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Category: Integration Framework

Use Maximo webservice with JSON content

31 January 2023 / / 0 Comments

While the JSON API in newer version of Maximo is quite useful, for many integration scenarios, I still prefer to use the old API infrastructure with Publish Channel and Web Service. However, the native format for this feature is XML.

To send or receive JSON with Publish Channel or Enterprise Service, we can translate the default to JSON format before it goes out / into the system. Below is a simple example to set it up.

Setup standard Publish Channel to send XML message

  • Create a new Publish Channel: 
    • Name: ZZSR
    • Object Structure: MXSR
  • Create a new Enterprise Service:
    • Name: ZZSR
    • Object Structure: MXSR
  • Create a new HTTP End Point:  ZZWEBHOOK (To keep it simple, we use webhook.site. See more details here)
  • Create a new External System:
    • Name: ZZTEST
    • End Point: ZZWEBHOOK
    • Set standard queues.
    • In Publish Channels tab, add the ZZSR channel created above.
    • Enable the channel, enable the external system, and enable event listener on the channel
  • To test and verify our Publish channel is working:
    • Create a new Service Request, then save.
    • After less than a minute, Webhook should show a new message received in XML format

To send JSON instead of XML:

  • Update publish channel ZZSR, set Processing Class with value com.ibm.tivoli.maximo.fdmbo.JSONMapperExit
  • Go to the JSON Mapping application, create a new mapping:
    • Name: ZZTEST.ZZSR.OUT (it must follow this exact format <ExtSys>.<PublishChannel>.OUT)
    • Object Structure: MXSR
    • JSON Data: {  “summary”: “Test SR”,  “details”: “Sample Details”,  “assetnum”: “11430” }
  • Save the record. Then go to Properties tab. Enter mapping as follows
  • To test the mapping works, create another SR. And check in Webhook to ensure it now receive a new message in JSON format

To receive JSON on Webservice, use similar step like above, the only key difference is, we have to name the JSON mapping as <ExtSys>.<EntService>.IN. And use a mapping like the example below

Import/Export Maximo ImageLib Data via Integration Framework

31 March 2018 / / 10 Comments

In Maximo, we can upload images as attachments (DOCLINKS) which are stored as files on the server or as “profile” images which are stored as binary data inside the IMAGELIB table. Profile image is quite useful to give the user a quick view of what an inventory item or an asset/location looks like.

While Maximo allows us to upload DOCLINKS attachments via the Maximo Integration Framework (MIF), uploading images to the IMAGELIB table via MIF is not supported out-of-the-box. Therefore, to upload images, we can only do it manually one by one via the Maximo UI.

For bulk loading, if we have access to the DB server, we can write a stored procedure to read the files and import binary data directly to the database. There are two scenarios I had in the past in which this
approach doesn’t work

  • When we built mobile apps and wanted to upload data to IMAGELIB. In that case, my teammate extended a REST handler class to achieve this requirement.
  • When we needed to bulk upload images, the client did not give us access to the database

To address this requirement, we can extend the process classes of object structure (OS) to encode/decode binary data into Base64 string to deliver the data via XML or JSON format. Since this processing is done on object structure, it will support both application Import/Export and sending/receiving binary data via the integration framework’s MEAWEB API or JSON API.

To encode binary data to Base64 text string before exporting OS data, we can extend MicSetOut.class and associate it to the OS by specifying the class’s path in the “Outbound Definition Class” field. Below is the sample Java code which exports Item master data with Image:

To decode base64 string back to binary data before storing it to IMAGELIB table, we can extend the MicSetIn.class and associate it to the OS by specifying the class’s path in the “Inbound Processing Class” field. Below is the sample Java code:

Once we have the customized classes in place, it is possible to Export/Import ImageLib data using XML format or via web services. It is also quite easy to write a simple Excel/VBA program to bulk upload images via MIF without the need to have direct access to the DB server. But these are different topics and perhaps, I’ll provide examples in other future posts.

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