IBM Websphere Data Interchange for Z/OS V3.3 Offers Advanced EDI and Industry Standards-Based Integration

IBM Europe Announcement ZP07-0110, dated February 13, 2007

IBM WebSphere Data Interchange for z/OS V3.3 offers advanced EDI and industry standards-based integration

Description ...... 2 At a glance Product positioning ...... 4

WebSphere Data Interchange for z/OS® V3.3 includes the following benefits:

• Delivers the latest and most capable stand-alone EDI translator in the WebSphere portfolio designed to meet high volume and performance requirements within multiple industries • Includes substantial new functionality for transaction/document store, reporting and error handling, role- and group-based management, and audit trails • Adds support for services-oriented architecture (SOA) implementations, new EDI standards, and for handling large files and international (Unicode) characters

Overview

What's new in V3.3

• Migration to browser-based reporting • Improved error and notification handling • Improved group and role-based management • Extension of management reporting to Data Transformation maps • Improved audit trail functionality • Enhancements to WebSphere® Data Interchange Client • Enhanced data storage/handling • Enhancements to Document Store for storing flat-file and XML data • Support for submitting transaction replay/resend from WebSphere Data Interchange Client • Ad-hoc submission of transformation commands • Support for multiple and expanded Record IDs • Streaming function to support processing of large messages • Support for new ANSI X12 functional acknowledgements (X12 999) • Java™ API for invoking WebSphere Data Interchange as a Web Service for use in SOAs • Java API for parsing XML-format event log data enabling the creation of CBE/CEI-compliant messages, for use in SOAs • Support for directory-based triggering of WebSphere Data Interchange Server

IBM Europe Announcement ZP07-0110 IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation 1 • Support for IBM Support and Educational Assistants

Key prerequisites

Refer to the Software requirements and Hardware requirements sections. Planned availability date March 16, 2007, Tape, U.S. English only

Description

WebSphere Data Interchange facilitates the creation, deployment, execution, and management of data transformation, and related standards-based processing, between standards-based EDI and XML formats and internal application data formats. It supports requirements for EDI Trading Partner® data exchanges such as auditing and data content validation as well as other required functions. Examples include trading partner profiles, enveloping, syntax validation, and functional acknowledgment, which enable EDI-based integration between trading partners. WebSphere Data Interchange supports data mapping and transformation conversion between standards-based EDI and internal application data formats. Standards supported include, but are not limited to, ANSI X12, UN/EDIFACT, and UCS. WebSphere Data Interchange supports the subsets of the published ANSI X12 and UN/EDIFACT standards as interpreted by industries such as retail, transportation, electronics, financial services automotive, petroleum, health care, insurance, and manufacturing. WebSphere Data Interchange can operate as a stand-alone EDI system or it can be integrated with other enterprise applications, either through its WebSphere MQ-based interface, or through its own APIs, including a new Java API, which allows WebSphere Data Interchange to be invoked as a Web Service consistent with SOAs. In the context of a typical enterprise architecture, WebSphere Data Interchange fulfills the role of an EDI broker that performs standards-based EDI validation, transformation, and exchange functions and propagates the resulting transformed data either internally or externally. It may also be integrated with WebSphere Partner Gateway to leverage business-to-business (B2B) gateway functions. Internal propagation of transformed data may be conducted through a business process manager such as WebSphere Process Server, or through a message broker such as WebSphere Message Broker, or through direct connectivity with backend business applications, or through any combination of such capabilities depending upon on the needs of the enterprise. Further, WebSphere Data Interchange can participate with the core elements of an SOA-based, B2B solution, including WebSphere Partner Gateway (for secure connectivity and trading partner management), WebSphere Message Broker (for mediation and routing of EDI-related messages as they pass between the gateway, WebSphere Data Interchange and internal business applications), and WebSphere Process Server (for managing business processes). External bi-directional exchange of transformed data may be conducted through an EDI value added network (VAN) or through EDI/Internet transport mechanisms (such as EDIINT, AS1/AS2/AS3), or directly with trading partners, or via any combination of these, depending on the nature of the relationship between the enterprise and its trading partners. WebSphere Data Interchange is sufficiently flexible in its architecture that it can integrate and interoperate with a wide range of such solutions. This is of particular advantage where an enterprise may already have an established EDI VAN provider. Enhancements to WebSphere Data Interchange V3.3 for z/OS include:

• Document Store tables support flat-file, XML and international (Unicode) data, in addition to storing EDI data, which is currently supported. • Data transformation processing store and retrieve data using the updated tables for flat-file, XML and international (Unicode) data. This addition of a PERFORM command can check the Document Store for any overdue functional acknowledgements, and generate errors for any that are overdue. These errors may be used to trigger new e-mail alerting and event handing capabilities. • WebSphere Data Interchange Client users can reprocess transactions and interchanges from

IBM Europe Announcement ZP07-0110 IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation 2 the Document Store, similar to the capabilities currently in the z/OS Facility. • Migration of reporting function to a browser-based interface, and removal of dependency upon external viewer software includes the capability to generate predefined reports associated with the use of all WebSphere Data Interchange objects. • Improved error handling and related e-mail-based notification of translation errors allow the replacement of the Common Error Services with a new Common Event Handler to allow "pluggable" actions when any "event" (including any message) occurs. • Support for error and informational messages in a program-readable format (XML and/or fixed-record) allows automated processing. • Support for message files can be routed to designated files or WMQ queues for handling by a user-defined or a WebSphere Data Interchange provided program. These may be routed based on criteria specified by the user, such as a given error severity level or the presence of specific errors. • Inclusion of a Java API allows users to read and parse the message files, and allow users to process them easily, including the creation of CBE/CEI messages for use in SOAs. • Improved filtering support of error messages reduces the PRTFILE size. • Physical filenames can be added to messages in the PRTFILE. • Support for e-mail alerts via SMTP when errors or other conditions occur is included. These alerts can also be sent to pagers, cell phones, and any other devices that support SMTP-based text messages. A handler is provided to process the program-readable message log, and generate alerts. Configuration parameters will be provided to allow users to customize the content and format of e-mail alerts. • V3.3 includes support for pluggable e-mail component support integration with other systems. • Inclusion of sample source code for the e-mail handler program allows customers to customize functionality. • Management reporting function is extended to Data Transformation maps, which currently exists only for send/receive maps in WebSphere Data Interchange V3.3. Such function captures operational metrics such as, but not limited to, number, size, document type, and status of transactions exchanged with trading partners. They can identify which trading partner are using which maps. Such functionality is used for reporting and trouble-shooting. • Role- and group-based access and management for the WebSphere Data Interchange Client are improved. They allow assignment of users to roles and groups, allow permissions to be granted to such roles and groups, and restrict access based upon such roles and groups. • Improved audit trail functionality maintains a complete chronological log of all changes made to WebSphere Data Interchange objects, such as the date, time, and user ID associated with create, update, and delete changes. • Support for submitting transaction replay and resend commands, and the ability to view results, from a list within the WebSphere Data Interchange Client and from the Document Store is included. Also removes dependency upon TSO CLIST and CICS® transaction menu in z/OS environments. • Support for ad-hoc submission of transformation commands, and the ability to view results, from within the WebSphere Data Interchange Client allows greater flexibility in testing and production management and the ability to view related audit logs. • Support for IBM Support Assistant (ISA) is included. It includes a new Tool workbench which provides users with the problem determination tools that IBM Support uses to resolve issues. Ongoing, different product teams will make additional tools available for ISA's tools framework so that users can perform problem determination on users' desktops. • ISA also provides a service feature with an automated system and symptom-based collector. The system collector gathers general information from user operating system, registry, and so on. The symptom-based collection provides the unique ability to collect specific information relating to a particular problem that users are having. It also lets users automatically enable tracing, which will be helpful to IBM support as part of the data gathering process. • Another aspect of the Service feature is the problem submission tool. Users can enter entitlement information once and have it saved for future sessions. Users can easily create a problem report and attach the collector file at the same time. • Support for IBM Education Assistant (IEA) delivers online training and documentation for

IBM Europe Announcement ZP07-0110 IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation 3 WebSphere products. Through this support, users will be able to benefit from additional Web-based educational and training materials.

Value Unit-based pricing Value Unit pricing for eligible zSeries® IPLA programs enables a lower cost of incremental growth and enterprise aggregation. Each zSeries IPLA product with Value Unit pricing has a single price per Value Unit and a conversion matrix, called Value Unit Exhibit, for converting from some designated measurement to Value Units. Most commonly Millions of Service Units (MSUs) is the measurement designated by IBM to be converted to Value Units. Some other measurements are engines or messages. Since MSUs are the most common measurement, that measurement will be used for the remainder of this description. Value Unit pricing offers price benefits for customers. For each zSeries IPLA program with Value Unit pricing, the quantity of that program needed to satisfy applicable IBM terms and conditions is referred to as the 'required license capacity.' Each of the various Value Unit Exhibits stipulate that the larger your required license capacity, the fewer Value Units per MSU you will need. Value Unit Exhibits are uniquely identified by a three-digit code and referred to using the nomenclature VUExxx, where xxx is the three-digit code. Subsequent acquisitions of Value Unit priced programs offers additional price benefits for customers. The quantity of each zSeries IPLA program that you have acquired is referred to as 'entitled license capacity.' If you wish to grow your entitled license capacity for a zSeries IPLA program, the calculation to determine additional needed Value Units is based upon the number of Value Units already acquired. For each zSeries IPLA program with Value Unit Pricing, you should:

• Determine the required license capacity, in MSUs • Aggregate the MSUs across the enterprise • Convert the total MSUs to Value Units, using the applicable Value Unit Exhibit, and • Multiply the price per Value Unit by the total number of Value Units to determine the total cost.

To simplify conversion from the designated measurement to VUs or vice-versa, use the Value Unit Converter Tool. For additional information or to obtain a copy of the Value Unit Converter Tool, visit the Value Unit Converter Tool Web site

http://ibm.com/zseries/swprice/vuctool

Note that Value Units of a given product cannot be exchanged, interchanged, or aggregated with Value Units of another product. To determine the required license capacity for the zSeries IPLA program you selected, refer to the Terms and conditions section.

Product positioning

WebSphere Data Interchange V3.3 serves as a stand-alone EDI translator, supporting EDI and other industry standards. It supports standards-based data validation, transformation, and related processing to enable seamless, automated, reliable, and secure integration among trading partners in various industries. It may also be used for application to application data transformation supporting structured flat-file and application data formats. It translates EDI standards-based data, such as invoices, purchase orders, and billing forms for exchange with trading partners. It also supports industry implementations of the ANSI X12, UN/EDIFACT, VICS, UCS, and RAIL and other standards. Translation can take place between any combination of EDI, XML, or structured application data formats. WebSphere Data Interchange provides advanced data validation and standards compliance functions that allow the EDI functional acknowledgements, defined by EDI standards, to be generated in response to EDI messages, and to provide notifications on standards compliance. WebSphere Data Interchange for z/OS can also be configured to both construct and deconstruct envelopes of EDI format data that contain batches of related EDI items such as invoices or purchase orders. Transaction Store Service and Event Logging allows for delayed enveloping of translated EDI data, delayed information of enveloped EDI data, and the tracking of messages through the system.

IBM Europe Announcement ZP07-0110 IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation 4 WebSphere Data Interchange for z/OS includes a dedicated GUI mapping tool, the WebSphere Data Interchange Client, that is optimized to build EDI, XML, and application data format transformations. The WebSphere Data Interchange Client allows direct import of EDI standards definitions, record-oriented application data structures, and industry-standard or user-defined XML schemas and DTDs for mapping and translation. The WebSphere Data Interchange Client provides configuration and administration functions that allow the definition of the construction and "deconstruction" of envelopes. WebSphere Data Interchange for z/OS supports integration with WebSphere MQ, enabling interoperation with a wide range of enterprise applications, B2B gateways such as WebSphere Partner Gateway, business process engines such as WebSphere Process Server, information brokers (such as WebSphere Message Broker) and ERP systems (such as SAP R/3). WebSphere Data Interchange for z/OS supports connectivity with trading partners via both EDI VANs and EDI/Internet mechanisms. Its easy-to-use, configurable interface enables connection to leading VANs and Internet gateways. It also integrates with the WebSphere Partner Gateway which is the strategic IBM B2B gateway product, and includes support for EDIINT AS1, AS2, and AS3 transport protocols. In the context of a typical enterprise architecture, WebSphere Data Interchange for z/OS supports centralized EDI management, which performs EDI validation, transformation, and exchange functions. It propagates the resulting transformed data either internally or externally. Internal propagation of transformed data may be via a message broker, a process broker, direct to the business applications, or by any combination of these, depending on the needs of an enterprise. External propagation of transformed data may be via an EDI VAN or via EDI/Internet mechanisms (such as EDIINT AS1/AS2/AS3), or directly with trading partners or by any combination of such integration options, depending on the nature of the integration with trading partners. For a description of the WebSphere Data Interchange for z/OS, visit

http://www-306.ibm.com/software/integration/wdi/

Trademarks

WebSphere, z/OS, Trading Partner, CICS, and zSeries are registered trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation in the United States or other countries or both.

Java is a trademark of Sun Microsystems, Inc.

Other company, product, and service names may be trademarks or service marks of others.

This announcement is provided for your information only. For additional information, contact your IBM representative.

IBM Europe Announcement ZP07-0110 IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation 5