Working with the Repository

 

The repository is a database that stores configuration information for WebLogic Collaborate. The following two figures show the relationships among the elements in the repository. For information about configuring the repository data elements, see Configuration Requirements.

Figure 7-1 Elements in the Repository (Part 1)

 

The following figure is a continuation of the previous figure.

Figure 7-2 Elements in the Repository (Part 2)

 

In the figures, solid lines represent inclusion and dashed lines represent reference. When you remove an element from the repository, the following events occur:

• If the removed element includes other elements, the included elements are removed from the repository.

• If the removed element refers to other elements, the referenced elements remain in the repository.

For example, if you remove a transport, the transport's end point is also removed but the referenced client certificate remains.

The following table provides an overview of the elements in the repository.

Table 7-1 Elements in the Repository

Element	Description
WebLogic Collaborate	The WebLogic Collaborate element is the root element in the repository. This element represents a WebLogic Collaborate instance. All major elements stem from this root element.
Business protocol definition	A business protocol definition specifies how WebLogic Collaborate processes business messages, including how it reads the messages and how it routes the messages to recipients. A business protocol definition also specifies persistence, retries, and quality of service.
Logic plug-in chain	A logic plug-in chain is a set of logic plug-ins that changes the way in which WebLogic Collaborate routes or filters a message.
XPath expression	An XPath expression is a string written in XPath syntax that, when evaluated, results in one of the following types of objects: Node-set (an unordered collection of nodes without duplicates) Boolean Floating-point number String For information about XPath expressions, see "Expressions" at the following URL: http://www.w3.org/TR/xpath.html#section-Expressions
Collaboration agreement	A collaboration agreement is a definition of the interactions that trading partners agree to carry out, along with a specification for the methods through which these interactions are conducted. This specification includes details about transport, messaging, security constraints, and bindings to a process specification.
Party	A party is an entity that binds a role in a conversation definition to a trading partner in a collaboration agreement.
Conversation definition	A conversation definition is a collection of values that defines a conversation.
Role	A role is a definition of activities, such as buying and selling, that can be performed by a trading partner during a conversation. A role is defined in terms of the documents that can be sent or received by a trading partner in the conversation. Each conversation has two or more roles, and each role is defined by a collaborative workflow.
Process implementation
Extended property set	An extended property set is a set of user-defined elements, attributes, or text components that can be associated with entities in the repository.
Logic plug-in	A logic plug-in is value-added software that is installed on WebLogic Collaborate to provide additional processing of the information that passes through WebLogic Collaborate, and that is subject to guidelines and interfaces imposed by WebLogic Collaborate. WebLogic Collaborate provides router logic plug-ins and filter logic plug-ins for each business protocol that it supports. WebLogic Collaborate customers can provide additional functionality by creating custom logic plug-ins that conform to the standards for the business protocol that is being used. Customer-provided logic plug-ins can provide functionality other than routing and filtering, such as billing. For information about logic plug-ins, see Introducing BEA WebLogic Collaborate and Programming BEA WebLogic Collaborate Logic Plug-Ins.
Trading partner	A trading partner is a business entity that is authorized to send and receive business messages in a conversation.
Certificates	A certificate is a digital certificate. WebLogic Collaborate supports the following types of certificates: Client certificates Encryption certificates Server certificates Signature certificates
Delivery channel	A delivery channel is a specification for delivering business messages to one trading partner. There is one delivery channel per trading partner per collaboration agreement.
Document exchange	A document exchange is a definition of the method through which a document is exchanged. A document exchange defines a business protocol and some run-time parameters.
Bindings for business protocols	To participate in a business process, a trading partner needs to define a binding for the business protocol that the business process uses.
Party identifier	A party identifier is a value that specifies a party.
Transport	A transport specifies the properties for a delivery channel's transport level.
End point	An end point is the URL for a trading partner.