17 Oracle BPEL Process Manager

This chapter describes issues associated with Oracle BPEL Process Manager. It includes the following topic:

Note:

The issues and workarounds listed here are those that were known at the time of the product's initial release to the public. Additional issues and workarounds may have been discovered since the initial release. To view the latest known issues associated with Oracle SOA Suite, BPM Suite, and related SOA technologies, go to the Oracle Technology Network (OTN) at:
http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/middleware/docs/aiasoarelnotes-196861.html

17.1 General Issues and Workarounds

This section describes general issue and workarounds. It includes the following topics:

17.1.1 Oracle BPEL Process Manager 2.0 Limitations

The following BPEL 2.0 features are not implemented in Oracle BPEL Process Manager:

  • Termination handlers

  • Message exchanges

  • Fault handlers and termination handlers in an invoke activity. (This is the same as the BPEL 1.1 implementation of Oracle BPEL Process Manager.) As a workaround, include the invoke activity in a scope activity.

  • Atomic assign activities. If an error occurs in the middle of an assign activity, all the changes roll back. This is the same as the BPEL 1.1 implementation of Oracle BPEL Process Manager.

17.1.2 Checkpoint Activity Wrongly Appears in Oracle BPEL Designer Context Menu

If you right-click inside your BPEL process in Oracle BPEL Designer and select Insert Into > Activities, note that checkpoint is incorrectly displayed in the list of activities. This activity is not supported, and selecting it does not insert it into the BPEL process.

The checkpoint activity has been replaced by the dehydrate activity, which is also available for selection in the same context menu.

17.1.3 Second XSD Created for API-Created, PL/SQL Partner Links with Complex Parameters

If you create a PL/SQL partner link with complex parameters from the API, a new XSD file is generated. If you then open the partner link in Oracle JDeveloper and make no modifications other than completing the flow and clicking the Apply button in the Edit Partner Link dialog, a second XSD file is also created.

You must use the second XSD file.

17.1.4 Audit Trail Details Display in Server Language Instead of Browser Language

Audit trail information for a BPEL instance displays in the language of your server instead of the language of your web browser.

17.1.5 Do Not Specify the wsa and bpel Property Prefixes with the bpelx:property

Tables H-1 and H-2 of Appendix H, "Normalized Message Properties" of the Oracle Fusion Middleware Developer's Guide for Oracle SOA Suite describe the Oracle BPEL Process Manager and Oracle Web Services Addressing properties.To use these properties correctly with the bpelx:property in activities such as a receive activity, ensure that you do not include the wsa. or bpel. prefixes. For example:

<receive name="receiveInput" partnerLink="bpelprocessb_client"
portType="client:BPELProcessB" operation="process" variable="inputVariable"
 createInstance="yes">
           <bpelx:property name="action" variable="v1"/>
           <bpelx:property name="messageId" variable="v2"/>
           <bpelx:property name="relatesTo" variable="v3"/>
           <bpelx:property name="replyToAddress" variable="v4"/>
           <bpelx:property name="replyToPortType" variable="v5"/>
           <bpelx:property name="replyToService" variable="v6"/> 
</receive>

17.1.6 Selecting the Key for an Entity Variable in the Browse Entity Variable Dialog

When selecting the local part of an entity key by browsing entity variables, entity icons display in the expanded element tree. These icons are identified by a blue x inside parentheses, and indicate which elements include entity keys. Selecting these elements does not update the Key Local Part or Key Namespace URI fields in the Specify Key dialog. Instead, you must expand these elements to select the actual key to get the key's local part and namespace. For example:

  1. In the Bind Entity dialog, click the Add icon to invoke the Specify Key dialog.

  2. To the right of the Key Local Part field, click the Browse Entity Variable icon.

  3. Note that a blue x inside parentheses indicates which elements include entity keys. Do not select these elements.

  4. Expand these elements to display the entity keys available for selection.

  5. Select an entity key, and click OK.

    The Key Local Part and Key Namespace URI fields of the Specify Key dialog are populated with information about your selection.

17.1.7 MIME Type for Voice Notification in BPEL Voice Activity Requires Modification

In a BPEL voice activity, the MIME type for message content generated in the source code is in text/vxml format. However, the message sent from the composite to the voice XML driver must be in text/plain format. This is because the voice XML driver adds the voice XML wrapper to the message before sending it to the destination point.

If the message content sent to the driver is in text/vxml format for the MIME type, a message delivery failure occurs. Therefore, manually change the MIME type for the voice payload content to be text/plain in Source mode in Oracle JDeveloper.

<scope name="VoiceApproval">
. . .
. . .
   <copy>
      <from expression="string('text/plain')"/>
      <to variable="varNotificationReq" part="VoicePayload"
      query="/VoicePayload/ns1:Content/ns1:MimeType"/>
   </copy> 
. . .
. . .
</scope>

17.1.8 Client Java API Is Not Backward Compatible

Custom applications coded with the Oracle BPEL Process Manager 10.1.3 Client Java API cannot currently be upgraded to the 11g Release 1 11.1.1.3 and 11.1.1.4 Client Java API. Programs coded to the Oracle BPEL Process Manager 10.1.3 API must be rewritten. In addition, the current API is not compatible with the versions of the 11g Release 1 11.1.1.1 and 11.1.1.2 API, although the differences are minimal.

The version of the API in 11g Release 1 11.1.1.3 has been finalized. It has been fully supported since that release and is backward compatible from that release onwards.

Visit the following URL for details:

http://www.oracle.com/technology/products/soa/bpel/collateral/documentation.html