Send HL7 File

Definition

A Send HL7 File task simulates a system sending HL7 messages from a file to a host on a specific TCP port. Validation can be done on the acknowledgment messages that are sent back.

Create a new “Send HL7 File” task

1. Right-click the name of the parent Action the new task will be created in.
2. Select Add New Task –> Send HL7 File
3. New Task appears under the parent Action.
4. Edit the task name as needed.

 A new task is added at the end of the current action. Drag and drop to change the task order.

Configuring a “Send HL7 File” task

There are several options to control where the messages in the file are sent.

1. Set timing: Specify the wait time before and after execution. Wait times give a sending or receiving system enough time to initiate. They also add a pause between action executions.
2. Set the message destination: Default network connections are preconfigured destinations for messages. Using default network connections let you quickly change the testing environment by updating the default network connection instead of modifying all tasks individually. More details about how to define network connections are available on the Options page.
   • If checked, the message will be sent to the host and port defined in the default send network connection.
   • If unchecked, pick a destination for the message to be sent from the list
3. Connection attempts: Set the number of time the task will try to send the message to the destination. The task will fail after unsuccessful attempts.
4. Wait for response: Check if you want to wait for an ACK message after sending the message.
5. Select the sent message format: Messages can be sent using the HL7-ER7 or XML encoding format.
   • HL7-ER7 format is the most popular and uses the pipe (“|”) and caret (“^”) delimiters. This is the default.
6. File path: Enter the file containing messages to be sent. Messages must be separated by the default message delimiter.
7. Save message to file: Sent messages are stored in the execution results and in the execution reports. If needed, sent messages can be stored in file at execution time. Messages stored will be exactly what was sent with actual instantiated values for each variable.
   • If checked, the messages will be stored in the file path provided. Variables can be used to build the file path.
   • If unchecked, the messages will not be stored on disk. This is the default.

Add validation rules

If the receiving system is configured to send back message acknowledgement, each message sent would be responded to with an ACK or a NACK message. Validations can be added to the task to confirm the ACK/NACK response is as expected. Several validation types can be added.

• String Comparison Validation
• HL7 v2.x Validation
• XML Validation