Configuring Collaboration Agreements

Business-to-business e-commerce companies use collaboration agreements to manage automated transactions among business partners. Through these agreements, trading partners agree on various aspects of their interactions, such as the methods and protocols they will use to send and receive messages.

This section explains how to create and manage collaboration agreements. It includes the following topics:

• Creating a Collaboration Agreement

• Configuring Collaboration Agreement Parties

• Enabling and Registering a Collaboration Agreement

For more information about collaboration agreements, see Introducing B2B Integration.

 

---

Creating a Collaboration Agreement

To create a collaboration agreement:

1. In the navigation tree, click the Collaboration Agreements node. The Collaboration Agreement page is displayed in the right pane.

2. Click the Create a new Collaboration Agreement link at the top of the right pane. The General tab is displayed.

3. Enter the required data in the appropriate fields as specified in the following table.

   Table 5-1 General Tab Fields for Collaboration Agreements

   Field	Description
   Collaboration Agreement Name	Enter a name.
   Version	Enter a version number, such as 2.0.
   Description	Enter a short description.
   Conversation Definition	Conversation definition to which the collaboration agreement applies, selected from the drop-down list.

   
    

4. Click Create.

Once you create a new collaboration agreement, an instance of it is added to the list of existing collaboration agreements, indicating that the new agreement is now available for use in defining parties to it. For more information, see Configuring Collaboration Agreement Parties.

Modifying a Collaboration Agreement

The procedure for modifying a collaboration agreement is similar to the procedure for creating one. (See Creating a Collaboration Agreement.)

To modify a collaboration agreement:

1. Select a collaboration agreement by performing one of the following steps:

   • In the navigation tree, click the Collaboration Agreements node. A list of collaboration agreement is displayed in the right pane. Select the appropriate collaboration agreement.

   • In the navigation tree, select a collaboration agreement.

   Note: This option is available only if the Display entities on the navigation tree option is selected on the Preferences tab, as described in Displaying Entities in the Navigation Tree.)

   The Collaboration Agreement page, on which values for the specified collaboration agreement are defined, is displayed.

2. Select the Configuration tab. Then select the General tab if it is not active.

3. On the General tab, modify the existing values as desired. For more information, see Creating a Collaboration Agreement.

4. When you complete your changes, click Apply.

You can now modify the elements of the configuration agreement that are listed on the Parties tab. For more information about configuring parties, see Configuring Collaboration Agreement Parties.

For information about monitoring a collaboration agreement, see Monitoring a Collaboration Agreement.

Removing a Collaboration Agreement

To remove a collaboration agreement:

1. In the navigation tree, click the Collaboration Agreements node. A list of collaboration agreements is displayed in the right pane.

2. Select the collaboration agreements you want to delete. Click Remove.

For information about monitoring a collaboration agreement, see Monitoring a Collaboration Agreement.

 

---

Configuring Collaboration Agreement Parties

A conversation definition specifies and describes two or more roles for trading partners participating in a conversation. A party in a collaboration agreement binds a role from the conversation definition to a trading partner. For more information, see Introducing B2B Integration.

To create a collaboration agreement party:

1. Select a collaboration agreement by performing one of the following steps:

   • In the navigation tree, click the Collaboration Agreements node. A list of collaboration agreement is displayed in the right pane. Select the appropriate collaboration agreement.

   • In the navigation tree, select a collaboration agreement.

   Note: The second method is available only if the Display entities on the navigation tree option is selected on the Preferences tab in the B2B Console, as described in Displaying Entities in the Navigation Tree.)

   The Collaboration Agreement page, on which values for the specified collaboration agreement are defined, is displayed.

2. Select the Configuration tab, and then the Parties tab if it is not active.

3. Enter data as required in the fields shown in the following table.

   Table 5-2 Collaboration Agreement Fields on the Parties Tab  

   Field	Description
   Trading Partner	Business entity that is authorized to send and receive business messages in a conversation.
   	Name	Enter a trading partner name, or click Browse to select an existing trading partner.
   	Party ID	From the drop-down list, select an available party ID for the selected trading partner. You can associate only one party ID with a trading partner.
   	Delivery Channel	From the drop-down list, select a delivery channel for the selected trading partner. You can designate one delivery channel per service binding.
   Conversation Definition	Specification for a series of message exchanges conducted by trading partners.
   	Name	Read-only field showing the business collaboration selected on the General tab. See Creating a Collaboration Agreement
   	Version	Read-only field showing the version of the conversation definition. See Creating a Conversation Definition.
   	Role	From the drop-down list, select a role. For more information, see Creating a Collaboration Agreement.
   Enable and register this Collaboration Agreement	By registering a collaboration agreement, you make it available, immediately, to other trading partners that need it to start a business process. The next time WebLogic Integration is started, it will find the collaboration agreement and register it for you. See Enabling and Registering a Collaboration Agreement. Note: You can register and enable a collaboration agreement only if you have configured a party.
   Available Parties	List of all parties currently defined for this collaboration agreement. When you select a party from this list, the other fields on this tab are propagated with the information for the specified party. Note: Each name in the Available Parties list represents the trading partner name, the role in the conversation, and the party ID.

   
    

4. Click Add/Apply.

Modifying a Party to a Collaboration Agreement

To modify a collaboration agreement:

1. Select a collaboration agreement by performing one of the following steps:

   • In the navigation tree, click the Collaboration Agreements node. A list of collaboration agreement is displayed in the right pane. Select the appropriate collaboration agreement.

   • In the navigation tree, select a collaboration agreement.

   Note: The second method is available only if the Display entities on the navigation tree option is selected on the Preferences tab in the B2B Console, as described in Displaying Entities in the Navigation Tree.)

   The Collaboration Agreement page, on which values for the specified collaboration agreement are defined, is displayed.

2. Select the Configuration tab. Then select the Parties tab if it is not active.

3. In the Chosen Parties list box, select the party you want to modify.

4. Modify the values on the Parties tab to those desired.

   For more information, see Configuring Collaboration Agreement Parties.

5. Click Apply.

Removing a Party to a Collaboration Agreement

To remove a collaboration agreement party from your B2B integration repository:

1. Select a collaboration agreement by performing one of the following steps:

   • In the navigation tree, click the Collaboration Agreements node. A list of collaboration agreement is displayed in the right pane. Select the appropriate collaboration agreement.

   • In the navigation tree, select a collaboration agreement.

   Note: The second method is available only if the Display entities on the navigation tree option is selected on the Preferences tab in the B2B Console, as described in Displaying Entities in the Navigation Tree.)

   The Collaboration Agreement page, on which values for the specified collaboration agreement are defined, is displayed.

2. Select the Configuration tab, and then the Parties tab if it is not active.

3. In the Chosen Parties list box on the Parties tab, select the party you want to delete. Click Remove.

 

---

Enabling and Registering a Collaboration Agreement

Note: A collaboration agreement must define a minimum of two parties before it can be registered. If your collaboration agreement does not meet this prerequisite, add parties to your collaboration agreement now. For instructions, see Configuring Collaboration Agreement Parties.

When a collaboration agreement is registered, it becomes available, immediately, to the WebLogic Integration repository. Subsequently, whenever WebLogic Integration is started, it finds the collaboration agreement and registers it for you.

To register a collaboration agreement:

1. Select a collaboration agreement by performing one of the following steps:

   • In the navigation tree, click the Collaboration Agreements node. A list of collaboration agreement is displayed in the right pane. Select the appropriate collaboration agreement.

   • In the navigation tree, select a collaboration agreement.

   Note: The second method is available only if the Display entities on the navigation tree option is selected on the Preferences tab in the B2B Console, as described in Displaying Entities in the Navigation Tree.)

   The Collaboration Agreement page, on which values for the specified collaboration agreement are defined, is displayed.

2. Select the Configuration tab. Then select the Parties tab if it is not active.

3. Select the Enable and register this Collaboration Agreement option.

4. Click Add/Apply.