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Using Application Integration

Defining an Application View

This section presents the following topics:

- Before You Begin

- High-Level Procedure for Defining an Application View

- Sample Detailed Procedure for Defining an Application View

- Editing an Application View

Before You Begin

When you define an Application View, you are creating an XML-based interface between WebLogic Server and a particular EIS application within your enterprise. Once you create the Application View, a business analyst can use it to create business processes that use the application. For any adapter, you can create any number of Application Views, each of which may contain any number of services and events.

Before you attempt to define an Application View, make sure the following prerequisites are satisfied:

- The appropriate adapter has been developed using the ADK. You can create and configure Application Views only for existing adapters.

- Determine which business processes need to be supported by the Application View you are configuring. The required business processes determine the types of services and events you include in your Application Views. Therefore, you must gather information about the application's business requirements from the business analyst. Once you determine the necessary business processes, you can define and test the appropriate services and events.

High-Level Procedure for Defining an Application View

Figure 2-1 summarizes the procedure for defining and configuring an Application View.

Figure 2-1 Procedure for Defining and Configuring an Application View

1. Log on to the WebLogic Integration Application View Console. For detailed information, see Step 1: Log On to the Application View Console.

2. Click Add Application View to create a new Application View for the appropriate adapter. An Application View enables a set of business processes for the specified adapter's target EIS application. For detailed information, see Steps 2 and 3: Define an Application View and Configure Connection Parameters.

3. On the Configure Connection Parameters page, enter application connection parameters. Alternatively, you can select a previously deployed connection using the Select Existing Connection page. For detailed information, see Steps 2 and 3: Define an Application View and Configure Connection Parameters.

   The information is validated, and the Application View is configured to connect to the specified system.

4. Click Add Event or Add Service to define the appropriate events and services for this Application View.

5. Deploy the Application View on WebLogic Server so other entities can interact with it according to your security settings.

   Note: You cannot test an Application View unless it is deployed.

6. Test all services and events to make sure they can properly interact with the target EIS application.

   Once your services and events are tested and functioning, you can use the Application View in workflows. For more information, see Using Application Views in the Studio.

7. Undeploy the Application View if you need to reconfigure its connection parameters or add services and events to it.

   Note: When an Application View is undeployed, no other entities can interact with it.

Sample Detailed Procedure for Defining an Application View

This section explains how to define and maintain Application Views using an EIS adapter for a hypothetical database EIS called simply DBMS. The steps in the procedure presented here correspond to the steps shown in Figure 2-1.

When you create Application Views for your enterprise, they may look different from those shown in this document. Such differences are to be expected, because the Application View's adapter determines the information required for each Application View page, and each enterprise has its own specialized adapters. For details about an adapter used in your enterprise, consult the relevant technical analyst or EIS specialist.

Note: Before performing the following steps, ensure that WebLogic Server is running on your system.

Step 1: Log On to the Application View Console

The Application View Console displays all the Application Views in your WebLogic Integration environment, organized in folders.

To log on to the Application View Console:

1. Open a new browser window.

2. Enter the URL for your system's Application View Console. The actual URL you enter depends on your system. It should conform to the following format:

   >     http://host:port/wlai

   The Application View Console Logon page is displayed.

3. Enter your WebLogic Server username and password, then click Login. The Application View Console is displayed.

   Note: If you do not see a page such as this, consult the WebLogic Server administrator.

4. To add a folder, click the New Folder icon:

   For more information, see Creating a Folder.

Steps 2 and 3: Define an Application View and Configure Connection Parameters

1. Add a new Application View to the current folder by clicking Add Application View.

   Note: Make sure you are working in the appropriate folder before performing this step. Once you define an Application View, you cannot move it to another folder.

   The Define New Application View page is displayed.

2. In the Application View Name field, enter a name. The name should describe the functions performed by this application. Each Application View name must be unique to its adapter. Any valid Java Identifier is allowed in a name.

   Note: The name Root is a reserved word, and cannot be used for an Application View name. If you use Root as a name, you cannot import or export the Application View using the import/export utility.

3. In the Description field, enter any notes that may be helpful to people using this Application View in workflows created in the WebLogic Integration Studio.

4. From the Associated Adapter list, select an adapter to be used to create this Application View.

5. Click OK. The Select Existing Connection page is displayed.

   The Select Existing Connection page allows you to choose the type of connection factory to associate with the Application View.

   - Select the New Connection option to create a new connection factory. Once the new connection factory is created, other Application Views cannot create a new connection with the same name.

   - Select the option for an existing connection factory to share a connection factory with other Application Views. To display the names of Application Views that are deployed with the existing connection factory, click the References link beside the name of an existing connection factory.

   From the Connection Factory selection page, you can display the Select Connection or Connection Configuration pages at any time. You can switch between a new connection factory and an existing one at any time before the Application View is deployed.

   Using an existing connection factory can simplify server administration, especially in cases where multiple adapters interact with a single EIS. Also, using a shared connection factory allows an administrator to set the connection factory configuration parameters and direct users to select an existing connection. In this case, the users do not have to know how to configure connection parameters.

6. Click Continue. If you choose to create a new connection factory, the Configure Connection Parameters page is displayed.

   If you choose to use an existing connection factory, the Application View Administration page is displayed. (For information about the Application View Administration page, see step 9.) On the Configure Connection Parameters page, define the network-related information necessary to enable the Application View to interact with the target EIS. You need to enter this information only once per Application View.

7. Enter your WebLogic Server username and password.

   Note: The fields displayed on the page you see may differ from those shown here. Which fields are displayed is determined by the adapter.

8. For the required information for any remaining fields, consult the relevant technical analyst or EIS specialist.

9. Click Continue. The Application View Administration page is displayed.

Step 4A: Add a Service to an Application View

1. On the Application View Administration page, click Add in the Services row. The Add Service page is displayed.

Note: The fields displayed on the page you see may differ from those shown here. Which fields are displayed is determined by the adapter.

1. In the Unique Service Name field, enter a name. The name should describe the function performed by this service. Each service name must be unique to its Application View. Any valid Java Identifier is allowed in a name.

2. In the Description field, enter any notes which may be helpful to people using this Application View in workflows created in the WebLogic Integration Studio.

3. For the required information for any remaining fields, consult the relevant technical analyst or EIS specialist.

   In many cases, this required information consists of an SQL statement for retrieving information from or updating information in a database. The following sample SQL statement retrieves customer information from a customer table based on a user-specified country value:

   >     select * from PBPUBLIC.CUSTOMER_TABLE
   >     where COUNTRY=[country varchar]

   The sample Application Views provided with WebLogic Integration include services which use SQL statements. Display the Application View Administration page and click the View Summary link for a service. The Summary page includes an SQL statement.

4. When finished, click Add.

Step 4B: Add an Event to an Application View

1. In the Application View Console, select Administration. The Application View Administration page is displayed.

1. Click Add in the Events row. The Add Event page is displayed.

Note: The fields displayed on the page you see may differ from those shown here. Which fields are displayed is determined by the adapter.

1. In the Unique Event Name field, enter a name. Each event name must be unique to its Application View. Any valid Java Identifier is allowed in a name.

2. In the Description field, enter any notes that may be helpful to people using this Application View in workflows created in the WebLogic Integration Studio.

3. For the required information for any remaining fields, consult the relevant technical analyst or EIS specialist.

4. When finished, click Add. The Application View Administration page is displayed.

5. If you are finished adding services and events, click Continue to deploy the Application View.

Step 5: Deploy an Application View

You may deploy an Application View when you have added at least one event or service to it. You must deploy an Application View before you can test its services and events or use the Application View in the WebLogic Server environment. By deploying an Application View, you place relevant metadata about its services and events into a run-time metadata repository. Deployment also makes the Application View available to other WebLogic Server clients. As a result, business processes can interact with the Application View, and you can test the Application View's services and events.

To deploy an Application View:

1. Open the Application View as described in Step 1: Log On to the Application View Console. The Summary for Application View page is displayed.

1. Click Edit. The Application View Administration page is displayed.

1. Click Continue. The Deploy Application View page is displayed.

Note: Which fields you see on the Deploy Application View page depends on the adapter being used. For a description of all fields, consult the relevant technical analyst or EIS specialist. If the Application View uses a shared connection factory, the connection factory properties are displayed.

1. To enable the WebLogic Integration Studio or other authorized clients to asynchronously call any services available from this Application View, select Enable Asynchronous Service Invocation.

   An entity that calls an Application View service asynchronously continues its process without waiting for a response from the service.

2. If your Application View supports events, enter the URL of the adapter's event router. For example: http://localhost:7001/YourEIS_EventRouter/EventRouter

   Note: This field is not displayed if no events are defined for this Application View.

3. In the Minimum Pool Size field, enter the minimum number of connection pools to be used by this Application View. For example: 1.

4. In the Maximum Pool Size field, enter the maximum number of connection pools to be used by this Application View. For example: 10.

5. In the Target Fraction of Maximum Pool Size field, enter the ideal pool size, measured from 0 to 1.0. For example, if you specify 0.7, then the Maximum Pool Size is defined as 10 and the Target Fraction, as 0.7. As a result, the adapter performs load balancing with the goal of maintaining the connection pool size at 70% of the maximum, which, in this case, means with 7 connections.

6. To have unused connections deleted automatically, select Allow Pool to Shrink.

7. In the Log Configuration area, select one of the following options according to your logging preferences:

   - Log errors and audit messages

   - Log warnings, errors, and audit messages

   - Log informational messages, warnings, errors, and audit messages

   - Log all messages

8. If necessary, click Restrict Access to your_application using J2EE Security. The Application View Security page is displayed.

   Use this page to grant or revoke read and write access to this Application View for a WebLogic Server user or group.

9. When you finish setting up permissions, click Apply to save your changes.

10. Decide whether you want to deploy the Application View now or later. To deploy the Application View later, proceed to step 14. To deploy the Application View now, proceed to step 15.

11. To deploy the Application View later, click Done to return to the Deploy Application View page.

    To save the Application View without deploying it, click Save.

    Note: To save the Application View to be completed later without deploying it now, click Save at any time.

12. To deploy the Application View now, select Deploy Persistently to have this Application View automatically redeployed whenever WebLogic Server is restarted, then click Deploy Application View. The Summary for Application View page is displayed.

    If the Application View uses a shared connection factory, the connection factory properties are displayed on the Deploy and Connection tabs. Click the References link beside the name of an existing connection factory to display the names of Application Views that are deployed using that connection factory.

Optional Step: Undeploy an Application View

You must undeploy an Application View whenever you want to edit its connection parameters, add services and events to it, or disable clients from using it. For information about editing connection parameters, see Steps 2 and 3: Define an Application View and Configure Connection Parameters. When an Application View is undeployed, no other WebLogic Server clients can interact with it, and you cannot test its services or events.

To undeploy an Application View:

1. In the Application View Console, click Summary. The Summary for Application View page is displayed.

2. To undeploy the Application View from WebLogic Server, click Undeploy. The Undeploy Application View window is displayed.

3. Click Confirm. The Summary for Application View page is displayed, giving you an opportunity to deploy the Application View again.

Step 6A: Test an Application View's Services

The purpose of testing an Application View service is to evaluate whether or not that service interacts properly with the target EIS. You can test an Application View only if it is deployed and it contains at least one event or service. To test an Application View service:

1. In the navigation area (on the left side of the window), select Summary. The Summary for Application View page is displayed.

2. In the Services area of the Events and Services tab, find the appropriate service and click Test. The Test Service page is displayed.

3. If necessary, enter the required data in the appropriate fields.

   Note: The fields displayed on your Test Service page may differ from those show here. Which fields are displayed is determined by the Application View service. For a description of all fields, consult the relevant technical analyst or EIS specialist.

4. Click Test. If the Application View service correctly processes the input data that you provided in step 3, the test is successful. The Test Result page, on which all input and output documents are listed, is displayed.

5. Repeat the test procedure (steps 1-4) for each service you want to test.

6. After you finish testing the Application View's services, you may keep the Application View deployed or, if you want to edit it, you may undeploy it.

Step 6B: Test an Application View's Events

The purpose of testing your Application View events is to evaluate whether or not the Application View responds correctly to the EIS application. You can test an Application View only if it is deployed and it contains at least one event or service. To test an Application View event:

1. In the navigation area (on the left side of the window), click Summary. The Summary for Application View page is displayed.

2. In the Events area on the Events and Services tab, find your event and click Test. The Test Event page is displayed.

   Note: The fields displayed on your Test Event page may differ from those shown here. Which fields are displayed is determined by the Application View event. For a description of all fields, consult the relevant technical analyst or EIS specialist.

3. Select a method for generating the test event:

   - Service: Select Service when you want to use one of the Application View's own services to generate a canned event. Then complete the procedure in If You Select Service.

   - Manual: Select Manual when you want to generate the event by logging on to an EIS application and performing the appropriate event-generating function. Then complete the procedure in If You Select Manual.

   If the Application View event responds correctly before the specified amount of time elapses, the test is successful.

If You Select Service

1. From the Service menu, select a service that triggers the event you are testing. For example, if you are testing the NewCustomer event, select a service that invokes it, such as Insert Customer.

2. In the Time field, enter a reasonable period of time to wait, specified in milliseconds. (One minute = 60,000 milliseconds.) If the specified period elapses before the event succeeds, the test times out and a failure message is displayed.

3. Click Test. The triggering service is executed.

   If the service requires input data, an input page is displayed.

4. If service input data is required, enter it in the appropriate fields, and click Test.

   The service is executed. If the test succeeds, the Test Result page is displayed, showing the event document, the service input document, and the service output document.

   If the test fails, the Test Result page displays only a Timed Out message.

5. If the test fails, edit the event definition, or contact the system administrator or application manager.

6. If the test succeeds, repeat the test procedure for each remaining event you want to test.

7. When finished, save the Application View.

If You Select Manual

1. In the Time field, enter a reasonable time to wait, specified in milliseconds. (One minute = 60,000 milliseconds.) If this period elapses before the event succeeds, the test times out and a failure message is displayed.

2. If the application you will use to trigger the event is not already open, open it now.

3. Click Test. The test waits for an event to trigger it.

4. Using the triggering application, perform an action that executes the service that, in turn, tests the Application View event.

   If the test succeeds, the Test Result page is displayed. This page, in turn, displays the event document from the application, the service input document, and the service output document.

   If the test fails or takes too long, the Test Result page is displayed, showing a Timed Out message.

5. If the test fails, edit the event definition, or contact the system administrator or application manager.

6. If the test succeeds, repeat the test procedure for each remaining event you want to test.

7. When you are finished, save the Application View.

Editing an Application View

When you define an Application View, you must configure its connection parameters. After you add and test services and events, you may want to reconfigure the connection parameters or remove services and events.

To edit an existing Application View:

1. Open the Application View. The Summary for Application View page is displayed.

1. Click Edit. The Application View Administration page is displayed.

1. To reconfigure the Application View's connection parameters, select Configure Connection in the left pane. The Configuration Connection Parameters page is displayed. Follow the instructions beginning with step 6 in Steps 2 and 3: Define an Application View and Configure Connection Parameters.

2. To add services or events, click Add Service or Add Event, respectively. Follow the instructions in Step 4A: Add a Service to an Application View or Step 4B: Add an Event to an Application View.