You can define document types for XML and flat file documents. For example, you might define document types for documents that represent purchase orders or acknowledgements. For XML documents, you define document types for variations of documents; for example, you might define purchase orders in cXML, OAG, and CBL.

A document type specifies criteria that an inbound document must meet to match the document type, document attributes to extract from documents that match, and processing to perform for those documents. You define exactly one document type for each document you expect to receive or send.

If webMethods Module for EDI is installed on the same Integration Server that hosts Trading Networks, you can also define document types for EDI documents. For instructions, see webMethods Module for EDI Installation and User’s Guide .

The explanation of document types in this section mentions the pipeline. The pipeline is an Integration Server data structure in which input and output values from services are maintained. The pipeline starts with the input to a service and collects inputs and outputs from subsequent services. When a service executes, it has access to all data in the pipeline.