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Siebel EAI with Java and J2EE

Siebel Business Applications provide standards based technologies that allow you to access J2EE components from a Siebel application, and supports the creation of Java and J2EE components to access Siebel objects. For more information, see Transports and Interfaces: Siebel Enterprise Application Integration.

Access to a Java or J2EE Component from a Siebel Application

Siebel Business Applications provide three mechanisms to start Java and J2EE components:

• Web Services
• The Outbound HTTP adapter
• Java Business Service

When interacting with a J2EE component that is published as a Web Service, a Siebel application can use the Web Service Description Language (WSDL) document that describes the service and operations, then generate a proxy Business Service that allows the Siebel Business Application to call the Web Service just like it does with a local object. When the Business Service is called:

1. The Object Manager detects that the Business Service is a proxy to a Web Service
2. The appropriate Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) message is generated
3. The request is dispatched by using a configured transport, such as HTTP

For more information on Web Services, see About Web Services.

Additionally, Siebel EAI allows you to interact with J2EE components using the Outbound HTTP transport adapter. You can use this technique when you include external content within the Siebel user interface, or when the component you must interact with does not support a SOAP or WSDL interface.

The Java Business Service is a business service that allows a custom business service to be written in Java and accessed from the Siebel code:

• Allows a message to be sent or received though a JMS. The JMS Receiver server component, which is similar to the MQ Series Receiver component, allows for asynchronous receipt of messages, except you use the EAI JMS Business Service instead of the EAI MQSeries Server Transport.
• Uses the Java Native Interface API that is provided by Java Virtual Machines (JVM) and native code interaction. It is a widely used technology that is used for writing JDBC drivers.

Access to a Siebel Application from a Java or J2EE Component

The ways that a Java and J2EE component can request information from a Siebel application include:

• Java Data Bean. The Java Data Bean is a collection of Java classes that allow a developer to interact with a variety of Siebel objects, such as business objects, business components, and so forth. With this interface, you can develop Java and J2EE components that interact with a Siebel application.
• Siebel Resource Adapter. The Siebel Resource Adapter plays a central role in the integration and connectivity between a Siebel application and a Java application server. It serves as the point of contact between application components, application servers and enterprise information systems. Resource adapters, along with the other components, must communicate with each other based on well defined contracts that are specified by the J2EE Connector Architecture.
• Web Service. Web Services are emerging as an important technology for exposing application functionality that is independent of the underlying technology used to provide that functionality. Release 6.x introduced business services that could be called through XML over HTTP and MQSeries. This functionality is now the basis for supporting Web Services. Siebel Business Applications provide support for Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) and Web Services Definition Language (WSDL). These two standards provide the basis for Web Services and allow for interoperability between .NET, J2EE, and leading packaged applications, such as Siebel Business Applications.

  For more information, see About Web Services.

• Java Message Service. Enterprise messaging is recognized as a tool for building enterprise applications. The Java Message Service (JMS) is a standard Java API that is used to access an enterprise messaging system. JMS is part of the Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition (J2EE). JMS supports the ability to asynchronously send and receive business data and events. JMS defines a common enterprise messaging API that supports a wide range of enterprise messaging products. JMS supports both message queuing and publish and subscribe styles of messaging.

  JMS is not a separate product. It is the specification of a common API for enterprise messaging. A JMS provider that is supplied by an enterprise messaging vendor is required in order to use it. Using the Java Business Service (JBS) feature, the JMS Transport is a feature that provides access to the JMS providers for a third-party vendor. A JMS provider is the implementation of the JMS API for a particular vendor. For example, IBM implements a JMS provider for their MQSeries product, and BEA implements a JMS provider for their Weblogic product.

  For more information, see Transports and Interfaces: Siebel Enterprise Application Integration.