Release 5 R6 Ballot (1st Draft)

This page is part of the FHIR Specification (v5.0.0: R5 - STU v6.0.0-ballot1: Release 6 Ballot (1st Draft) (see Ballot Notes ). This is the The current published version in it's permanent home (it will always be available at this URL). is 5.0.0 . For a full list of available versions, see the Directory of published versions . Page versions: R5 R4B R4 R3 R2

Example OperationDefinition/MessageHeader-process-message (XML)

Infrastructure And Messaging Work Group Maturity Level : N/A Standards Status : Informative

Raw XML ( canonical form + also see XML Format Specification )

Operation Definition

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>

<OperationDefinition xmlns="http://hl7.org/fhir">
  <id value="MessageHeader-process-message"/> 
  <text> 
    <status value="extensions"/> 
    <div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
      <p> URL: [base]/$process-message</p> 
      <p> Parameters</p> 
      <table class="grid">
        <tr> 
          <td> 
            <b> Use</b> 
          </td> 
          <td> 
            <b> Name</b> 
          </td> 
          <td> 
            <b> Scope</b> 
          </td> 
          <td> 
            <b> Cardinality</b> 
          </td> 
          <td> 
            <b> Type</b> 
          </td> 
          <td> 
            <b> Binding</b> 
          </td> 
          <td> 
            <b> Documentation</b> 
          </td> 
        </tr> 
        <tr> 
          <td> IN</td> 
          <td> content</td> 
          <td/>  
          <td> 1..1</td> 
          <td> 
            <a href="bundle.html">Bundle</a> 
          </td> 
          <td/>  
          <td> 
            <div> 
              The message to process (or, if using asynchronous messaging, it may be a response

              <p> The message to process (or, if using asynchronous messaging, it may be a response
                 message to accept)</p> 
            </div> 
          </td> 
        </tr> 
        <tr> 
          <td> IN</td> 
          <td> async</td> 
          <td/>  
          <td> 0..1</td> 
          <td> 
            <a href="datatypes.html#boolean">boolean</a> 
          </td> 
          <td/>  
          <td> 
            <div> 
              <p> If 'true' the message is processed using the asynchronous messaging pattern</p> 
            </div> 
          </td> 
        </tr> 
        <tr> 
          <td> IN</td> 
          <td> response-url</td> 
          <td/>  
          <td> 0..1</td> 
          <td> 
            <a href="datatypes.html#url">url</a> 
          </td> 
          <td/>  
          <td> 
            <div> 
              A URL to submit response messages to, if asynchronous messaging is being used,
                 and if the MessageHeader.source.endpoint is not the appropriate place to submit

              <p> A URL to submit response messages to, if asynchronous messaging is being used,
                 and if the MessageHeader.source.endpoint is not the appropriate place to submit

                 responses</p> 
            </div> 
          </td> 
        </tr> 
        <tr> 
          <td> OUT</td> 
          <td> return</td> 
          <td/>  
          <td> 0..1</td> 
          <td> 
            <a href="bundle.html">Bundle</a> 
          </td> 
          <td/>  
          <td> 
            <div> 
              A response message, if synchronous messaging is being used (mandatory in this case).

              <p> A response message, if synchronous messaging is being used (mandatory in this case).
                 For asynchronous messaging, there is no return value</p> 
            </div> 
          </td> 
        </tr> 
      </table> 
      <div> 
        This operation does not use the parameters resource; the parameters &quot;async&quot;
           and &quot;response-url&quot; always go in the URL, if they are used, and the &quot;content&qu

        <p> This operation does not use the parameters resource; the parameters &quot;async&quot;
           and &quot;response-url&quot; always go in the URL, if they are used, and the &quot;content&qu

          ot; parameter is always the body of the HTTP message.</p> 
        <p> When processing messages, a server may return one of several status codes:</p> 
        <ul> 
          <li> 
            : Indicates that the message has been fully processed.  If an application-level
             response is expected for the submitted message, that response SHALL be returned

            <strong> 200 OK</strong> : Indicates that the message has been fully processed.  If an application-level
             response is expected for the submitted message, that response SHALL be returned

             as the body of the 200 response.
          </li> 
          <li> 
            <strong> 202 Accepted</strong> : Indicates that the receiving system has accepted custody of the message
          </li> 
          <li> 
            : Indicates that the message has been fully processed and would normally have had
             an application-level response, but because of instructions from the sender (e.g.

            <strong> 204 No Content</strong> : Indicates that the message has been fully processed and would normally have had
             an application-level response, but because of instructions from the sender (e.g.

             the 
            <a href="http://hl7.org/fhir/extensions/StructureDefinition-messageheader-response-request.html">http://hl7.org/fhir/StructureDefinition/messageheader-response-request</a>  extension), no response is being provided
          </li> 
          <li> 
            : Indicates that the message was not successfully processed.  The server MAY return

            <strong> 300+</strong> : Indicates that the message was not successfully processed.  The server MAY return
             an 
             with additional information, and SHOULD do so if the response code is 400 or greater.
             The client SHALL interpret a 4xx response to indicate that there is no point resubmitting
             the unaltered message, and a 5xx response to indicate an unexpected error occurred
             on the part of the server, with the implication that it may be appropriate to resubmit
             the original message. Doing so SHOULD NOT result in a duplicate message response.
             Repeated failures indicate either a fatal problem with the submission or a problem

            <a href="operationoutcome.html">OperationOutcome</a>  with additional information, and SHOULD do so if the response code is 400 or greater.
             The client SHALL interpret a 4xx response to indicate that there is no point resubmitting
             the unaltered message, and a 5xx response to indicate an unexpected error occurred
             on the part of the server, with the implication that it may be appropriate to resubmit
             the original message. Doing so SHOULD NOT result in a duplicate message response.
             Repeated failures indicate either a fatal problem with the submission or a problem

             with the receiving application.
          </li> 
        </ul> 
        <p> The following rules apply when using $process-message:</p> 
        <ul> 
          The operation only accepts POST transactions - any other HTTP method will result

          <li> The operation only accepts POST transactions - any other HTTP method will result
             in an HTTP error</li> 
          <li> The request content type submitted is always 
            <a href="bundle.html">Bundle</a>  with type &quot;message&quot; containing a 
            <a href="messageheader.html">Message Header</a>  resource as the first resource
          </li> 
          <li> The response content type returned, if not empoty, is always 
            <a href="bundle.html">Bundle</a>  with type &quot;message&quot; containing a 
            <a href="messageheader.html">Message Header</a>  resource as the first resource, or an HTTP error
          </li> 
          <li> If the response is an error, the body SHOULD be an 
            <a href="operationoutcome.html">OperationOutcome</a>  resource with full details of the Errors ∓ Warning
          </li> 
          The mailbox may be authenticated using standard HTTP authentication methods, including

          <li> The mailbox may be authenticated using standard HTTP authentication methods, including
             OAuth</li> 
        </ul> 
        The $process-message operation can be used by any HTTP end-point that accepts FHIR

        <p> The $process-message operation can be used by any HTTP end-point that accepts FHIR
           messages, not just FHIR RESTful servers.</p> 
        <p> In order to ensure consistency of processing, the 
          <a href="messaging.html#reliable">logical rules regarding processing of Bundle.id and message id</a>  SHALL be followed when messages are processed using this operation.
        </p> 
        <p> The $process-message operation may be used synchronously, or asynchronously.</p> 
        <p> The following rules apply when using the $process-message operation synchronously:</p> 
        <ul> 
          <li> The URL (http://server/base/$process-message) has no parameters</li> 
          <li> It is an error if the sender POSTs a message that requires multiple response messages</li> 
          Servers SHALL accept multiple concurrent message submissions and process them correctly
             (they are allowed to process them sequentially internally, but multiple concurrent

          <li> Servers SHALL accept multiple concurrent message submissions and process them correctly
             (they are allowed to process them sequentially internally, but multiple concurrent

             submissions is not an error in its own right)</li> 
        </ul> 
        <p> The following rules apply when using the $process-message operation asynchronously:</p> 
        <ul> 
          <li> The URL has at least one parameter: http://server/base/$process-message?async=true</li> 
          The server acknowledges the message with a 200 OK with no body, or returns an HTTP

          <li> The server acknowledges the message with a 200 OK with no body, or returns an HTTP
             error if the message cannot be processed</li> 
          Accepting the message means that the server has understood the message enough to

          <li> Accepting the message means that the server has understood the message enough to
             know where to respond</li> 
          <li> An 
            <a href="operationoutcome.html">OperationOutcome</a>  SHOULD be returned in either case
          </li> 
          By default, the server responds by invoking the $process-message using the sender's

          <li> By default, the server responds by invoking the $process-message using the sender's
             stated end-point in the message: POST [MessageHeader.source.endpoint]/$process-message]</li> 
          Since the source end-point may be manipulated by message transfer engines, an alternative
             response address may be specified using the parameter &quot;response-url&quot;:
             http://server/base/$process-message?async=true&amp;response-url=http://server2.com/base/anyth
            ing.  The endpoint at the specified URL SHALL implement the signature of the $process-message

          <li> Since the source end-point may be manipulated by message transfer engines, an alternative
             response address may be specified using the parameter &quot;response-url&quot;:
             http://server/base/$process-message?async=true&amp;response-url=http://server2.com/base/anyth
            ing.  The endpoint at the specified URL SHALL implement the signature of the $process-message

             operation (parameter async=true, accept a Bundle, return a 200 OK or an error)</li> 
          The server submits response messages to the appropriate end-point with the parameter

          <li> The server submits response messages to the appropriate end-point with the parameter
             async=true. There is no response message for the response messages</li> 
        </ul> 
      </div> 
    </div> 
  </text> 
  <extension url="http://hl7.org/fhir/StructureDefinition/structuredefinition-fmm">
    <valueInteger value="4"/> 
  </extension> 
  <extension url="http://hl7.org/fhir/StructureDefinition/structuredefinition-standards-status">
    <valueCode value="trial-use"/> 
  </extension> 
  <extension url="http://hl7.org/fhir/StructureDefinition/structuredefinition-wg">
    <valueCode value="inm"/> 
  </extension> 
  <url value="http://hl7.org/fhir/OperationDefinition/MessageHeader-process-message"/> 
  

  <version value="6.0.0-ballot1"/> 
  <name value="ProcessMessage"/> 
  <title value="Process Message"/> 
  <status value="draft"/> 
  <kind value="operation"/> 
  <experimental value="false"/> 
  
  

  <date value="2023-12-18T15:12:07+11:00"/> 
  <publisher value="HL7 International / Infrastructure And Messaging"/> 
  <contact> 
    <telecom> 
      <system value="url"/> 
      <value value="http://hl7.org/fhir"/> 
    </telecom> 
    <telecom> 
      <system value="email"/> 
      <value value="fhir@lists.hl7.org"/> 
    </telecom> 
  </contact> 
  This operation accepts a message, processes it according to the definition of the

  <contact> 
    <telecom> 
      <system value="url"/> 
      <value value="http://www.hl7.org/Special/committees/inm"/> 
    </telecom> 
  </contact> 
  <description value="This operation accepts a message, processes it according to the definition of the
   event in the message header, and returns one or more response messages.  
In addition to processing the message event, a server may choose to retain all
   or some the resources and make them available on a RESTful interface, but is not

In addition to processing the message event, a server may choose to retain all
   or some the resources and make them available on a RESTful interface, but is not

   required to do so."/> 
  <jurisdiction> 
    <coding> 
      <system value="http://unstats.un.org/unsd/methods/m49/m49.htm"/> 
      <code value="001"/> 
      <display value="World"/> 
    </coding> 
  </jurisdiction> 
  <affectsState value="true"/> 
  <code value="process-message"/> 
  This operation does not use the parameters resource; the parameters &quot;async&quot;
   and &quot;response-url&quot; always go in the URL, if they are used, and the &quot;content&qu

  <comment value="This operation does not use the parameters resource; the parameters &quot;async&quot;
   and &quot;response-url&quot; always go in the URL, if they are used, and the &quot;content&qu

  ot; parameter is always the body of the HTTP message.
When processing messages, a server may return one of several status codes:
* **200 OK**: Indicates that the message has been fully processed.  If an application-level
   response is expected for the submitted message, that response SHALL be returned

* **200 OK**: Indicates that the message has been fully processed.  If an application-level
   response is expected for the submitted message, that response SHALL be returned

   as the body of the 200 response.
* **202 Accepted**: Indicates that the receiving system has accepted custody of

* **202 Accepted**: Indicates that the receiving system has accepted custody of

   the message
* **204 No Content**: Indicates that the message has been fully processed and would
   normally have had an application-level response, but because of instructions from
   the sender (e.g. the [http://hl7.org/fhir/StructureDefinition/messageheader-response-request]
  (http://hl7.org/fhir/extensions/StructureDefinition-messageheader-response-request.html)

* **204 No Content**: Indicates that the message has been fully processed and would
   normally have had an application-level response, but because of instructions from
   the sender (e.g. the [http://hl7.org/fhir/StructureDefinition/messageheader-response-request]
  (http://hl7.org/fhir/extensions/StructureDefinition-messageheader-response-request.html)

   extension), no response is being provided
* **300+**: Indicates that the message was not successfully processed.  The server
   MAY return an [OperationOutcome](operationoutcome.html) with additional information,
   and SHOULD do so if the response code is 400 or greater. The client SHALL interpret
   a 4xx response to indicate that there is no point resubmitting the unaltered message,
   and a 5xx response to indicate an unexpected error occurred on the part of the
   server, with the implication that it may be appropriate to resubmit the original
   message. Doing so SHOULD NOT result in a duplicate message response. Repeated failures
   indicate either a fatal problem with the submission or a problem with the receiving

* **300+**: Indicates that the message was not successfully processed.  The server
   MAY return an [OperationOutcome](operationoutcome.html) with additional information,
   and SHOULD do so if the response code is 400 or greater. The client SHALL interpret
   a 4xx response to indicate that there is no point resubmitting the unaltered message,
   and a 5xx response to indicate an unexpected error occurred on the part of the
   server, with the implication that it may be appropriate to resubmit the original
   message. Doing so SHOULD NOT result in a duplicate message response. Repeated failures
   indicate either a fatal problem with the submission or a problem with the receiving

   application.
The following rules apply when using $process-message:
* The operation only accepts POST transactions - any other HTTP method will result

* The operation only accepts POST transactions - any other HTTP method will result

   in an HTTP error
* The request content type submitted is always [Bundle](bundle.html) with type
   &quot;message&quot; containing a [Message Header](messageheader.html) resource

* The request content type submitted is always [Bundle](bundle.html) with type
   &quot;message&quot; containing a [Message Header](messageheader.html) resource

   as the first resource
* The response content type returned, if not empoty, is always [Bundle](bundle.html)
   with type &quot;message&quot; containing a [Message Header](messageheader.html)

* The response content type returned, if not empoty, is always [Bundle](bundle.html)
   with type &quot;message&quot; containing a [Message Header](messageheader.html)

   resource as the first resource, or an HTTP error
* If the response is an error, the body SHOULD be an [OperationOutcome](operationoutcome.html

* If the response is an error, the body SHOULD be an [OperationOutcome](operationoutcome.html

  ) resource with full details of the Errors &amp;mp; Warning
* The mailbox may be authenticated using standard HTTP authentication methods,

* The mailbox may be authenticated using standard HTTP authentication methods,

   including OAuth
The $process-message operation can be used by any HTTP end-point that accepts FHIR

The $process-message operation can be used by any HTTP end-point that accepts FHIR

   messages, not just FHIR RESTful servers.
In order to ensure consistency of processing, the [logical rules regarding processing
   of Bundle.id and message id](messaging.html#reliable) SHALL be followed when messages

In order to ensure consistency of processing, the [logical rules regarding processing
   of Bundle.id and message id](messaging.html#reliable) SHALL be followed when messages

   are processed using this operation.
The $process-message operation may be used synchronously, or asynchronously.
The following rules apply when using the $process-message operation synchronously:
* The URL (http://server/base/$process-message) has no parameters
* It is an error if the sender POSTs a message that requires multiple response

* It is an error if the sender POSTs a message that requires multiple response

   messages
* Servers SHALL accept multiple concurrent message submissions and process them
   correctly (they are allowed to process them sequentially internally, but multiple

* Servers SHALL accept multiple concurrent message submissions and process them
   correctly (they are allowed to process them sequentially internally, but multiple

   concurrent submissions is not an error in its own right)
The following rules apply when using the $process-message operation asynchronously:
* The URL has at least one parameter: http://server/base/$process-message?async=true
* The server acknowledges the message with a 200 OK with no body, or returns an

* The server acknowledges the message with a 200 OK with no body, or returns an

   HTTP error if the message cannot be processed
* Accepting the message means that the server has understood the message enough

* Accepting the message means that the server has understood the message enough

   to know where to respond
* An [OperationOutcome](operationoutcome.html) SHOULD be returned in either case
* By default, the server responds by invoking the $process-message using the sender's

* By default, the server responds by invoking the $process-message using the sender's

   stated end-point in the message: POST [MessageHeader.source.endpoint]/$process-message]
* Since the source end-point may be manipulated by message transfer engines, an
   alternative response address may be specified using the parameter &quot;response-url&quot;:
   http://server/base/$process-message?async=true&amp;amp;response-url=http://server2.com/base/a
  nything.  The endpoint at the specified URL SHALL implement the signature of the
   $process-message operation (parameter async=true, accept a Bundle, return a 200

* Since the source end-point may be manipulated by message transfer engines, an
   alternative response address may be specified using the parameter &quot;response-url&quot;:
   http://server/base/$process-message?async=true&amp;amp;response-url=http://server2.com/base/a
  nything.  The endpoint at the specified URL SHALL implement the signature of the
   $process-message operation (parameter async=true, accept a Bundle, return a 200

   OK or an error)
* The server submits response messages to the appropriate end-point with the parameter

* The server submits response messages to the appropriate end-point with the parameter

   async=true. There is no response message for the response messages"/> 
  <resource value="MessageHeader"/> 
  <system value="true"/> 
  <type value="false"/> 
  <instance value="false"/> 
  <parameter> 
    <name value="content"/> 
    <use value="in"/> 
    <min value="1"/> 
    <max value="1"/> 
    The message to process (or, if using asynchronous messaging, it may be a response

    <documentation value="The message to process (or, if using asynchronous messaging, it may be a response
     message to accept)"/> 
    <type value="Bundle"/> 
  </parameter> 
  <parameter> 
    <name value="async"/> 
    <use value="in"/> 
    <min value="0"/> 
    <max value="1"/> 
    <documentation value="If 'true' the message is processed using the asynchronous messaging pattern"/> 
    <type value="boolean"/> 
  </parameter> 
  <parameter> 
    <name value="response-url"/> 
    <use value="in"/> 
    <min value="0"/> 
    <max value="1"/> 
    A URL to submit response messages to, if asynchronous messaging is being used,
     and if the MessageHeader.source.endpoint is not the appropriate place to submit

    <documentation value="A URL to submit response messages to, if asynchronous messaging is being used,
     and if the MessageHeader.source.endpoint is not the appropriate place to submit

     responses"/> 
    <type value="url"/> 
  </parameter> 
  <parameter> 
    <name value="return"/> 
    <use value="out"/> 
    <min value="0"/> 
    <max value="1"/> 
    A response message, if synchronous messaging is being used (mandatory in this case).

    <documentation value="A response message, if synchronous messaging is being used (mandatory in this case).
     For asynchronous messaging, there is no return value"/> 
    <type value="Bundle"/> 
  </parameter> 


</

OperationDefinition

>



Usage note: every effort has been made to ensure that the examples are correct and useful, but they are not a normative part of the specification.