diff --git a/openwhisk/db2_insert.py b/openwhisk/db2_insert.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6e57100
--- /dev/null
+++ b/openwhisk/db2_insert.py
@@ -0,0 +1,132 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python
+# author mark_purcell@ie.ibm.com
+
+import json
+from db2 import DB2
+
+MAX_INSERT_COUNT = 1000
+
+# insert a double value
+SQL_TEMPLATE1 = "CALL {database}('{{device_id}}', TIMESTAMP('{{observed}}'), {{value}})"
+
+# insert a combination double/text value
+SQL_TEMPLATE2 = "CALL {database}('{{device_id}}', TIMESTAMP('{{observed}}'), {{value}}, '{{text}}')"
+
+# insert a text value
+SQL_TEMPLATE3 = "CALL {database}('{{device_id}}', TIMESTAMP('{{observed}}'), NULL, '{{text}}')"
+
+
+def gen_statement_insert(database, row):
+    '''generate sql insert statment
+
+    returns: (statment, true) on success, (error, false) otherwise
+    '''
+    sql_template1 = SQL_TEMPLATE1.format(database=database)
+    sql_template2 = SQL_TEMPLATE2.format(database=database)
+    sql_template3 = SQL_TEMPLATE3.format(database=database)
+
+    sql = ''
+
+    try:
+        if 'device_id' not in row:
+            return sql
+
+        if 'observed_timestamp' not in row:
+            return sql
+
+        did = row['device_id']
+        ots = row['observed_timestamp']
+
+        txt, val = None, None
+        if 'value' in row:
+            val = row['value']
+        if 'text' in row:
+            txt = row['text']
+
+        if val is not None:
+            if type(val) == str:
+                # string value - ignore any text
+                sql = sql_template3.format(device_id=did, observed=ots, text=val)
+            elif txt is not None:
+                sql = sql_template2.format(device_id=did, observed=ots, value=val, text=txt)
+            else:
+                sql = sql_template1.format(device_id=did, observed=ots, value=val)
+        elif txt is not None:
+            sql = sql_template3.format(device_id=did, observed=ots, text=txt)
+
+    except Exception as err:
+        print('error: {}'.format(err))
+        return str(err), False
+
+    return sql, True
+
+
+def process(args):
+    '''insert messages into db2'''
+    errs = []
+    commands = 0
+    requested = 0
+
+    try:
+        db2 = DB2(args, ['database'])
+        count = 0
+        sql = ''
+
+        for msg in args['messages']:
+            stmt, err = gen_statement_insert(args['database'], msg)
+            if not err:
+                errs.append(err)
+                continue
+
+            sql += stmt + '; '
+
+            count += 1
+            if count == MAX_INSERT_COUNT:
+                rsp = db2.insert(sql)
+                d = rsp.json()
+                commands += d['commands_count']
+                requested += count
+                count = 0
+                sql = ''
+
+        if count != 0:
+            rsp = db2.insert(sql)
+            d = rsp.json()
+            commands += d['commands_count']
+            requested += count
+
+        retval = {'status': 'success',
+                  'requested': requested}
+    except Exception as err:
+        retval = {'status': 'failed',
+                  'requested': requested,
+                  'msg': str(err)}
+        print('error: {}'.format(err))
+
+    if errs:
+        update = {'status': 'warning',
+                  'rejected': len(errs),
+                  'errors': errs}
+        retval.update(update)
+
+    dbg = args.get('debug', False)
+    if dbg:
+        print(retval)
+
+    return retval
+
+
+def main(args):
+    if 'status' not in args:
+        return {'status': 'failure',
+                'messages': ['no message status found']}
+
+    if args['status'] != 'success':
+        return {'status': 'failure',
+                'messages': ['message with status failure found']}
+
+    if 'messages' not in args:
+        return {'status': 'failure',
+                'messages': ['no messages found']}
+
+    return process(args)
diff --git a/openwhisk/install.sh b/openwhisk/install.sh
index f9ec79e..362942a 100755
--- a/openwhisk/install.sh
+++ b/openwhisk/install.sh
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 #!/bin/bash
 #Author: Mark Purcell (markpurcell@ie.ibm.com)
 
+
 if [[ ! -f my_setup.sh ]]; then
 	echo "Must run provision.sh first "
 	exit 1
@@ -16,15 +17,20 @@ if [[ ! -f $DIR/get_ts-$DBVERSION.zip ]]; then
 	echo "Must run make build first "
 	exit 1
 fi
-if [[ ! -f $DIR/insert-$DBVERSION.zip ]]; then
+if [[ ! -f $DIR/get_devices-$DBVERSION.zip ]]; then
 	echo "Must run make build first "
 	exit 1
 fi
-if [[ ! -f $DIR/get_devices-$DBVERSION.zip ]]; then
+if [[ ! -f $DIR/db2-insert-$DBVERSION.zip ]]; then
+	echo "Must run make build first "
+	exit 1
+fi
+if [[ ! -f $DIR/mhub-parse-$DBVERSION.zip ]]; then
 	echo "Must run make build first "
 	exit 1
 fi
 
+# create/update get timeseries action
 ACTION=create
 EXISTS=$(bx wsk action list | grep $WSK_TS)
 if [ -n "$EXISTS" ]; then
@@ -32,19 +38,37 @@ if [ -n "$EXISTS" ]; then
 fi
 bx wsk action $ACTION --kind python:3 $DB2_PARAMS --param database $DB2_SCHEMA.GET_TS --param debug true $WSK_TS $DIR/get_ts-$DBVERSION.zip
 
+# create/update get devices action
 ACTION=create
-EXISTS=$(bx wsk action list | grep $WSK_ADD)
+EXISTS=$(bx wsk action list | grep $WSK_DEV)
 if [ -n "$EXISTS" ]; then
 	ACTION=update
 fi
-bx wsk action $ACTION --kind python:3 $DB2_PARAMS --param database $DB2_SCHEMA.ADD_TS --param debug true $WSK_ADD $DIR/insert-$DBVERSION.zip
+bx wsk action $ACTION --kind python:3 $DB2_PARAMS --param database $DB2_SCHEMA.GET_DEVICES --param debug true $WSK_DEV $DIR/get_devices-$DBVERSION.zip
 
+# create/update message hub parse action
 ACTION=create
-EXISTS=$(bx wsk action list | grep $WSK_DEV)
+EXISTS=$(bx wsk action list | grep $WSK_MHUB)
 if [ -n "$EXISTS" ]; then
 	ACTION=update
 fi
-bx wsk action $ACTION --kind python:3 $DB2_PARAMS --param database $DB2_SCHEMA.GET_DEVICES --param debug true $WSK_DEV $DIR/get_devices-$DBVERSION.zip
+bx wsk action $ACTION  --kind python:3  $WSK_MHUB $DIR/mhub-parse-$DBVERSION.zip
+
+# create/update timeseries insert action
+ACTION=create
+EXISTS=$(bx wsk action list | grep $WSK_TSINSERT)
+if [ -n "$EXISTS" ]; then
+	ACTION=update
+fi
+bx wsk action $ACTION  --kind python:3  $DB2_PARAMS  --param database $DB2_SCHEMA.ADD_TS  --param debug true  $WSK_TSINSERT $DIR/db2-insert-$DBVERSION.zip
+
+# create/update insert sequence
+ACTION=create
+EXISTS=$(bx wsk action list | grep $WSK_INSERT)
+if [ -n "$EXISTS" ]; then
+	ACTION=update
+fi
+bx wsk action create $WSK_INSERT  --sequence $WSK_MHUB,$WSK_TSINSERT
 
 bx wsk package refresh
 
@@ -60,5 +84,4 @@ fi
 
 increment=$RANDOM
 bx wsk trigger create $CRISTATA_WSK_TRIGGER$increment --feed $WSK_FEED --param topic $TOPIC_MHUB
-bx wsk rule create $CRISTATA_WSK_RULE$increment $CRISTATA_WSK_TRIGGER$increment $WSK_ADD
-
+bx wsk rule create $CRISTATA_WSK_RULE$increment $CRISTATA_WSK_TRIGGER$increment $WSK_INSERT
diff --git a/openwhisk/makefile b/openwhisk/makefile
index 9aac8b9..2721bd8 100644
--- a/openwhisk/makefile
+++ b/openwhisk/makefile
@@ -9,8 +9,10 @@ clean:
 	-@rm -f __main__.py
 
 build:
-	@cp insert.py __main__.py
-	zip -r insert-$(VERSION).zip __main__.py db2.py
+	@cp mhub_parse.py __main__.py
+	zip -r mhub-parse-$(VERSION).zip __main__.py
+	@cp db2_insert.py __main__.py
+	zip -r db2-insert-$(VERSION).zip __main__.py db2.py
 	@cp ts.py __main__.py
 	zip -r get_ts-$(VERSION).zip __main__.py db2.py
 	@cp devices.py __main__.py
diff --git a/openwhisk/mhub_parse.py b/openwhisk/mhub_parse.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1e712f8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/openwhisk/mhub_parse.py
@@ -0,0 +1,83 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python
+#author mark_purcell@ie.ibm.com
+
+'''parse message fromm message hub'''
+import json
+
+
+def process(args):
+    ''' process data coming from Message Hub
+    
+        data fromm Message Hub looks like,
+        {
+          'messages':
+          [
+            {
+              'partition': 0,
+              'key': '{\"orgId\":\"abcdef\",\"deviceType\":\"10101\",\"deviceId\":\"800800803\",\"eventType\":\"status\",\"format\":\"json\",\"timestamp\":\"2018-08-13T08:54:18.966Z\"}',
+              'offset': 2,
+              'topic': 'watson-iot',
+              'value': '[{\"observed_timestamp\": \"2018-04-22 13:24:23\", \"value\": 52.2, \"device_id\": \"1\"}, {\"observed_timestamp\": \"2018-04-22 13:24:24\", \"value\": 57.2, \"device_id\": \"1\"}, {\"observed_timestamp\": \"2018-04-22 13:24:25\", \"value\": \"something\", \"device_id\": \"1\"}, {\"observed_timestamp\": \"2018-04-22 13:24:26\", \"text\": \"something else\", \"device_id\": \"1\"}, {\"observed_timestamp\": \"2018-04-22 13:24:27\", \"text\": \"more\", \"value\": 444.22, \"device_id\": \"1\"}]'
+            },
+            ...
+          ]
+        }
+        returns,
+
+        {
+          'status': 'success',
+          'messages':
+          [
+            {
+              'observed_timestamp': '2018-04-22 13:24:23',
+              'value': 52.2,
+              'device_id': '1'
+            },
+            {
+              'observed_timestamp': '2018-04-22 13:24:24',
+              'value': 57.2,
+              'device_id': '1'
+            },
+            {
+              'observed_timestamp': '2018-04-22 13:24:25',
+              'value': 'something',
+              'device_id': '1'
+            },
+            {
+              'observed_timestamp': '2018-04-22 13:24:26',
+              'text': 'something else',
+              'device_id': '1'
+            },
+            {
+              'observed_timestamp': '2018-04-22 13:24:27',
+              'text': 'more',
+              'value': 444.22,
+              'device_id': '1'
+            }
+          ]
+        }
+    '''
+
+    try:
+        if 'messages' not in args:
+            return {'status': 'failure', 'messages': ['no messages found']}
+
+        values = []
+        for message in args['messages']:
+            if 'value' in message:
+                value = json.loads(message['value'])
+                # this produces an array of json objects
+                for v in value:
+                    values.append(v)
+
+        if len(values) == 0:
+            return {'status': 'failure', 'messages': ['no values found']}
+
+        return {'status': 'success', 'messages': values}
+    except Execption as e:
+        print('error: {}'.format(e))
+        return {'status': 'failure', 'messages': ['exception thrown']}
+
+
+def main(args):
+    return process(args)
diff --git a/service_names.sh b/service_names.sh
index 732f7ba..1e18a3b 100644
--- a/service_names.sh
+++ b/service_names.sh
@@ -16,8 +16,10 @@ export TOPIC_MHUB=watson-iot
 export CRISTATA_WSK_TRIGGER=$prefix-mhub-
 export CRISTATA_WSK_RULE=$prefix-mhub-rule-
 export WSK_TS=$prefix-TimeSeriesRetrieve
-export WSK_ADD=$prefix-TimeSeriesInsert
 export WSK_DEV=$prefix-DeviceListing
+export WSK_MHUB=$prefix-MessageHubParse
+export WSK_TSINSERT=$prefix-DB2Insert
+export WSK_INSERT=$prefix-TimeSeriesInsert
 
 export WSK_FEED='Bluemix_'$CRISTATA_MHUB'_'$CREDENTIAL_MHUB'/messageHubFeed'