IBM ACE V12 Developer key terms

A runtime process that hosts one or more independent integration servers, owns the shared configuration and queues, and is administered as a single unit through the IBM App Connect Enterprise toolkit or administration API.

An isolated runtime process inside an integration node that hosts deployed message flows and resources; each server has its own JVM, memory, and configuration and can be started or stopped independently.

The legacy name for an integration server in earlier IBM Integration Bus versions; in ACE V12 the term is replaced by integration server, though migration documentation still refers to the old concept.

A compressed archive containing compiled message flows, message sets, maps, DFDL schemas, Java code, and configuration overrides that is deployed as a unit to an integration server.

A tool in the ACE toolkit used to inspect and modify the contents of a BAR file before deployment, including adding resources and setting per-server configuration overrides.

The act of installing the contents of a BAR file onto an integration server, which replaces or updates the running flows and resources and restarts affected components.

A visual program made of connected nodes that defines how messages are received, transformed, routed, and emitted; it is the primary unit of integration logic in ACE.

The first node in a message flow that receives an inbound message, such as MQInput, HTTPInput, or FileInput, and passes it along with its message tree and environment.

The in-memory logical structure of a message, split into headers, properties, body, and environment sections, which nodes read and modify as the message travels through a flow.

The parsed representation of a message body in a message tree, organized by parser domain and element hierarchy, which ESQL and mappings navigate by path.

A message tree section used to carry flow-scoped variables and routing information between nodes; its contents are not propagated out of the flow unless explicitly copied.

A message tree section that persists for the lifetime of a message through the entire flow and is propagated to output nodes, often used to pass cross-node state.

Extended Structured Query Language, a procedural language with SQL-like syntax used in Compute, Database, and Filter nodes to declare variables, navigate message trees, and call functions.

A message flow node that executes ESQL, Java, or a mapping to transform or enrich a message, writing results to the output message tree or local environment.

A node that runs user-supplied Java code extending MbJavaComputeNode, giving full access to the message assembly and Java libraries for complex transformation or integration logic.

The complete set of objects passed between nodes: the message tree, local environment, environment tree, and exception list; Java nodes receive it as an MbMessageAssembly object.

A message tree section that collects errors and warnings raised during flow processing so that downstream nodes and error handlers can inspect and act on them.

A named connection point on a message flow node, such as Out, Failure, or Catch, that determines which path a message takes after the node processes it.

A node terminal that receives the message when processing fails, allowing a flow to route errors to dedicated handling logic instead of stopping at the node.

A schema definition describing the structure, types, and constraints of message data so that ACE can parse, validate, and serialize it consistently across flows.

A Data Format Description Language schema that describes non-XML data such as fixed-width, CSV, or binary records, enabling ACE to parse and write it as a logical tree.

The parser that reads a DFDL schema at runtime to convert a byte stream into a logical message tree and back again, honoring format properties such as encoding and padding.

A visual transformation artifact edited in the Mapping node, where source and target message structures are connected by transforms, functions, and conditional logic without writing code.

A message flow node that runs a graphical data map to transform input messages into an output message tree, supporting nested maps and custom Java or ESQL functions.

Extensible Stylesheet Language Transformations, a standard XML transformation language used in ACE through the XSLTransform node to convert XML messages using stylesheets.

An HTTP-based interface defined in ACE with resources, operations, and verbs, which can be implemented by a message flow and exposed through the integration server's HTTP listener.

A machine-readable specification of a REST API's paths, operations, parameters, and schemas that ACE can import to generate a REST API project and flow skeleton.

A message flow node such as SOAPInput or SOAPRequest that sends or receives SOAP over HTTP messages, using a WSDL-defined interface and optional WS-Security.

Web Services Description Language, an XML document describing a SOAP service's operations, messages, and binding, used by ACE to configure SOAP nodes and generate flows.

A message flow node that receives HTTP requests through an integration server HTTP listener and starts flow processing, commonly used to implement REST operations.

A message flow node that sends an HTTP request to an external service and returns the response into the flow, supporting methods, headers, and SSL configuration.

A prebuilt ACE component that discovers and interacts with an external system such as Salesforce, SAP, or a database, handling protocol, authentication, and data conversion details.

A connector that connects to an external system at design time to retrieve its object metadata, so the developer can select operations and generate request and response models.

A legacy IBM integration component that connects ACE to packaged applications or enterprise systems, largely superseded by connectors in ACE V12 but still referenced in migration contexts.

A message flow node that reads messages from an IBM MQ queue, starts flow processing, and supports transactional get with backout and failure handling.

A message flow node that executes SQL against a configured database and returns result sets into the message tree, often used with ESQL for enrichment.

A project containing policy documents that externalize configuration such as credentials, endpoints, and timeouts, allowing the same BAR to run in different environments.

A node or flow property marked as promotable so its value can be overridden at deployment time through the BAR file or administration API without rebuilding the flow.

An HTTP interface exposed by the integration node for querying status, deploying BAR files, starting and stopping resources, and reading or changing configurable properties.

A record of significant runtime events such as deployment, startup, and errors, viewable through the toolkit, administration API, or system logs for diagnosis.

A message flow node that writes selected parts of the message assembly, such as the message tree or local environment, to a file, queue, or log for debugging.

The logging framework used by ACE to write server and flow logs, configurable through log4j properties to control levels, appenders, and log file locations.

A toolkit feature that sends test messages into a running or recorded flow and highlights the path taken, showing the message tree at each node for debugging.

A reusable, parameterized integration solution that generates projects and flows from a template, speeding up common designs and enforcing consistency across deployments.

A deployable container in ACE that groups related flows, maps, and resources, supports versioning, and can be deployed independently of other applications on the same server.

A shared container of reusable resources such as subflows, message models, and Java code that multiple applications can reference without duplicating artifacts.

A reusable fragment of a message flow that can be embedded in multiple flows, promoting modular design and consistent error handling across an integration solution.