B2B Gateway > Partners > Create partners for custom files with Intelligent Structure Discovery
Create partners for custom files with Intelligent Structure Discovery
Create partners for exchanging custom files Intelligent Structure Discovery.
When you create a partner for custom files Intelligent Structure Discovery, you configure general partner properties, select a message structure for a sample custom input file, and define an inbound flow, an outbound flow, or both.
Before you create a partner, verify that you have completed the required prerequisites.
Before you begin
Before you create a partner for custom files with Intelligent Structure Discovery, complete the following prerequisites:
•For an inbound flow, you must create the structures of the files that you plan to exchange with the partner. For information about creating structures, see Creating a structure.
If you plan to use a process-to-backend mapping for the flow, you must also create the process-to-backend mapping.
•For an outbound flow, you must create a process-from-backend mapping. If you plan to use an outbound mapping for the flow, you must also create the outbound mapping.
•If you plan to use an Advanced FTP V2, Advanced FTPS V2, Advanced SFTP V2, or AS2 Client connection, configure the connection in Administrator. For information about configuring the connection, see the respective connector guide.
•If you plan to use the File Servers connection, create a user account for each partner that sends files from an AS2, HTTPS, or SFTP server to your organization or receives files that you send to an HTTPS or SFTP server for the partner. For more information, see File server users.
•If you plan to run a flow based on a schedule, verify that the schedule has been created or create the schedule in Administrator.
•Verify that you have the appropriate asset privileges to create the partner and define the flows. For more information about privileges, see User roles.
Creating a partner for custom files with Intelligent Structure Discovery
Create a customer in the New Customer wizard, or create a supplier in the New Supplier wizard.
1Click New and select Partners > Customer or Partners > Supplier, as applicable.
The New Customer or New Supplier wizard appears.
2In the General page enter the partner name and number and then, from the File Type list, select Custom. Verify that Use intelligent structure discovery is selected and then click Next.
The Messages page appears.
3Click Select Structure and choose a message structure. Click Select, and then click Next.
The Inbound page appears.
4To define an inbound flow, perform the following steps:
aSelect the connection type for the flow and configure connection details.
bIf you selected the Advanced FTP V2, Advanced FTPS V2, or Advanced SFTP V2 connection type, select the connection where B2B Gateway creates files for the partner and the action that B2B Gateway performs on the files after pickup.
cIf you selected the File Servers connection type, you can select a file transfer task in the Pre-Process area and define the task variables. You can select one of the following file transfer tasks:
Name
Description
Decrypt
Decrypts files that the partner uploads to the file server before the files are sent to B2B Gateway. For more information, see Decrypt.
Decompress
Decompresses files that the partner uploads to the file server before the files are sent to B2B Gateway. For more information, see Decompress.
dIf applicable, select a process-to-backend mapping and the location where B2B Gateway saves the mapping.
eIf the mapping contains parameters, optionally enter parameter values in the Mapping Parameters list.
fDefine a schedule for the flow.
gClick Next.
The Outbound page appears.
Tip: If the outbound flow uses the same connection as the inbound flow, and the connection type is File Servers, Local Folder/MFT, FTP Client, or SFTP Client, click Copy Details from Inbound to populate the Outbound page with details that you entered in the Inbound page and then edit the outbound details, as required.
5To define an outbound flow, perform the following steps:
aSelect the connection type for the flow and configure connection details.
bIf you selected the Advanced FTP V2, Advanced FTPS V2, Advanced SFTP V2, or AS2 Client connection type, select the connection where B2B Gateway creates files for the partner.
cIf you selected the File Servers connection type, you can select a file transfer task in the Post-Process area and define the task variables. You can select one of the following file transfer tasks:
Name
Description
Encrypt
Encrypts files that you send to the partner before they are upload to the file server. For more information, see Encrypt.
Compress
Compresses files that you send to the partner before they are upload to the file server. For more information, see Compress.
dSelect a process-from-backend mapping and the location where B2B Gateway saves the mapping.
eIf applicable, select an outbound mapping and the location where B2B Gateway saves the mapping.
fIf the mappings contain parameters, optionally enter parameter values on the Mapping Parameters lists.
gDefine a schedule for the flow.
hClick Save.
The partner you created shows on the Explore page.
Partner properties for custom files with Intelligent Structure Discovery
Use the partner wizard to create or edit a partner. A partner can be either a customer or a supplier.
The partner wizard contains the following pages for custom files with Intelligent Structure Discovery:
General page
Define partner details and message interchange details.
Messages page
Add intelligent structures to process partner messages.
Inbound page
Define the connection to use for the inbound flow, select a file transfer task if applicable, select a process-to-backend mapping if applicable, and define the schedule by which the flow runs.
Outbound page
Define the connection to use for the outbound flow, select a file transfer task if applicable, select a process-from-backend mapping, select an outbound mapping if applicable, and define the schedule by which the flow runs.
Partner general properties for custom files with Intelligent Structure Discovery
Use the General page of the partner wizard to define basic partner properties.
The General page includes the following properties for custom files with Intelligent Structure Discovery:
Customer or Supplier Name
Name of the partner. The name can contain up to 30 characters and must be unique in the organization and can be used either for a customer or for a supplier, not for both. The name can contain alphanumeric characters, symbols, and special characters, and must not contain angled brackets (< or >).
Customer or Supplier Number
Number of the partner. The number can contain up to 15 characters and must be unique in the organization. The number can contain alphanumeric characters, symbols, and special characters, and must not contain angled brackets (< or >).
Tip: Use a number that identifies the partner in your organization.
File Type
Type of files to exchange with the partner. Select Custom.
Use intelligent structure discovery
Must be enabled.
Partner messages properties for custom files with Intelligent Structure Discovery
Use the Messages page of the partner wizard to select a message structure for a sample custom input file.
The Messages page shows the list of selected message structures, and includes the following properties:
Names
Name of the message structure. The name can contain alphanumeric characters, symbols, and special characters, and must not contain angled brackets (< or >).
Description
Description of the message structure. The description can contain alphanumeric characters, symbols, and special characters, and must not contain angled brackets (< or >).
Select Structure
Click Select Structure, select a structure in the Select Structure page, and then click Select.
Partner inbound properties for custom files with Intelligent Structure Discovery
Use the Inbound page of the partner wizard to define the inbound flow for the partner.
The Inbound page can include the following properties for custom files with Intelligent Structure Discovery:
Connection
The Connection area includes the following properties:
Connection Type
Select the type of the connection from where B2B Gateway picks up files. You can select the following connection types:
▪ Advanced FTP V2
▪ Advanced FTPS V2
▪ Advanced SFTP V2
▪ File Servers (AS2, HTTPS, SFTP)
▪ Local Folder/MFT
▪ FTP Client
▪ SFTP Client
Connection
Connection where B2B Gateway creates files for the partner. Applies to the Advanced FTP V2, Advanced FTPS V2, and Advanced SFTP V2 connection types.
You configure connections in Administrator. For information about configuring the connections, see the respective connector guides.
File Server User
The file server user name for the partner from whom you receive files. Applies to the file servers connection type.
You create file server users in Administrator. For information about creating file server users, see the Administrator help.
Host
Host where the files that B2B Gateway picks up are located. Applies to the Local Folder/MFT, FTP Client, and SFTP Client connection types.
Port
Port where the files that B2B Gateway picks up are located. Applies to the Local Folder/MFT, FTP Client, and SFTP Client connection types.
Source Directory
Path to the directory on the connection from where B2B Gateway picks up files. Applies to the Local Folder/MFT, FTP Client, and SFTP Client connection types.
File Pattern
Pattern that defines the names of the files that B2B Gateway picks up. The pattern must be a Java regular expression.
For example:
To pick up all files enter .*
To pick up only files that start with ab enter ab\S.*
Tip: After you configure the connection click Test Connection to test and validate the connection.
File Pattern
Select the file pattern type to pick up.
After File Pickup
Action that B2B Gateway performs on the files after pickup. Applies to the Advanced FTP V2, Advanced FTPS V2, and Advanced SFTP V2 connection types.
Choose one of the following options:
▪ Keep Files. Keep the files in the source location.
▪ Delete Files. Delete the files from the source location.
▪ Archive Files. Moves the files from the source location. Enter the target location in Archive Directory.
▪ Rename Files. Rename the files in the source location. Enter a suffix to add to the original file name in New File Name Suffix.
Delete files on source after pickup
Determines whether or not B2B Gateway deletes files after pickup. Selected by default. Applies to the Local Folder/MFT, FTP Client, and FTPS Client connection types.
Pre-Process
Optionally, select a file transfer task to run actions on files that you receive from the partner. Applies to the file servers connection type.
You can select one of the following file transfer tasks:
Name
Description
Decrypt
Decrypts files that the partner uploads to the file server before the files are sent to B2B Gateway. For more information, see Decrypt.
Decompress
Decompresses files that the partner uploads to the file server before the files are sent to B2B Gateway. For more information, see Decompress.
Processing
The Processing area includes the following properties:
- Process-to-Backend Mapping. Optionally, select a mapping to process files from B2B Gateway to the organization backend system. This mapping is used for messages where a process-to-backend mapping is not associated with the message type.
- Mapping Location. Location where B2B Gateway saves the mapping.
- Mapping Parameters. Lists the mapping parameters. You can enter parameter values in the Value fields.
- XML Interface Files. Determines whether to use element names or element reference numbers in the B2B Gateway XML interface files. Applies to EDI X12 messages.
Schedule
Schedule by which to run the flow. Select one of the following options:
- Manually or by an external trigger. No schedule. You can run the flow from the Explore page or from a REST API. You can also run the flow from the Partner wizard.
- By schedule. Runs the flow according to the defined schedule. Select a schedule from the list.
Note: To run a flow by a schedule, users need Read and Run permissions for schedules. If permissions are not configured, users cannot see existing schedules. For more information about permissions, see User roles.
- By file listener. Runs the flow according to the defined file listener rules. Select a file listener from the list. You create file listeners in Data Integration. For information about creating file listeners, see Components in the Data Integration help.
Partner outbound properties for custom files with Intelligent Structure Discovery
Use the Outbound page of the partner wizard to define the outbound flow for the partner.
The Outbound page can include the following properties for custom files with Intelligent Structure Discovery:
Copy Details from Inbound
Populates the fields in the Outbound page with the details that you entered in the Inbound page. You then edit the fields in the Outbound page as required. Applies to the File Servers, Local Folder/MFT, FTP Client, and SFTP Client connection types.
Connection
The Connection area includes the following properties:
Connection Type
Select the type of the connection where B2B Gateway creates the files for the partner. You can select the following connection types:
▪ Advanced FTP V2
▪ Advanced FTPS V2
▪ Advanced SFTP V2
▪ AS2 Client
▪ File Servers (HTTPS, SFTP)
▪ Local Folder/MFT
Connection
Connection where B2B Gateway creates files for the partner. Applies to the Advanced FTP V2, Advanced FTPS V2, Advanced SFTP V2, and AS2 Client connection types.
You configure connections in Administrator. For information about configuring the connections, see the respective connector guides.
File Server User
The file server user name for the partner from whom you receive files. Applies to the File Servers connection type.
You create file server users in Administrator. For information about creating file server users, see the Administrator help.
Host
Host where B2B Gateway creates the files. Applies to the Local Folder/MFT, FTP Client, and SFTP Client connection types.
Port
Port where B2B Gateway creates the files. Applies to the Local Folder/MFT, FTP Client, and SFTP Client connection types.
Target Directory
Path to the directory on the connection where B2B Gateway creates the files.
Pattern Type
Select the file name pattern type to create.
Pattern Type
Select the file name pattern type to create.
File Pattern
Select the outbound acknowledgment file name pattern.
For example:
($eventId).edi
The patterns are not case sensitive. For more information about the file patterns that you can use in the outbound flow definition, see File Patterns.
Post-Process
Applies to the file servers connection type. Optionally, select a file transfer task to run actions on files that you send to the partner. You can select one of the following file transfer tasks:
Name
Description
Encrypt
Encrypts files that you send to the partner before they are upload to the file server. For more information, see Encrypt.
Compress
Compresses files that you send to the partner before they are upload to the file server. For more information, see Compress.
Processing
The Processing area includes the following properties:
- Process-from-Backend Mapping. Reads outgoing data from the backend system and writes it to the B2B Gateway document store.
- Outbound Mapping. Optional outbound mapping that reads the files from the gateway and sends them to the partner.
- Mapping Location. Location where B2B Gateway saves the mapping.
- Mapping Parameters. Lists the parameters of the process-from-backend mapping. You can enter parameter values in the Value fields.
Tip: If required, you can temporarily override the values that you define here by defining different values in the Run Partner REST API and running the flow with the API. For more information, see Run Partner REST API.
Schedule
Schedule by which to run the flow. Select one of the following options:
- Manually or by an external trigger. No schedule. You can run the flow from the Explore page or from a REST API. You can also run the flow from the Partner wizard.
- By schedule. Runs the flow according to the defined schedule. Select a schedule from the list.
Note: To run a flow by a schedule, users need Read and Run permissions for schedules. If permissions are not configured, users cannot see existing schedules. For more information about permissions, see User roles.
- By file listener. Runs the flow according to the defined file listener rules. Select a file listener from the list. You create file listeners in Data Integration. For information about creating file listeners, see Components in the Data Integration help.