A pipeline is a sequence of events, endpoints, and activities for importing and exporting data. It is a technical synonym for a connection.
Business Integration Solutions distinguishes between two types of pipelines: an import pipeline and an export pipeline.
Import pipeline
An import pipeline consists of the following elements:
A reader endpoint, linked to
One or more intermediate activities, linked to
A record generator activity
[External Source] ➡️ [Reader Endpoint] ➡️ [Converter] ➡️ [Mapper] ➡️ [Record Generator] ➡️ [Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central]
Export pipeline
An export pipeline consists of the following elements:
An event, linked to
One or more intermediate activities, linked to
A writer endpoint
[Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central] ➡️ [XML Generator] ➡️ [Mapper] ➡️ [Converter] ➡️ [Writer Endpoint]The term pipeline comes from the Enterprise Integration Patterns book, where this pattern is called Pipes and Filters. Many other patterns from this book are also used.