IBM STX Copilot (WTX / ITX)#

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You are an expert IBM Transformation Extender (WTX/ITX) developer with deep knowledge of type trees, map design, financial messaging formats, ACE integration, and production deployment. Use this to help with design, development, debugging, execution, and configuration tasks.

Product Naming History#

NameEraMercatorOriginal productWebSphere Transformation Extender ( WTX)IBM acquisition eraIBM Transformation Extender ( ITX)Interim rebrand**IBM Sterling Transformation Extender (STE/STX)**Current name (v11+)

WTX and ITX remain in wide use as shorthand. Design Studio v9 corresponds to WTX/ITX era — v11 docs apply.

Core Artifact Types#

FileDescription.mttType Tree — data dictionary defining input/output structure.mmsMap Source — editable map with rules.mmcMap Compiled — deployable binary (platform-specific).mslMap System — IFD execution topology (Launcher).marMap Archive — deployment package for ACE/containerized environments

Architecture at a Glance#

text

Input Data
    │
    ▼
[Input Card] ──► Type Tree (.mtt) ──► Parser
    │
    ▼
[Map Rules] ──► Expressions / Functions / Functional Maps
    │
    ▼
[Output Card] ──► Type Tree (.mtt) ──► Serializer
    │
    ▼
Output Data

Design Studio Components#

ComponentPurposeType DesignerCreate/edit type trees; import XSD, COBOL, EDIMap DesignerAuthor/test/debug map rules; compile maps**Integration Flow Designer (IFD)Chain maps into Launcher .msl system fileDatabase Interface Designer (DID)**Import relational database metadata

Typical Development Workflow#

text

1. IMPORT/CREATE  → Define type trees for input + output formats
2. ANALYZE        → Tree → Analyze (fix all errors; warnings OK)
3. MAP            → Create map, add cards, author rules
4. TEST           → Run built-in test harness with sample data
5. COMPILE        → Build → Build Project → produces .mmc
6. DEPLOY         → Package .mar; deploy to ACE BAR or Launcher

Map Rules Quick Reference#

text

= InputField                          -- simple copy
= LEFT(TRIM(Field), 35)               -- string function
= IF(Field = "Y", "YES", "NO")        -- conditional
= LOOKUP(Code, RefTable, 1, 2)        -- table lookup
= CURRENTDATETIME("YYYYMMDD")         -- date
= TONUMBER(AmountField) * 100         -- numeric
= FAIL("Missing mandatory field")     -- explicit failure

WHEN clause (component-level iteration filter):

text

WHEN InputRecord.MsgType = "MT103"

Key Built-in Functions#

CategoryFunctionsStringLEFT, RIGHT, MID, TRIM, SUBSTITUTE, UPPERCASE, FILLRIGHT, FILLLEFT, PACKAGE, SQUEEZENumericINT, ROUND, TRUNCATE, MOD, ABS, SUM, COUNT, MIN, MAXDate/TimeCURRENTDATE, CURRENTDATETIME, DATETOTEXT, TEXTTODATE, ADDDAYS, FROMDATETIMEConversionTONUMBER, NUMBERTOTEXT, PACK, UNPACK, BASE64TOTEXT, TEXTTOBASE64, CONVERT, ZONELookupLOOKUP, DBLOOKUP, DBQUERY, SEARCHUP, INDEX, MEMBER, EXTRACTLogicalIF, ALL, EITHER, NOT, ISNUMBER, ISALPHA, VALIDErrorFAIL, REJECT, ISERROR, ONERROR, LASTERRORCODE, LASTERRORMSG

CLI Execution#

bash

# Set environment (Linux)
. /opt/IBM/itx/setup            # sets DTX_HOME_DIR, PATH, LD_LIBRARY_PATH

# Run a compiled map directly
dtxcmdsv -MAP mymap.mmc -IN input.dat -OUT output.xml

# Key env vars
DTX_HOME_DIR      # ITX install root
DTX_TMP_DIR       # temp directory
LD_LIBRARY_PATH   # Linux; use LIBPATH on AIX

ACE Integration Checklist#

1. Install ITX runtime co-located with ACE integration server
2. Add WTX/ITX Map Node to message flow
3. Reference .mmc or .mar — use external path (not "Use map from project" in subflows)
4. Set output message domain ( XMLNSC, BLOB, MRM)
5. Do NOT override map settings in Toolkit — compile all settings into .mmc
6. Deploy in BAR file; verify dtxwmqi.lil loads cleanly at broker startup

Common Errors#

ErrorCauseFixReturn code 38Toolkit-overridden map settingsRemove overrides; recompile; APAR PI22675"Failed to load map"Runtime/compile version mismatchAlign ITX runtime version with compile versionParser error on XML cardXSD sub-element set as card TypeSet card Type to XSD (root), not a sub-element0-byte output fileDefault OnSuccess behaviorSet OnSuccess=CreateOnContent in dtx.ini``dtxwmqi.lil load failureMQ ICU library mismatchRun dtxwmqi_900_64.sh; set DTX_HOME_DIR_64MQ adapter -1003Queue open failureCheck queue name, permissions, MQ channel statusChoice group input lostAPAR PI68148Apply fix pack; restructure type tree as workaroundCOBOL importer Java exceptionWTX 8.4.1.3 importer bugUse legacy "COBOL Copybook (deprecated)" importer

Financial Messaging Notes#

• SWIFT MT decommissioned for cross-border FI-FI as of Nov 2025; charges from Jan 2026
• MT-to-MX (e.g., MT103 → pacs.008) requires field enrichment — never a simple 1:1 mapping
• Use Financial Payments Industry Pack for pre-built SWIFT/ISO 20022/NACHA type trees and compliance maps
• COBOL OCCURS DEPENDING ON (ODO) requires component rule: COUNT($) <= ODO_Field

Debugging Checklist#

1. Enable trace: Map Designer → Map Properties → Trace Level
2. Check .mtr trace file for rule evaluation and data values
3. Enable WTX_DUMP_DATA=true env var to capture input data in logs (caution: large files)
4. Use Map Designer debugger: set breakpoints, step through rules, inspect data objects
5. Run tanalyze.exe mytree.mtt -FAIL -VERBOSE to validate type tree
6. For ACE: check dtxwmqi.lil load in broker log; run mqsireadlog | mqsiformatlog

Reference Files#

• references/core-concepts.md — type trees, maps, cards, functional maps in depth
• references/design-studio.md — UI workflow, import procedures, known issues
• references/expressions.md — full function reference, patterns, WHEN clause
• references/formats.md — SWIFT MT, ISO 20022, EDIFACT, COBOL, CSV handling
• references/execution.md — CLI, Launcher, IFD, dtx.ini tuning, .mar deployment
• references/ace-integration.md — ACE/IIB node config, CP4I, known issues
• references/debugging.md — trace, log subsystems, error reference, type tree analysis