2
Using iStudio

This chapter describes the iStudio and its concepts and discusses the following topics:

• Overview of iStudio

• Starting iStudio

• Parts of the iStudio Window

• Using Workspaces in iStudio

• Using Projects in iStudio

Overview of iStudio

iStudio is a design time integration specification tool used to help business analysts specify the integration logic at a functional level, instead of a technical coding level. iStudio exposes the integration methodology using simple wizards and reduces or eliminates the need for writing code to specify the integration logic. This reduces the total time required to complete an integration.

iStudio is a multi-user tool with fine-grained locking for all OracleAS InterConnect first class objects. This allows multiple users to work simultaneously on the same integration scenario without compromising the consistency of the metadata.

iStudio allows business analysts to complete the following tasks:

• Define the data that needs to be exchanged across applications.

• Semantically map the data across applications.

• Define the business process collaboration across applications and associate the semantic maps with business processes if required.

• Configure and deploy the integration.

iStudio is deployed as a stand-alone Java application running outside the database. iStudio runs only on Windows and can be deployed anywhere with access to the hub machine.

See Also: Oracle Application Server InterConnect Installation Guide

iStudio Concepts

The following concepts are described briefly:

• Applications

• Common Views and Business Objects

• Transformations or Mappings

• Metadata Versioning

• Tracking Fields

• Content-Based Routing

• Cross Reference Tables

• Domain Value Mapping

• Routing and the Message Capability Matrix

Applications

Each component integrated with OracleAS InterConnect is referred to as an application. Each application expresses interest specific messages, what its internal data type is, and how the message should be mapped to or from that internal type to the external world. iStudio also allows users to create applications.

See Also: Chapter 3, "Creating Applications, Common Views, and Business Objects"

Common Views and Business Objects

OracleAS InterConnect follows a hub-and-spoke integration methodology. The common view is the hub view of the integration where each spoke is the application participating in the integration. The common view consists of the following elements:

• Business Objects--A collection of logically related integration points. For example, Create Customer, Update Customer, Delete Customer, and Get Customer Info are all integration points that logically belong under a Customer business object.

• Events--An integration point used to model the Publish/Subscribe paradigm. An event has associated data which is the common view of all the data to be exchanged through this event.

• Procedures--An integration point used to model the Request/Reply paradigm. This is a modeling paradigm only, no actual procedures are called.

• Common Data Types--Used to define such data for reuse and is especially useful for defining complex hierarchical data.

  See Also: Chapter 3, "Creating Applications, Common Views, and Business Objects"

Events

An event is an integration point used to model the Publish/Subscribe paradigm. An event has associated data that is the common view of all the data to be exchanged through this event. In other words, the data associated with an event in the common view must be a superset of the data of participating applications.

See Also: Chapter 4, "Using Events in iStudio"

Procedures

A procedure is an integration point used to model the Request/Reply paradigm. This is a modeling paradigm only, no actual procedures are called. An application can either invoke a procedure to model sending a request and receiving a reply, or implement a procedure to model receiving a request and sending a reply. Similar to events, a procedure has associated data. While an event is only associated with one data set, a procedure has two data sets--one for the request or IN data and one for the reply or OUT data.

See Also: Chapter 5, "Using Procedures in iStudio"

Transformations or Mappings

Transformations are integration points between applications. In the following example, an event is created for transferring customer names across applications:

Application View for App1 that publishes the event:

First Name

Last Name

Middle Initial

Common View Event New Customer:

Prefix

First Name

Last Name

Middle Initial

Suffix

Application View for App2 that subscribes to the event:

Name -- One field in the form of LastName, FirstName

When publishing or subscribing to the event, the application view for App1 and App2 must be mapped to the common view using transformations. There are twenty-seven built-in transformation routines provided with OracleAS InterConnect that are used to build complex mappings. In addition, using the iStudio SDK allows new transformation routines to be created using Java. These transformations can be imported into iStudio and then used identically to a built-in routine.

See Also: Chapter 5, "Using Procedures in iStudio" for more information on procedures Appendix C, "Transformations" for more information on transformations

Metadata Versioning

iStudio supports versioning for application and common data types, events, procedures, and messages.

An owner is the creator of the object and only the creator can modify the object. However, other users can create new versions or copy the original object under a new name. The owner is specified when the repository is installed.

In the following examples, metadata is created at Oracle Corporation and at the time of repository installation. OAI is specified as the owner of the metadata. The following functionality is available for versioning:

• Automatic Versioning--First, an event called NewCustomerEvent is created. When this object is created for the first time, the assigned owner is OAI and the version is V1. This event name is NewCustomerEvent/OAI/V1.

• Modify Object--The owner is the only user who can modify the contents of an event and the data associated with it. However, the owner cannot change the version number or the name of the event.

• Create New Version--If the owner wants to keep the original NewCustomerEvent but wants to create a new version of the information with modified data, the owner can create a new version. When this version is saved, there are now two objects--NewCustomerEvent/OAI/V1 and NewCustomerEvent/OAI/V2.

• Load Version--Not all versions of objects are loaded into iStudio. To work with a specific version of an object, use the Load Version capability. When a new version is created, it becomes the current version.

• Copy Object--To create a NewBigCustomerEvent that has many common elements with NewCustomerEvent/OAI/V1, first load NewCustomerEvent/OAI/V1 and copy the object in iStudio. Copying the object allows not only modifications to the data, but also modifications to the name of the event. When the name of the NewBigCustomerEvent/OAI/V1 event has been modified, NewCustomerEvent/OAI/V1 will coexist in the repository.

  Note: Names of events must be unique.

In this example, all the metadata is built at Oracle Corporation and this metadata can be transmitted to the customer, NewCorp. When NewCorp installs the repository and specifies the owner as NewCorp, the metadata is in a read-only state. If NewCorp wants to customize NewBigCustomerEvent/OAI/V1, they cannot modify the existing version since the owners are different. However, they can use the other features described.

To customize the metadata, NewCorp must create a new version so that NewBigCustomerEvent/OAI/V1 and NewBigCustomerEvent/NewCorp/V2 coexist in the repository. NewCorp can use both events in defining messages if required and NewCorp can now modify the event it owns.

See Also: Chapter 4, "Using Events in iStudio"

Tracking Fields

Tracking fields are one or more application view fields in the context of a particular message. If specified in iStudio, tracking fields can be used to track messages at runtime using the Oracle Enterprise Manager. Tracking is executed only from the perspective of the sending application.

For example, if App1 publishes a new purchase order and specifies the PO_order number field as the tracking field, then the user can log in to the runtime console and specify the message to track, or New Purchase Order in this case. The user is then prompted to enter the purchase order number to display the corresponding tracking information.

Content-Based Routing

Using the wizards in iStudio, messages can be routed to specific applications based on business rules or message content.

See Also: Chapter 6, "Enabling Infrastructure"

Cross Reference Tables

Keys for corresponding entities created in different applications can be correlated through cross referencing in iStudio.

See Also: Chapter 6, "Enabling Infrastructure"

Domain Value Mapping

Code tables can be mapped across systems using domain value mapping in iStudio.

See Also: Chapter 6, "Enabling Infrastructure"

Routing and the Message Capability Matrix

In the OracleAS InterConnect hub, Advanced Queues in the database are used to store, route, and forward messages from the sending application adapters to the receiving application adapters. The following paradigm is used for routing messages. The sending adapters evaluate who the recipients are based on metadata.

1. Every adapter has one or more queues where it receives messages.

2. The Message Capability Matrix allow queues to be specified for receiving messages on a per message per receiving application basis.

   Note: By default, there is only one queue named the oai_hub_queue. This queue is used for all messages for all applications. This queue does not need to be changed unless the single queue implementation turns out to be a performance bottleneck.

Starting iStudio

To log into iStudio, the database and the repository must be running. To log in to iStudio:

• From the Windows Start menu, select OracleAS InterConnect, then select iStudio.

  When iStudio starts, the last opened project is automatically loaded into the default workspace.

  See Also: "Creating a New Project"

Parts of the iStudio Window

The main iStudio window has the following parts:

• Menu Bar

• Toolbar

• Design Navigation Tree

• Deploy Navigation Tree

• Context Menus

• Detail View

When iStudio is started, the main window displays:

Figure 2-1 OracleAS InterConnect iStudio

Text description of the illustration using15.gif

Menu Bar

The menu bar provides access to all commands. Click each menu to display its commands. Click a command to execute it. There are five menus:

• File Menu

• Edit Menu

• Procedure Menu

• Event Menu

• Help Menu

File Menu

Use the File menu to create new projects and workspaces, open existing projects and workspaces, or reload existing projects. You can also create such objects as events, procedures, and common data types from the File menu. Commands include:

• New Project...--Creates a new project.

• Open Project...--Opens an existing project. In the Open dialog, select the directory and project, then click Open.

• New Workspace...--Creates a new workspace.

• Open Workspace...--Opens an existing workspace. In the Open dialog, select the directory and workspace, then click Open.

• Reload Project--Reloads a project. When Reload Project is selected, a list of current projects displays. Select the project to Reload from the list.

• Migrate--Migrates objects from one repository to another.

• New--Creates a new object in iStudio. When New is selected, a list of available objects displays. Select the object to create. If some objects are grayed-out, then they are not allowed to be created.

• Export PL/SQL--Exports SQL-stored procedure stubs generated by iStudio.

• Push Metadata--Pushes metadata to adapters.

• Exit--Leaves iStudio.

Edit Menu

Use the Edit menu to edit, copy, or delete selected objects. If an object is selected and the Edit menu is not available, that selected object cannot be edited. Commands include:

• Edit--Edits a selected object. The type of editing depends on the object selected.

• Copy--Copies a selected object.

• Delete--Deletes a selected object.

• Rename--Renames a selected application.

• Version--Creates a new version of or load a selected object.

• Domain Value Map--Adds or removes applications from a domain value map.

• Cross Reference Table--Adds or removes applications from a cross reference table.

• Workflow--Deploys events to Oracle Workflow or edits Oracle Workflow configuration information.

Procedure Menu

Use the Procedure menu to invoke or implement procedures. Commands include:

• Invoke--Invokes a selected procedure by launching the Invoke Wizard.

• Implement--Implements a selected procedure by launching the Implement Wizard.

Event Menu

Use the Event menu to publish or subscribe events. Commands include:

• Publish--Publishes a selected event by launching the Publish Wizard. An event must be created.

• Subscribe--Subscribes to a selected event by launching the Subscribe Wizard. An event must be created.

Help Menu

The Help menu provides links to online help. Commands include:

• Contents--Opens the User's Guide.

• About...--Displays version information for iStudio.

Toolbar

The toolbar is made up of icons that represent frequently used commands. To display a caption describing the icon, pause the cursor on the icon. The following functions are provided:

Function	Icon	Description
New Project	Text description of the illustration projbutton.gif	Creates a new project in iStudio.
Open Project	Text description of the illustration openprojbutn.gif	Opens an existing project in iStudio.
Create Integration Object	Text description of the illustration createiobutn.gif	Creates a new integration object.
Create Like	Text description of the illustration createlike.gif	Creates a new integration object similar to an existing object. This icon is enabled only when an object is selected in the Navigator.
Edit Integration Object	Text description of the illustration editiobutn.gif	Edits a selected integration object.
Delete Integration Object	Text description of the illustration deleteiobutn.gif	Deletes a selected integration object. This button is enabled only when an integration object is selected in the Navigator.
Publish Event	Text description of the illustration publisheventbutn.gif	Publishes a selected event. This button is enabled only when an integration object is selected in the Navigator.
Subscribe Event	Text description of the illustration subeventbutn.gif	Subscribes to a selected event. This button is enabled only when an integration object is selected in the Navigator.
Invoke Procedure	Text description of the illustration invokeprocbutn.gif	Invokes a selected procedure. This button is enabled only when an integration object is selected in the Navigator.
Implement Procedure	Text description of the illustration implmntprocbutn.gif	Implements a selected procedure. This button is enabled only when an integration object is selected in the Navigator.
Help	Text description of the illustration helpbutn.gif	Displays the help file.

Design Navigation Tree

The Design Navigation tree displays the hierarchical tree of all objects used in the design phase of an opened project. Each object type in the Deploy Navigation tree is identified by an icon and name. A container is represented by a folder icon and is a logical grouping of one specific type of object, such as Business Objects and Application Data Types.

The objects are grouped as follows:

• Common Views

• Applications

• Workflow

• Enabling Infrastructure

Deploy Navigation Tree

The Deploy Navigation tree displays the hierarchical tree of all objects used in the deploy phase of an opened project. Each object type in the Design Navigation tree is identified by an icon and name. A container is represented by a folder icon and is a logical grouping of one specific type of object, such as Process Bundles.

The objects are grouped as follows:

• Applications

• Workflow

Context Menus

As in other Windows applications, you can right-click an object to pop up a context menu; that is, a shortcut menu relating to the object right-clicked.

Navigation Tree	Selected Item	Context Menu Options
Design	Object, such as Common View, Application, Business Objects, and Common Data Types	New, Edit, Copy, Delete
	Container object, such as an existing event or procedure	New, Edit, Copy Delete, Load Version, New Version
	Workflow object	New, Edit, Copy, Delete, Launch WF Builder, Launch WF Home Page
Deploy	Object such as Applications	New, Edit, Copy, Delete
	Workflow object	New, Edit, Copy, Delete, Deploy, Edit Configuration, Launch WF Home Page
	Container object, such as an existing routing object	New, Edit, Copy, Delete, Create Partition

Detail View

To the right of the Navigation tree is the Detail View, composed of one or more property sheets displaying information about the object selected. Often, these property sheets may be edited.

Using Workspaces in iStudio

A workspace stores user settings and preferences, such as application login credentials and last opened project. Inside a workspace, users can work on multiple projects.

Creating a New Workspace

To create a new workspace:

1. From the File menu, select New Workspace. The New Workspace Dialog displays.

2. Enter a name for the workspace in the Workspace Name field.

3. Click OK.

Opening an Existing Workspace

To open an existing workspace:

1. From the File menu select Open Workspace. The Open dialog displays.

2. Enter the name and path to an existing workspace or select the workspace to open.

   

   Text description of the illustration sc27.gif

3. Click Open. The selected workspace displays in iStudio.

Using Projects in iStudio

A project in iStudio encapsulates all the integration logic for one integration scenario. An integration scenario is defined as a set of two or more applications integrated with each other using OracleAS InterConnect. One project corresponds to one repository. For example, a user may have a development integration environment and a production integration environment. These are two separate projects and must, therefore, be self-contained in their own separate repositories.

Since iStudio is a multi-user tool, multiple users can work on the same project, simultaneously, without jeopardizing the integrity of the metadata. To create a project in iStudio, the repository must be running.

Creating a New Project

To create a new project in iStudio:

1. From the File menu, select New Project. The New Project Dialog displays.

2. Enter the project name and click OK. The Repository Information dialog displays:

   

   Text description of the illustration sc25.gif

3. Enter information in the following fields:
   • Repository Name--The name of the repository server.

   • Hub database username--The name of the hub database user. The default username is oaihub.

   • Hub database password--The password associated with the hub database user. The default password is set when OracleAS InterConnect is installed.

   • Hub database url--Information of the following form:

     machine name:port number:database sid.
     
     

4. Click OK.

Opening an Existing Project

To open an existing project:

1. From the File menu, select Open Project. The Open dialog displays:

   

   Text description of the illustration openproj.gif

2. Enter the name and path to an existing project or select the workspace to open.

3. Click Open. The selected project displays in iStudio.