Message Transformation of XML to CSV in IBM App Connect

Here in this blog, we will learn about the message transformation of XML to CSV in IBM App Connect.

CSV (Comma-Separated Values) is a simple and mostly used file format for storing tabular data. In CSV files, each line represents a row of data, and within each line, fields are separated by commas (or other delimiters like semicolons or tabs).

The markup language known as XML (Extensible Markup Language) establishes a set of guidelines for encoding documents in a particular way that is readable by both computers and humans.

In some cases, the customer/client wants to place the important data in a folder with the CSV format. But the request is in XML format. In this case, the below approach is most suitable in IBM App Connect to achieve the requirement.

In IBM App Connect, we can use Data Format Description Language (DFDL) to define the structure & validation rules for CSV files. DFDL allows you to specify the layout of your data format in a declarative manner, including field types, lengths, delimiters, and validation constraints.

We can perform transformations in IBM App Connect using ESQL (Extended Structured Query Language), such as converting XML to CSV. Below is an example of how you can achieve XML to CSV conversion using ESQL in IBM App Connect:

Configuration steps for API:

1. Create the above message flow with HTTP input, reply, file output, compute, and validate nodes.
2. Write the transformation logic of XML to CSV message conversion.
3. Create a DFDL message model for CSV message validation and browse the same into the validate node.
4. On the file output node, specify the file location.
5. Save the Application and deploy it in the integration server.
6. Invoke the API with XML data and check the FTP location. We will find the CSV file.

We will get a validation error if the incoming request does not match the client’s requirement. This API/service configuration will mostly be used in the Bank, Financial, and Retail companies for converting XML to csv domains.