Connector Development Kit (CDK)

For more experienced developers we have a more powerful set of features in our CDK. You can use the CDK to develop Connectors that support TIBCO Integration Services (IS) or Replication Services (RS) Solutions used to access data via any communication protocol, such as SOAP, REST, XML, or ADO. If you are an experienced developer with web service knowledge, you should have no trouble reviewing the sample projects and creating your own project.

The CDK supports more complex communication requirements, from authentication requirements like OAuth to multiple data formats, processes, payloads, Batch Processing, and complex array responses. It also supports the ability to have Dynamic Metadata, allowing you to discover new custom fields from the TIBCO interface. The CDK has deep documentation and capabilities, some of which is accessible from the Fast Connector Framework, but, if you find yourself bumping into the walls within the FCF, the CDK allows full extensibility.

Use the Connector Development Kit to create Connectors that require the following:

  • Access to legacy apps and APIs
  • Use of multi-part API calls
  • Use of queries with multiple filters
  • Use of the OR operator
  • Use of >, <, <>, starts with, etc.
  • Use of relationships
  • Support for complex array responses
  • Support for all operation types: Create, Read, Update, Delete
  • Use of API types in addition to REST and simple HTTP, such as SOAP or XML

Prerequisites

TIBCO recommends that the Connector developers be competent in .NET development and have a thorough understanding of the application API or technology being exposed to TIBCO Scribe®.  Developers will also benefit from ancillary skills with web services, relational databases, and testing.

Additional skills should include general API / SDK development experience using C#, or Visual Basic; and supporting tools. All sample code and examples are written in C#.

Developers do not require previous experience with TIBCO Scribe® technologies, architecture, or internal data structures.

Requirements

To develop a TIBCO Scribe® Connector and make use of the CDK, you must have the following development environment available:

  • Microsoft .Net 4.7.2

The sample project scripts require Microsoft SQL Server. If your site does not use Microsoft SQL Server, you can download a free copy of Microsoft SQL Server Express.

CDK Workflow

To develop Connectors using this CDK, you need to:

  1. Download and extract the CDK API, sample Connectors, and unit tests from the SDK - Connector Toolkit project. See Sample CDK Projects for a complete list.
  2. Identify how your Connector will be used to determine which TIBCO Scribe® Connector role or roles to assign. All Connectors need to be assigned at least one role. A role determines which TIBCO Scribe® services the Connector can work with and whether the Connector can be used as a source, as a target, or both. See CDK Key Concepts.
  3. Implement the methods required to support the Connector roles. The methods you implement depend on the Connector’s role or roles and the Connector's capabilities.
  4. Design and exercise unit tests to make sure the new Connectors are functionally accurate and complete. This CDK includes sample unit tests to help you to create tests for your Connector before you deploy it to TIBCO Scribe®. See Unit Testing.
  5. Install your Connector locally so you can test it with TIBCO Scribe®. See Installing A Connector Locally.
  6. Complete User Acceptance Testing to make sure the Connectors meet your expectations and the user’s needs in the target environment. TIBCO recommends that you test the Connector by using it in several TIBCO Scribe® solutions that exercise all of the Connector capabilities. This is the best way to know that your Connector is working properly with TIBCO Scribe® and that it meets all of your requirements. See User Acceptance Testing.
  7. Prepare to distribute the Connector. If you want to make your Connector available in the TIBCO Scribe® Marketplace, it must be certified by TIBCO.