Importing and Exporting B2B Integration Components

 

Before trading partners can participate in conversations hosted by a WebLogic Integration B2B application, they must set up their environments to meet the requirements of the application. Specifically, they must populate their systems with various components on which a B2B application depends, such as trading partner definitions, conversation definitions, collaboration agreements, and workflows. You can facilitate this aspect of environment setup by creating the necessary B2B components and delivering them to your trading partners.

This section explains how to export and import the components necessary to implement B2B applications. It includes the following topics:

• B2B Integration Components

• Export and Import Overview

• Exporting from the B2B Console

• Importing to the B2B Console

• Exporting a Workflow Package

• Importing a Workflow Package

 

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B2B Integration Components

The components of a WebLogic Integration B2B application include:

• Trading partner definitions

• Collaboration agreements

• Conversation definitions

• Collaborative workflows

  A collaborative workflow includes the template definition and any associated:

  • Business operations

  • Business calendars

  • Plug-ins

  • Event key tables

  • XML entities (for example, XML documents, schema files, or XSLT templates)

It is common for multiple trading partners to use the same component. For example, all parties who are assigned the same role in a collaboration agreement for a given conversation definition require the same conversation definition and public workflow template. To participate in a peer-to-peer exchange, each trading partner must have a trading partner definition for itself and the other party.

To facilitate trading partner setup, one partner can define the required components, and then export them so they become available for import by other trading partners. Trading partner definitions, collaboration agreements, and conversation definitions can be exported and imported through the WebLogic Integration B2B Console. Collaborative workflows can be exported and imported through the WebLogic Integration Studio.

Although many components of a business collaboration are identical when used by different trading partners, some require minor modification after import. For example, if a trading partner definition for a remote trading partner is exported by a local trading partner and then imported by the remote trading partner, the remote trading partner must change the value of the trading partner type property from remote to local before the imported definition can be used.

Workflow templates and conversations typically require modification of the specified organization because different trading partners have different organizational structures in the Studio.

 

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Export and Import Overview

To export the components required by a participant in a B2B exchange:

1. Export the required trading partner definitions, conversation definitions, and collaboration agreements from the B2B Console.

   Typically, you can simply export the required collaboration agreement with the Export all referenced entities option set. This option ensures that all necessary conversation definitions and trading partners are exported along with the specified collaboration agreement.

   Note: When you use the Export all referenced entities option, only the referenced objects are exported. For example, although many delivery channels may be associated with a particular trading partner definition, when you export a collaboration agreement with the Export all referenced entities option set, only those parts of the trading partner definition required for the collaboration agreement (that is, only the required party identifiers, delivery channels, document exchanges, transports, and certificates) are exported.

   The export procedure is described in Exporting from the B2B Console.

2. Export the collaborative workflow package required by the trading partner to implement its role in the conversation.

   The workflow export procedure is described in Exporting a Workflow Package.

To import and modify the exported components for use:

1. Import the required trading partner definitions, conversation definitions, and collaboration agreements.

   One or more XML files may be provided. The import procedure is described in Importing to the B2B Console.

2. Verify the imported components by viewing them in the B2B Console. Make adjustments as required for use. For example:

   • Reset the trading partner type property for each imported trading partner (from local to remote, or vice versa). Typically, the trading partner type in an imported trading partner definition does not reflect the type required on your system.

   • Update the certificates and security configuration as required.

   • Reset the organization specified for the workflow template in the conversation definition. Typically, the organizations defined in the Studio on your system are not the same as those defined for other trading partners. The organization specified should be the organization to which the workflow is assigned.

3. Import the collaborative workflow package required to implement your role in the conversation.

   The workflow import procedure is described in Importing a Workflow Package.

 

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Exporting from the B2B Console

To export entities from the B2B Console:

1. Click the B2B node in the navigation tree.

   The B2B page is displayed in the right pane. It contains several high-level tabs.

2. Select the high-level Configuration tab.

3. Select the nested Export tab.

   The export options are displayed, as shown in the following figure.

   Figure 4-1 B2B Export Tab

   
    

4. Select the entities to be exported by performing one or more of the following steps:

   • To export all repository data, select the All option.

   • To export all instances of a particular entity (such as Trading Partners), select the name of the appropriate entity.

   • To select individual instances of a particular entity, display the list of available instances by clicking the Browse button to the right of the appropriate entity name. A page showing a selection of the available instances of the specified entity is displayed, as shown in the following figure.

     Figure 4-2 Entity Selection Page

     
      

   Select individual instances of the entity by selecting them on this page. Then click the OK button to return to the Export tab.

5. On the Export tab, select a format.

   The default format is standard. The extensive format includes system information, such as the total number of updates (update-count) and timestamps.

6. If you want all entities referenced by the selected entities to be included, select the Export all referenced entities option.

7. Click the Export button.

   The specified entities are exported to an XML file. When the export is complete, a message is displayed as a link at the bottom of the page, as shown in the following figure.

   Figure 4-3 Notification of Successful Export

   
    

8. Right-click the link. A menu of shortcuts is displayed. Select Save Link As from the shortcut menu.

   The Save As dialog box is displayed, allowing you to select the location or rename the file. (The default filename is exportConfig.xml.)

9. When you have selected a target directory, click Save.

 

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Importing to the B2B Console

Before importing data, you must shut down the B2B engine, as described in Starting and Stopping the B2B Engine from the B2B Console in Starting, Stopping, and Customizing BEA WebLogic Integration.

To import to the B2B Console:

1. Click the B2B node in the navigation tree.

   The B2B page is displayed in the right pane. It contains several high-level tabs.

2. Select the high-level Configuration tab.

3. Select the nested General tab.

4. Verify that the status is inactive.

5. Select the high-level Configuration tab. Then select the nested Import tab.

   The import options are displayed, as shown in the following figure.

   Figure 4-4 B2B Import Tab

   
    

6. Select the Browse option beside the File Name field.

   The Upload File dialog box is displayed.

7. Select the XML file that contains the data to be imported, then click the Open button.

8. Verify that Initialize Database is set to No (unless you want to delete all existing data).

9. Select the Transaction level:

   • Default—A transaction is initiated for each entity. All instances of the same entity are imported in a single transaction. (For example, if the entity in question is Trading Partner, then all trading partners are imported.) If invalid data is detected during any single transaction, that transaction is rolled back and processing continues for the next entity type.

   • All—The data in the selected file is imported as a single transaction. If invalid data is detected, the entire transaction is rolled back.

10. To import the data, click Import.

    Note: If an entity has the same name as an entity in the repository, it is overwritten.

11. Restart the B2B engine, as described in Restarting the B2B Engine from the B2B Console in Starting, Stopping, and Customizing BEA WebLogic Integration.

 

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Exporting a Workflow Package

The WebLogic Integration Studio allows you to select and export template definitions and related workflow components. The components you select are packaged in a Java Archive (JAR) file known as a workflow package.

When you export a workflow package, you can:

• Use passwords to prevent unauthorized access to the contents of the package.

• Publish the package to make the components available only for reading. When you publish a package, trading partners can employ the workflow components, but they are unable to modify them.

The Studio supports the export of template definitions, business operations, business calendars, plug-ins, event key tables, and XML repository items. The only elements that cannot be exported are the organizations, users, and roles defined in the Studio. When you export a template definition, it is disassociated from the current organization. When a template definition is imported into a target system, a new organization must be selected for the template.

To export a workflow package from the Studio:

1. Start the Studio as described in Starting the Studio in Starting, Stopping, and Customizing BEA WebLogic Integration.

2. Choose Tools—>Export Package from the Menu bar.

   The Export: Select File dialog box is displayed.

3. Enter the location and filename of the JAR file to be created.

   Note: If you specify a JAR file by selecting it from a list invoked through the Browse option, the export overwrites the file.

4. Click Next.

   The Export: Select Components to Export dialog box is displayed, as shown in the following figure.

   Figure 4-5 Export: Select Components to Export Dialog Box

   
    
    

   The dialog box displays a list of all items currently defined. When you select an item, items referenced by it are automatically selected.

   Note: Items in the XML repository are not automatically selected; you must select them manually.

5. Select the items to export.

6. Click Export.

   When the export operation is complete, the Export: Review Export Summary dialog box displays the following message:
   Components were exported to JAR file: path/filename.jar

7. Click Close to dismiss the dialog box.

 

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Importing a Workflow Package

To import a workflow package from the Studio:

1. Start the Studio as described in Starting the Studio in Starting, Stopping, and Customizing BEA WebLogic Integration.

2. Choose Tools—>Import Package from the Menu bar.

   The Import: Select File dialog box is displayed.

3. Click Browse.

   The Open dialog box is displayed.

4. Select the file to import, and then Click Open.

   You are returned to the Import: Select File dialog box.

5. Click Next.

   The Import: Select Components to Import dialog box is displayed, as shown in the following figure.

   Figure 4-6 Import: Select Components to Import Dialog Box

   
    
    
    

   The dialog box lists all the items contained in the JAR file.

6. Deselect any items you do not want to import.

7. Expand the drop-down list and select a target organization.

8. To avoid having to activate the workflows after the import, select the Activate workflows after import option.

9. Click Import.

   If the name of any item is the same as that of an existing item, the Import Confirmation dialog box is displayed, as shown in the following figure.

   
    

10. When complete, the Import: Review Import Summary dialog box is displayed, as shown in the following figure.

    Figure 4-7 Import: Review Import Summary Dialog Box

    
     

11. Click Close to dismiss the dialog box.

    Figure 4-8 Import: Review Import Summary

    
     

12. Click Close to dismiss the dialog box.