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Administration Guide

# Overview of Data Services Platform Administration

This chapter introduces AquaLogic Data Services Platform (Data Services Platform) administration. The chapter also introduces the concept of WebLogic domains, and explains how to create new WebLogic domains for DSP or add Data Services Platform to an existing WebLogic domain.

The chapter contains the following sections:

- DSP Administration Tasks
- Understanding WebLogic Domains and Administration
- License Key Updates

Note: Data Services Platform was previously named Liquid Data. Some artifacts of the original name remain in the product, installation path, and components.

# DSP Administration Tasks

DSP is integration software that unifies data programming through the use of data services. Since it is deployed to a WebLogic Server, you can administer Data Services Platform through the underlying WebLogic Platform. Administrative tasks that you can perform through WebLogic include deployment, starting and stopping the server, configuring connection pools and data sources, logging, and others. The WebLogic Platform provides extensive tools and capabilities for configuring and maintaining a large-scale, production-level integration platform.

However, there are several administrative tasks that are specific to the DSP. Generally these arise from Data Services Platform's role as data integration software and include managing applications that use Data Services Platform data services, and configuring data caching and access control for data services.

This document introduces you to general WebLogic administration and describes several common tasks. However, its primary focus is on Data Services Platform-specific tasks. For complete information on WebLogic administration, see Configuring and Managing WebLogic Server at:

http://e-docs.bea.com/wls/docs81/adminguide/index.html

## Securing Data

Data Services Platform leverages the security model of the WebLogic Platform to ensure data security. WebLogic uses security policies that control access to deployed resources based on user credentials or other factors.

Data Services Platform extends WebLogic security to enable you to apply policies to its data resources at a range of levels, from the application to individual data elements. In addition, you can secure resources based on data values (called instance-level security). For example, you can secure objects if an element value exceeds a specific threshold.

For details, see Securing Data Services Platform Resources.

## Caching Query Results

Data Services Platform can cache query results for data service functions to enhance overall Data Services Platform performance. Caching data alleviates the burden on back-end resource and improves data request response times from the client's perspective. If you want to cache data service function results, you must explicitly enable results caching in the Data Services Platform Console.

For more information, see Configuring Data Services Platform Applications.

## Data Service Metadata

Traditionally, enterprises have lacked a universal mechanism for advertising availability of data resources across source types, or for communicating information about those resources. Data Services Platform provides this capability through dynamically generated metadata.

Data service metadata serves these primary purposes:

- It helps developers create client applications that use the information made available by Data Services Platform by revealing what data is available and how to use it.
- It helps administrators maintain Data Services Platform by providing a mechanism to gauge effects of changes in underlying data sources upon a data service deployment.

Metadata provides information on data services such as their public functions, datatypes, data lineage, and more. It also provides where used information, showing dependencies between data services.

For more information, see Viewing Metadata.

# Understanding WebLogic Domains and Administration

A WebLogic domain is a collection of WebLogic resources managed as a single unit. A WebLogic domain includes one or more instances of a WebLogic Server and may include WebLogic Server clusters. For more information about domains, see WebLogic Server Domains in Configuring and Managing WebLogic Server.

The WebLogic Administration Console is a web-based interface for configuring and monitoring a WebLogic domain. In cases when the domain has more than one server, one of the servers is designated as the Administration Server for the domain. The Administration Server then serves as the central point of control for an entire domain. If there is only one server in a domain, that server is the Administration Server in addition to the other functions it provides. Any other servers in a domain are Managed Servers.

The Administration Console enables you to perform most of the configuration tasks for domains and servers. It is also where you deploy the Data Services Platform application to your domain.

DSP supplements the WebLogic Administration Console with the Data Services Platform Administration Console (named ldconsole). The Data Services Platform Console gives you access to configuration settings specific for Data Services Platform, such as caching and data resource security controls as well as metadata information.

## Understanding the Relationship of Data Services Platform to WebLogic Domains

Data Services Platform is an application and a set of associated resources that are deployed in a WebLogic domain. Starting, stopping, and managing Data Services Platform is accomplished by starting the WebLogic Server in the domain in which Data Services Platform is deployed, and using the Administration Console for that server to configure and manage Data Services Platform resources for that domain.

### Creating a New Domain

Data Services Platform applications work with WebLogic domains that have been provisioned for DSP. You can use the BEA WebLogic Configuration Wizard to create such domains.

To create a new domain provisioned with Data Services Platform:

1. On Windows systems, choose Programs —>BEA WebLogic Platform 8.1 —>Configuration Wizard.
2. In the wizard, choose Data Service Platform Domain as the domain type.
3. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the initial configuration of the domain.

For more information on creating domains, see Creating a New WebLogic Domain in the WebLogic Platform documentation.

### Provisioning an Existing Domain for Data Services Platform

In cases when you have WebLogic Server domain in which you want to use Data Services Platform, the next step is to provision the domain for DSP. Once a domain is provisioned with Data Services Platform, you can deploy applications that contain Data Services Platform projects. For more information see Deploying Data Services Platform Applications.

## Understanding Console Users

The Data Services Platform Administration Console is targeted for two types of users:

- Client developers
- DSP administrators

Configuration features of the console can be disabled based on the role of the user, so that caching and security controls, for example, are not displayed to the developer user. The administrative user, on the other hand, can access all pages in the console.

For more information, see Securing Data Services Platform Resources.

# License Key Updates

Data Services Platform requires a valid product license to run. The Data Services Platform license is included as a component in the WebLogic Server license file, `license.bea`. If you need to apply or update a DSP license file (known as a Liquid Data license file), use the BEA UpdateLicense utility to update the `license.bea` file.

For details about BEA product licensing, see Installing and Updating WebLogic Platform License Files in Installing WebLogic Platform of the WebLogic Server documentation.