UsesGuid enabled, it will always be tried to load the object using its Guid. The other identifier mappings will be used only, if the XML object is missing a proper XML element for the Guid identifier.

<Identifier>
<id1>ID1</id> Map XML element id1 to property ID1
<id2 LogicalAND=”0”>ID2</id2> Concatenate identifier with OR
<id3 UsesGuid=”1”>ID3</id3> Use a Guid as key value
</Identifier>

Attributes

Attribute	Values	Description
LogicalAND	0 or 1	Concatenate the sequent identifier with AND (default = 1)
UsesGuid	0 or 1	Inner text of XML element will be a Guid string (default = 0)

Section: <Property>

Mapping of XML elements to properties
The data type of the inner texts of the XML elements in the data file must be Text. The casting of the values to the actual MetaProperty's data type happens internally. The user does not have to care about the data type.
Identifier properties can be concatenated with AND or OR
Values of identifier properties can have data type Guid
If one identifier mapping has UsesGuid enabled, it will always be tried to load the object using its Guid. The other identifier mappings will be used only, if the XML object is missing a proper XML element for the Guid identifier.
Indexed MetaProperties can additionally have an Index mapping attribute
Use the Value attribute if a constant value shall be imported
Set Validate = 0 if the validation time stamp of a validated property should not be not during import and/or the property value should be always exported.

<Property>
<name>NAME</name> Map XML Element name to property NAME
<descr Value="Fix">DESCR</descr> Use constant value during import
<descrDE Index="0">TXT</descr> Access index values of properties
<descrEN Index="1">TXT</descr>
<meas Validate="1">12.45</meas> Validate property
</Property>

Attributes

Attribute	Values	Description
Value	Text	Constant value (default = null)
Index	Numeric	Index value (default = -1)
Validate	0 or 1	Import: If "1" the validation time stamp is set (default = 1) Export: If "1" only validated property values will be exported; if "0" property values will always be exported.

XML Interface Toolkit

Contents

Workflow

Import

Export

Parameters

Example: Export

Example: Import

Mapping configuration

Sections of mapping file

Section: <Import> / <Export>

Section: <NameOfXmlElement>

Section: <Identifier>

Section: <Property>

See also