Glossary
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| ACK | Acknowledgment message sent back to a sender confirming receipt of a message (common in HL7) |
| Attachment | Binary or large content extracted from a message and stored separately |
| Batch | A single inbound payload that is split into multiple discrete messages |
| Channel | The fundamental processing unit in OIE; defines a complete message pipeline from source to destination(s) |
| Channel Group | An organizational container for grouping related channels |
| Channel Map | A key-value store scoped to a single message across all connectors in a channel. Shorthand $c. Read-only in the postprocessor |
| Channel Writer/Reader | Internal connectors for routing messages between channels within the same OIE instance |
| Code Template | A reusable JavaScript function or code snippet shared across channels |
| Configuration Map | Server-wide key-value pairs accessible in all channel scripts; configured in Settings. Shorthand $cfg |
| Connector | A protocol-specific endpoint (source or destination) that handles message I/O |
| Connector Map | A key-value store scoped to a single message within a single connector. Shorthand $co |
| Dashboard | The main operational view showing deployed channels and their real-time statistics |
| Data Pruner | A background process that automatically removes old message data |
| Data Type | A message format parser/serializer (e.g., HL7 v2.x, XML, JSON, DICOM). The data type decides what msg and tmp are: E4X XML for XML-based types, a JavaScript object for JSON, a String for Raw |
| Deploy | Turning a saved channel definition into a running object. Scripts are compiled, connectors created, tables reconciled, and the channel is then started, paused, or left stopped according to its Initial State. See Deploy, Start, and Channel State |
| Derby | Apache Derby; the embedded database used by default for development |
| Destination | A connector that sends processed messages to an external system or another channel |
| Destination Set | The set of destinations that will process a given message. Available on the source connector only, and modifiable from the source filter or transformer via destinationSet |
| DICOM | Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine; a standard for medical imaging |
| Donkey | The internal message processing engine that handles queuing, storage, and message lifecycle |
| E4X | ECMAScript for XML; the syntax used to access message fields when the data type is XML-based (HL7 v2.x, HL7 v3.x, XML, EDI/X12, NCPDP, Delimited Text, DICOM). JSON and Raw messages are not E4X |
| EDI | Electronic Data Interchange; a standard for business document exchange |
| Extension | A plugin that adds functionality to OIE (connectors, data types, plugins, etc.) |
| Filter | A set of rules that determine whether a message should be processed or rejected. Compiled into the same script as its transformer, so the two share one scope |
| Global Channel Map | A key-value store shared across all messages within a specific channel. Shorthand $gc. Not present in the global deploy and undeploy scripts |
| Global Map | A key-value store shared across all channels on the server. Shorthand $g |
| HL7 | Health Level Seven; a set of international standards for healthcare data exchange |
| Iterator | A transformer step type that loops over repeating segments or elements |
| Mapper | A transformer step type that extracts a value from the source message into a variable |
| Message | A discrete unit of data processed by a channel |
| Message Browser | The UI for searching, viewing, and managing individual messages. Channel and connector map entries appear on its Mappings tab |
| Message Builder | A transformer step type that sets a field in the outbound message |
| Message Storage Mode | Controls how much message content is persisted (Development, Production, Raw, Metadata, Disabled) |
| MLLP | Minimum Lower Layer Protocol; the standard framing protocol for HL7 over TCP |
| NACK | Negative Acknowledgment; indicates a message was received but could not be processed |
| NCPDP | National Council for Prescription Drug Programs; a pharmacy transaction standard |
| OIE | Open Integration Engine; this project |
| Postprocessor | A channel script that runs after all destinations have processed a message. Its maps are read-only |
| Preprocessor | A channel script that runs before the source filter and transformer, receiving the raw message as a String in message |
| Pruning | The process of removing old message data from the database |
| Queue | Not an in-memory structure. A queue is a set of rows in the database: the source queue is this connector's messages in RECEIVED status, a destination queue is that destination's messages in QUEUED status. Each keeps a small in-memory buffer filled from that query. See Queueing |
| Response | Data returned by a destination system after receiving a message |
| Response Map | A key-value store for destination responses, used to return responses to the source. Shorthand $r |
| Rhino | Mozilla Rhino; the JavaScript engine used by OIE. Language version is set by rhino.languageversion in mirth.properties |
| Rule | A single condition within a filter (Rule Builder, JavaScript, or External Script) |
| Serialization | Converting an internal message representation to an output format string |
| Source | The connector that receives inbound messages for a channel |
| Source Map | A key-value store populated by the source connector with metadata (e.g., remote address). Shorthand $s |
| Step | A single operation within a transformer (Mapper, Message Builder, JavaScript, etc.) |
| Tag | A label applied to channels for organizational filtering |
| Template | The content pattern used by a destination connector, supporting variable substitution |
| Transformer | A chain of steps that modify message content as it passes through a connector |
| Transmission Mode | The framing protocol used by TCP connectors (MLLP, Basic) |
| Undeploy | Removing a channel from the engine so it stops processing messages |
| VM | The underlying connector protocol for channel-to-channel routing; exposed in the UI as Channel Reader (source) and Channel Writer (destination) |