TIBCO Cloud™ Integration

We’ve made many exciting changes to the new release of TIBCO Cloud™ Integration. This document explains changes from the previous version which may affect your workflow. For more information, see the TIBCO® Cloud Integration Release Notes.

Logging In

It's easier to access TIBCO Cloud™ Integration from TIBCO Cloud. TIBCO Cloud™ Integration is considered a single app, with multiple capabilities. You don’t have to invite users to separate “domains”, and there is a single way to access TIBCO Cloud™ Integration. When you log in to TIBCO Cloud at https://cloud.tibco.com, instead of seeing tiles for each app type, you see a single tile under Integration, for Integration Apps:

Click Integration Apps, and go directly to TIBCO Cloud™ Integration to use any of the three app categories depending on your Region. Use the following URLs, to log in directly. You will go to a login screen, then be prompted to select your organization, and go straight to the TIBCO Cloud™ Integration home screen.

• AWS-US - https://integration.cloud.tibco.com/applications
• AWS-EU - https://eu.integration.cloud.tibco.com/applications
• AWS-APJ - https://au.integration.cloud.tibco.com/applications
• Azure-US -  https://integration.us.azure.cloud.tibco.com

App Categories

We’ve introduced the concept of app categories to delineate which app types best fit your particular use case:

• TIBCO Cloud Integration - Connect: For business users and business application owners to simplify and accelerate cloud connectivity for data across SaaS and other business applications.
• TIBCO Cloud Integration - Integrate: For integration specialists to implement mission-critical integration and orchestration services, and deploy anywhere including containers.
• TIBCO Cloud Integration - Develop: For developers to build event-driven microservices and functions to support API-led application development.

New Look and Feel

The TIBCO Cloud™ Integration Web UI received a makeover, to make it easier to use.

Apps Page

The Apps page improved from the previous tile-based interface to a more compact display.



Filters for displayed apps are on the left side. Click table headings to sort the list of apps. Hover over an app to see the menu and delete icon.   

Note: Mock Apps are no longer shown on the Apps page and the API Specs tab has been removed. See “API Modeler and Mock Apps” below for more details.

App Details Page

The App Details page has been improved with a consolidated design.

Changes to the tabs are as follows:

• To rename apps, click the app name on the App Details page, and enter a new name.
• Change the app description by clicking it and entering new text.
• Shortcut menu options, endpoint visibility and app deployment stage can be toggled by clicking their icons in the heading.
• The option for app deployment changed from Mark as Draft or Mark as Live to Set deployment stage in all shortcut option menus.

Creating Apps

The workflow for creating and pushing a new app has been simplified with a single Create/Import button.  Click Create/Import to select one of the seven different app types for the Connect, Develop, and Integrate categories. A description displays to help you determine which app type you need.

 

For TIBCO Cloud Integration - Connect and Flogo apps, you go to the App Details page, where you can design your app. For Node.js and BusinessWorks apps, you go to a dialog where you can drag and drop your app archive and push it to the cloud.

Apps are created with temporary names, such as `New_Flogo_App_0`, `New_Flogo_App_1`, which can be modified later.

To improve performance, apps don't automatically start when created. Design or customize an app, then scale it up and start it when you’re ready.
 

App Monitoring

Monitoring features were added with more detail about your apps.
 

The Organization Dashboard

A new dashboard was added on the Apps list with a summary of app performance across your organization, eliminating the need to navigate to look up details for each app.

App Peek

App Peek provides a summary of each app on the Apps page. Expand this view under an app for a quick look at performance, instead of navigating to the app’s details page.

The Monitoring Tab

The App Details page has a single Monitoring tab for BusinessWorks, Flogo, and Node.js apps. Select an instance, and depending on the app type, view information such as process and activity instrumentation stats, or CPU/Memory utilization.

 

For BusinessWorks apps, the Monitoring tab combines the previous Monitoring and Metrics tabs. The toggle control to enable/disable the collection of process instrumentation stats has been removed, and is enabled by default. To disable it, set BW_INSTRUMENTATION_ENABLED to false under Environment Controls -> Engine Variables.

For Flogo and Node.js apps, the Monitoring tab replaces the Metrics tab.

Endpoints

The list of REST endpoints for a Flogo, BusinessWorks, or Node.js app is displayed in a separate Endpoints tab on the App Details page. Use this tab to test the endpoints, publish them to Mashery, or download the API specification.

Click the endpoints link on the App Peek view to go to the app endpoints.

Scaling

Controls to start, stop, and scale apps have changed slightly. There are start/stop buttons next to each app on the Apps page:

 

App scaling controls are on the App Details page:

To change the number of instances, hover over the instance number and use the up or down arrow controls.

Other Menu Changes

Other menu items have moved in the Web UI:

• The Extensions page is in Environment & Tools > Connector Management > Extensions.
• The VPN Connections page is in Environment & Tools > Environment Settings > VPN Connections.
• The Downloads page is a series of links in Environment & Tools > Tool Downloads. Note: You must select an OS for your download.
• These TIBCO Scribe Online features are in Environment & Tools:
  • Agents
  • Lookup Tables
  • Notifications
  • Security Settings
  • Managed Connectors

TIBCO Scribe ® Online

With the release of TIBCO Cloud™ Integration - Connect, TIBCO Scribe Online becomes a full-fledged capability of TIBCO Cloud Integration able to leverage all of the additional features and functionality that this great platform has to offer. TIBCO Scribe Online is referred to by its new name, TIBCO Cloud Integration - Connect, throughout this document.

Terminology

Some of our terminology has changed.

• TIBCO Scribe Online is referred to as TIBCO Cloud™ Integration - Connect.
• Solutions are called apps.
• Solution types are listed as categories:
  • Integration Solution - On schedule
  • Event Solution - On event
  • Replication Solution - Data replication
• Maps are called flows.

User Interface

 

Watch for this symbol next to options and features related to TIBCO Cloud™ Integration - Connect. Some features in the User Interface moved to a different location to improve usability with the new look and feel.  

Note: OK and Cancel or Save and Cancel buttons on pop-up dialog boxes are reversed. Cancel is on the left instead of the right.

User Roles

There is a Read-Only user role to provide view only access to users or TIBCO support for troubleshooting purposes.

Apps

On the Apps list, statuses are condensed to make the list simpler. Use the menu in the status for more information or go to the Agents page for Agent status details. See the App status definitions in the help.

 

App Details

When you open a single app, the information on the App Details page is divided by tabs used to access the Flows list, a list of Connections used in the app, the app Schedule, and Execution History.

 

App Flows

 

App Connections

App Schedule

To modify the Schedule for an app, click the fields with a dotted underline, update them, and click Save.

App Schedule Update 

App Execution History

 

Execution History

Access Execution History from the App Peek drop-down on the Apps list or the App Details page for a single app. Reprocessing failed records for an app that is disabled is no longer supported.

On the App Peek drop-down only the last four App executions are displayed. Select an execution to open the Execution History Details dialog and review specific errors.

 

 

Execution History from the Apps list

 

Execution History from App Details

Flows

The App Details page displays a list of the flows inside the selected app.

• To show the flow export and delete options, enable the check box for one or more flows.
• Importing flows supports .json files. Use the TIBCO Cloud Integration - Connect API to import exported flows that are xml files.
• Basic Maps not supported in any way.  Be sure to convert them before moving to TIBCO Cloud Integration 2.0.

 

Marketplace

The Marketplace provides access to Connectors for the TIBCO Cloud Integration - Connect and  Develop capabilities. Use the filters and the Search field to locate the Connector you need. In some cases there are two Connectors for the same system, such as Salesforce. These Connectors access Salesforce data in different ways, and depending on the task you are trying to accomplish, one may work better than the other.  Be sure to install the Connector for the capability you plan to use.  Develop Connectors are pre-enabled.
 

Message Endpoints

The Message Endpoints dialog with the endpoint URL for inbound messages and the number of messages in Queue has been removed.  The endpoint URL is inside the flow on the Wait for Message Block Properties. The number of messages in queue displays inside the On event app Details page on the Flows tab.

Security Settings

Use the Change API password link on the Security Settings page to change or create a password for the TIBCO Cloud Integration - Connect API.  The API uses basic authentication and requires a separate password. Your username remains the same when accessing the API.

Develop/Flogo Changes

Flogo apps are part of the Develop capability of TIBCO Cloud Integration. The sections below describe some of the key updates made to Flogo apps in this release.

App Details Tab Changes

In addition to the app monitoring changes, there are other changes to the tabs on the App Details page for Flogo apps:

• The Implementation tab is named Flows.
• The Log tab is named Logs.
• The order of the tabs has changed.

Creating a Flogo App from an API Spec created in API Modeler

To generate a Flogo app using an API spec, create an empty Flogo app, click the Create button and select the ‘Start with Swagger Specification’ option.

On this page you see the list of all API specs you have created using the API Modeler. There is no need to switch to the API Specs view to create a Flogo app from an API Spec.

Creating a new Trigger without creating a Flow

Previously it was not possible to create a trigger before a flow was created. The ‘Create new Trigger’ option has now been added on the Add triggers and flows dialog, giving you the flexibility to create triggers and flows in any order.

 

 

Validation

A ‘Validate’ button has been added at the app and flow level to help ensure that flows are designed properly. This improves the flow design user experience by removing the earlier automatic validations that happened in the background and often interrupted the design flow for the end user.

As a best practice, you should validate the app before pushing it for deployment to avoid missing any obvious issues in the app design.

 

 

 

App Push

Starting with this release the Push button is only available on the App Details page for Flogo apps. It is not available on the Flow design dialog. The app goes into a Stopped state after it is successfully built and deployed. This is a change in behavior compared to the previous release. Prior to this release the app was also started when it was pushed. This created a challenge when the app configuration needed to change before the app was started. Now you can update the configuration using either the Environment Variables tab or the TIBCO Cloud™ – Command Line Interface before starting the app.

 

App Copy

When copying a Flogo app from one organization to another through the Web UI, you can now choose to create a new connection or select an existing connection from the target. If you select an existing connection, a copy of the connection is not created in the target organization.

 

Import, Export, Revert App Actions

Starting with this release the Flogo app specific actions, Import, Export, and Revert to Last Push, are available only on the App Details page. To perform these actions, click the ellipsis (︙) next to the Push button.

 

App Properties and Schemas

Access App Properties and Schemas views by clicking the Properties and Schemas buttons visible at both the app and flow levels. These buttons remove the need to return to the App Details page to create or update app properties or the schema while designing a flow.

 

 

Integrate/BusinessWorks Changes

BusinessWorks applications are part of the Integrate capability of TIBCO Cloud Integration. The sections below describe some of the key updates made to BusinessWorks apps in this release.

App Details Tab Changes

In addition to the app monitoring changes mentioned above, there were a few other changes to the tabs on the App Details page for BusinessWorks apps:

• The Implementation tab is now named Processes.
• The Log tab is now named Logs.
• The order of the tabs has changed.

JDBC - Oracle Thin Driver and other Plugins that need to be Supplemented

For TIBCO BusinessWorks applications that connect to Oracle database and require Oracle JDBC Thin Driver supplement -

When deploying new apps or re-deploying existing apps to TIBCO Cloud Integration, generate the manifest.json file and supplement the Oracle JDBC Thin Driver again before pushing the app to TIBCO Cloud Integration.

For TIBCO BusinessWorks Plug-ins that require third-party drivers, JARs or libraries to be supplemented in TIBCO Cloud Integration using TIBCO Cloud™ – Command Line Interface bwplugin supplement command -  

When deploying new apps or re-deploying existing apps to TIBCO Cloud Integration, supplement the respective third-party drivers, JARs or libraries again before pushing the app to TIBCO Cloud Integration.

Some Plug-ins may require repackaging of supplements. Refer to the respective Plug-in documentation for more information.

Notes:

These actions are not required for existing running apps.

Supplementing TIBCO EMS libraries is not required.

Engine Variables

A new button, +Variable, has been added under Environment Controls -> Engine Variables which can be used to add your custom properties.
There are two new Engine Variables that you can use to configure a CPU and Memory threshold values. Names: BW_APP_CPU_ALERT_THRESHOLD and BW_APP_MEM_ALERT_THRESHOLD

 

Support for TCI_BW_LOGGER_OVERRIDES and TCI_BW_CONFIG_OVERRIDES properties is removed from this release.

You can use BW_LOGGER_OVERRIDES and CUSTOM_ENGINE_PROPERTY variables under Environment Controls -> Engine Variables to set the logger and custom engine properties respectively for your BusinessWorks apps.

App Push

When a BusinessWorks app is pushed to TIBCO Cloud Integration, it goes into a Stopped state after it is successfully built and deployed. This is a change in behavior compared to the previous release. Prior to this release the app was also started when it was pushed. This created a challenge when the app configuration needed to change before the app was started. Now you can update the config using either the  Environment Variables tab or the TIBCO Cloud™ – Command Line Interface before starting the app.
 

App Import

Pushing the manifest.json file is not mandatory while deploying an app. The manifest.json file is now packaged in the EAR file itself. The older mechanism of pushing both EAR and manifest.json file also continues to work to maintain backward compatibility.
 

API Modeler and Mock Apps

API Modeler has moved. Instead of being a menu item in TIBCO Cloud™ Integration, it is now a TIBCO Cloud™ capability. You can now reach API Modeler by clicking API Model & Mock from the Capabilities menu in the Global Navigation Header:

 

 

You can also reach API Modeler directly from the following URLs:

• AWS-US - https://integration.cloud.tibco.com/applications/models/apispecs
• AWS-EU - https://eu.integration.cloud.tibco.com/applications/models/apispecs
• AWS-APJ - https://au.integration.cloud.tibco.com/applications/models/apispecs
• Azure-US - https://integration.us.azure.cloud.tibco.com/applications/models/apispecs

 Mock apps are now more tightly related to API specs. Mock apps are no longer shown on the App Details page. Instead, you can create, access, and delete a Mock app from an API spec’s shortcut menu in API Modeler.

 

When you go to a Mock app from the shortcut menu, it is displayed in a new Mock App Details page. This is a simplified version of the App Details page, where you can start and stop the app, view and test its endpoints, publish public endpoints to Mashery, and change the endpoint visibility. You can also view the Mock app’s implementation, logs, and app history.

A few other changes:

• You can’t scale a Mock app to more than one instance.
• You can’t create a Flogo app from the shortcut menu in API Modeler anymore. But you can do this directly in Flogo now -- see above.
• Deleting an API spec also deletes its associated Mock App. You can’t recover a deleted Mock app from the trash like you can a spec, but you can recreate a new one.

 

More Information

• See the TIBCO® Cloud Integration Release Notes at https://community.tibco.com/wiki/tibco-cloud-integration-known-issues.
• See the TIBCO® Cloud Integration documentation at https://integration.cloud.tibco.com/docs/index.html
• See the customer web session on the new release at https://www.tibco.com/resources/demand-webinar/explore-tibco-may-2020-key-product-releases-tibco-cloud-integration

Overview of the User Interface changes in the May 2020 release of TIBCO Cloud™ Integration