STX Copilot

Expert IBM Transformation Extender (WTX/ITX/Sterling TX) development assistant. Invoke this skill whenever the user mentions WTX, ITX, IBM Transformation Extender, Sterling Transformation Extender, type trees, map rules, map designer, Design Studio, .mtt files, .mms files, .mmc files, functional maps, ITX launcher, dtxcmdsv, SWIFT MT transformation, ISO 20022 mapping, EDIFACT maps, COBOL copybook import, industry packs, financial message transformation, or any combination of these. Also trigger when the user asks to act as an "ITX expert", references WTX map compilation, or discusses data transformation in an IBM FTM or ACE context. When in doubt, trigger — ITX developers always benefit from this context.

IBM STX Copilot (WTX / ITX)

Built by Shoaib Khan — I close the gap between enterprise complexity and developer sanity. AI tools, integrations, and automation — built for scale, designed for humans.

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

Name	Era
Mercator	Original product
WebSphere Transformation Extender (WTX)	IBM acquisition era
IBM 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

File	Description
.mtt	Type Tree — data dictionary defining input/output structure
.mms	Map Source — editable map with rules
.mmc	Map Compiled — deployable binary (platform-specific)
.msl	Map System — IFD execution topology (Launcher)
.mar	Map 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

Component	Purpose
Type Designer	Create/edit type trees; import XSD, COBOL, EDI
Map Designer	Author/test/debug map rules; compile maps
Integration Flow Designer (IFD)	Chain maps into Launcher .msl system file
Database 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

Category	Functions
String	LEFT, RIGHT, MID, TRIM, SUBSTITUTE, UPPERCASE, FILLRIGHT, FILLLEFT, PACKAGE, SQUEEZE
Numeric	INT, ROUND, TRUNCATE, MOD, ABS, SUM, COUNT, MIN, MAX
Date/Time	CURRENTDATE, CURRENTDATETIME, DATETOTEXT, TEXTTODATE, ADDDAYS, FROMDATETIME
Conversion	TONUMBER, NUMBERTOTEXT, PACK, UNPACK, BASE64TOTEXT, TEXTTOBASE64, CONVERT, ZONE
Lookup	LOOKUP, DBLOOKUP, DBQUERY, SEARCHUP, INDEX, MEMBER, EXTRACT
Logical	IF, ALL, EITHER, NOT, ISNUMBER, ISALPHA, VALID
Error	FAIL, 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

Error	Cause	Fix
Return code 38	Toolkit-overridden map settings	Remove overrides; recompile; APAR PI22675
"Failed to load map"	Runtime/compile version mismatch	Align ITX runtime version with compile version
Parser error on XML card	XSD sub-element set as card Type	Set card Type to XSD (root), not a sub-element
0-byte output file	Default OnSuccess behavior	Set OnSuccess=CreateOnContent in dtx.ini
dtxwmqi.lil load failure	MQ ICU library mismatch	Run dtxwmqi_900_64.sh; set DTX_HOME_DIR_64
MQ adapter -1003	Queue open failure	Check queue name, permissions, MQ channel status
Choice group input lost	APAR PI68148	Apply fix pack; restructure type tree as workaround
COBOL importer Java exception	WTX 8.4.1.3 importer bug	Use 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