Rational Developer for System z

General information about how messages are used in flows

You can use messages to store data and retrieve data during the progress of a flow.

A message is a collection of data elements organized in a tree-like structure (see Messages). A message element is a field within a message having a data type that can be either a simple data type (such as integer or string) or that can be a complex data type that contains further message elements that themselves can be simple types or complex types (see Elements).

Variable: A variable is a message element that is a simple type (such as integer or string).

Messages are stored in message files (extension .sfmxsd). You can create or modify messages in the flow message editor (see Flow message editor).

A flow typically uses three primary messages, each of which must be stored in a separate message file:
Table 1. Three primary messages
Type of message: Description: Where stored:
Input message Contains the input parameters passed to the flow by the calling program. Input message file
Output message Contains the output parameters returned to the calling program by the flow. Output message file
Variable message Contains the variables used by Extract actions, Insert actions, and recorded loops, as well as other general-purpose variables that you create to manage the data processed by your flow. Variable message file
Interface messages: The input message, the output message, and the fault messages (see Table 2) if any of a flow are collectively called the interface messages of the flow because they define its programming interface.
A flow can use at least two other types of message. These messages are optional:
Table 2. Two additional types of message
Type of message: Description: Where stored:
General purpose message Contains variables used for the general purpose of manipulating data during the flow. Variable message file
Fault message Contains a set of output parameters returned to the calling program when the flow throws an exception. Fault message file

You can have multiple general purpose messages and multiple fault messages:


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