Templates

Each message type your connection supports must define an HL7 template. A template is a real-world sample of an actual data packet in the industry standard HL7 protocol format.

This template is used for the following purposes:

• Documentation of what the message should look like.
• An interactive template used when finding data element paths (discussed elsewhere).
• In the case of outbound messages, templates are used as the basis for all messages sent to 'Product X.' Essentially, when the Dr. Know platform needs to send a message to 'Product X,' it will first make a copy of it's template, update its configured parts with dynamic information, and then deliver the message to 'Product X.'

Import Template

You can import an HL7 message template from a source file or by pasting it directly into your work space. Once imported, this template will appear in your work space with proper HL7 formatting. The funny looking symbols are how HL7 separates each piece of data. The various parts of the message will highlight based on the HL7 protocol specification for easier reading.

Finding Sample Messages

You will often need to ask for sample HL7 messages from the vendor of ‘Product X.’ Asking for samples is common practice within the industry and the vendor should be able to provide them easily. Your IT or product support department may also have access to tools that allow them to extract message samples from an existing test or production environment.

Once received, import or paste the sample into your connection.

Static Data Elements

In many integration scenarios, 'Product X' will require certain static data elements to always be present within the messages sent to them. For example, a designated value representing the 'Dr. Know' product as the message source. Since your configured template is used in real-time by the Dr. Know platform as the basis for all messages sent to 'Product X,' simply make sure that this template contains any required static data elements to satisfy this requirement.