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# EIS Projects

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Use an EIS project for transactional persistence of Java objects to a nonrelational data source accessed using a J2EE Connector Architecture (J2C) adapter and EIS records.

J2C provides a Common Client Interface (CCI) API to access nonrelational EIS. This provides a similar interface to nonrelational data sources as JDBC provides for relational data sources. This API defines several types of nonrelational record types including mapped and indexed. XML has emerged as the standard format to exchange data, and most leading J2C adapter providers have extended the CCI API to define XML data records.

To use a JCA adapter with TopLink EIS, the JCA adapter must support the JCA CCI interface. At run time, your JCA adapter and the Java `connector.jar` file (that contains the `javax.resource.cci` and `javax.resource.spi` interfaces that TopLink EIS uses) must be on your application or application server classpath.

If you are using TopLink Workbench, you must add your JCA adapter to the TopLink Workbench classpath. By default, TopLink Workbench updates its classpath to include the Java 1.5 `connector.jar` file from `<``TOPLINK_HOME``>/j2ee/home/lib`. If this version of the `connector.jar` file is incompatible with your environment, edit the `workbench.cmd` or `workbench.sh` file in `<``TOPLINK_HOME``>/bin` to change the path to this file. For more information, see "Configuring the TopLink Workbench Environment".

EIS includes legacy data sources, enterprise applications, legacy applications, and other information systems. These systems include such sources as Custormer Information Control System (CICS), Virtual Storage Access Method (VSAM), Information Management System (IMS), ADABASE database, and flat files.

Oracle recommends using EIS projects to integrate TopLink with a legacy or nonrelational data source. Other methods of accessing EIS data sources include:

- Using a specialized JDBC driver that allows connecting to an EIS system as if it were a relational database. You could use a TopLink relational project with these drivers (see "Relational Projects").

- Linking to or integrating with the EIS data from a relational database, such as Oracle Database.

- Using a proprietary API to access the EIS system. In this case it may be possible to wrap the API with a J2C CCI interface to allow usage with a TopLink EIS project.

TopLink provides support for mapping Java objects to EIS mapped, indexed, and XML records, through J2C, using the TopLink mappings described in EIS Mappings.

You configure a TopLink EIS descriptor to use a particular EIS record format (see "Configuring Record Format"). TopLink EIS mappings use their EIS descriptor's record format configuration to determine how to map their Java objects to EIS records.

If you use XML records, the TopLink runtime performs XML data conversion based on one or more XML schemas. In an EIS project that uses XML records, TopLink Workbench directly references schemas in the deployment XML, and exports mappings configured with respect to the schemas you specify. For information on how to use TopLink Workbench with XML schemas, see "Working With XML Schemas". For information on how TopLink supports XML namespaces, see "XML Namespaces".

Table: EIS Project Components describes the components of an EIS project.

EIS Project Components

Component | Supported Types
--- | ---

Data Source

For more information, see the following:

- "EISLogin"

- "EIS Platforms"

Descriptors | For more information, see "EIS Descriptors".

Mappings

For more information, see the following:

- Mappings

- EIS Mappings

You can create an EIS project with TopLink Workbench for use with EIS XML records (see "Building EIS Projects With XML Records") or you can build an EIS project in Java for use with any supported EIS record type (see "Building EIS Projects With Indexed or Mapped Records").

In an EIS project, your EIS interactions (see "Enterprise Information System (EIS) Interactions") can make full use of TopLink queries (see Understanding TopLink Queries). However, you cannot use TopLink expressions with EIS: in an EIS project, interactions replace expressions.