Configuring Business Properties

Many characteristics and components are automatically defined for you as you build a Business Process. Once you have all your modeling elements in place, view the properties of the Business Process to be sure it is configured correctly.

Perform any of the following functions to modify the configuration of a Business Process.

• Configuring General Properties

• Configuring Business Process Attributes

• Configuring Partners

• Defining Message Correlations

• Viewing WSDL Files

• Configuring Grid Properties

Configuring General Properties

The General page is the first page you see when you begin to edit Business Process properties. You can change the Business Process name, edit the target namespace, select the persistence state, and so on.

To Configure General Business Process Properties

1. In the NetBeans Projects window, right-click the Business Process and then click Properties.

   The Business Process Properties window appears with the General page displayed.

2. Enter or select the values for the properties.
3. Click OK to save your changes and exit the Business Process Properties dialog box, or select another tab to modify additional properties.
   

   Property Description Business Process Name The name of the Business Process. Target Namespace The URL of the Business Process. Persistence for Reporting An indicator of whether persistence for the Business Process is enabled. Note that a Business Process that contains only complex attributes and no simple attributes cannot be configured for reporting persistence. Lenient State An indicator of whether copy or write activities will be skipped when they throw an exception while the Business Process is running. This property specifically applies to Projects that are imported from Java CAPS 5.0.3 or earlier, or Business Processes from third-party vendors. These Projects do not contain the updated optional node assignments and throw an exception that stops the process instance. The possible values are: true - Adds the attribute sbynruntime:processLenient="true" to the BPEL process tag. This in turn causes any copy or write activity that throws an exception to be skipped. A false is returned as an evaluation of the condition that threw the exception, overriding the settings you might have set for the switch block with the decision gate mapper. false - No attribute is added. This is the default property. If you do not set this, any lenient flag on the individual copy or write activity has the same effect. Enable XA for Entire Business Process Enables transactional functionality for the entire Business Process rather than at the activity level. You can enable activity-level transactional functionality in the activity’s property sheet. Theme The theme for the Business Process. The theme determines the look of the Business Process, including the icons used on the canvas. The default theme is BPMN; select Custom 1 for a different look. Max Concurrent Instances Specifies the maximum number of instances of each Business Process that can be processed by the BPM Engine at one time. If the engine receives additional requests, they are placed in a waiting state. As soon as any of the instances being processed is completed, one of the waiting requests is retrieved for processing. A higher value for this property results in higher memory requirements, though memory requirements are also based on the type of Business Process. Assuming that two Business Processes have the same value for this property, the Business Process that has more defined variables requires more memory. The suggested range is from 40 to 1000.

Configuring Business Process Attributes

Business Process attributes, also known as containers, are data values used by a Business Process. They allow you to share data between activities in a Business Process and to move data to and from the components that implement those activities. For example, a Business Process attribute could store information such as customer names, addresses, order quantities, or item descriptions. Complex structures such as OTDs and Collaborations are represented automatically in the NetBeans Projects window and are available for use in your Business Process.

Business Process attributes are used to pass values between the Business Process and external sources. Business Process attributes can also be assigned to specific activities. For example, the customer name is passed to an order process from the originating source. The customer name may be used by several of the activities in the Business Process and is included in the Business Process output.

BPM can pass all or part of a complex structure or it can even assemble a composite input to a component or web service from multiple Business Process attributes.

Creating a New Business Process Attribute

Attributes are automatically created for a Business Process as you add components to the process. You can create additional attributes to use in the Business Process.

To Create a New Business Process Attribute

1. In the NetBeans Projects window, right-click the Business Process and then click Properties.
2. Click the Business Process Attributes tab.
3. Click Create.

   The New Business Process Attribute dialog box appears.

4. Enter information into the fields.
5. Click Add.
6. Click Close to return to the Business Process Properties dialog box.
   

   Field Description Name A name for the attribute. Namespace The namespace of the attribute (select a value from the list of available namespaces). Type The type of attribute you are adding (select a value from the list of available types).

Editing a Business Process Attribute

Once you add a Business Process attribute, or one is added automatically, you can modify the attribute. If you only change the name of the attribute, you can specify that the rest of the Business Process be updated to reflect the change.

To Edit a Business Process Attribute

1. In the NetBeans Projects window, right-click the Business Process, and then click Properties.
2. Click the Business Process Attributes tab.
3. Select an existing attribute, and then click Edit.
4. Modify the information in the fields.
5. When you are done changing field values, click OK.
6. If you changed the attribute name, the Confirm Refactoring dialog appears. Do one of the following:
7. To update the name change across the Business Process, click Yes, Do Refactoring.
8. To only change the name of the attribute, click No, Only Do Name Change.

   ---

   Note - To avoid this message in the future, select Don’t ask me again. The option you selected above will always be the default option.

   ---

9. On the Properties window, click OK.

Deleting a Business Process Attribute

Once you add a Business Process attribute, or one is added for you, you can delete the attribute. Business Process attributes that are in use cannot be deleted. Attributes that are not in use can cause validation warnings, but typically will not stop the Business Process from running.

To Delete a Business Process Attribute

1. In the NetBeans Projects window, right-click the Business Process, and then click Properties.
2. Click the Business Process Attributes tab.
3. Click an existing attribute and then click Delete.
4. Do one of the following:
   • Click OK to save your changes and exit the Business Process Properties dialog box.
   • Click Cancel if you deleted the attribute in error.

Configuring Partners

A partner is an abstracted identification for an external system that is linked with the Business Process in the Connectivity Map. Multiple activities can use the same external system, meaning multiple activities can have the same partner. By default, BPM assigns this identification to speed up and automate model development.

If you are invoking multiple components such as web services, JMS messages, or connectors such as Adapters, you must create unique partner names for those components. Then, when you create the Connectivity Map, there will be a unique partner for each component rather than just one partner for multiple components. This enables you to successfully associate those components in your Deployment Profile and deploy your Project.

When creating a Business Process that will be used as a sub-process, you need to create a partner and associate it with the receive or receive and reply pair.

Creating a New Partner

Some partners are created for you automatically, but you can add new partners to use in your Business Processes as needed. Partners are associated with the activities in a Business Process. After you create a partner, associate it with an activity as described in Associating a Partner with an Activity.

To Create a Partner

1. In the NetBeans Projects window, right-click the Business Process and then click Properties.
2. Click the Partners tab.
3. Click New.

   The partner is added to the partner list.

4. Double-click the partner name to rename the partner.
5. Click OK.

Editing a Partner

Once you add a Business Process partner, or one is added for you, you can modify the partner name. When you change the name of a partner, you can specify that the rest of the Business Process be updated to reflect the change.

To Edit a Partner

1. In the NetBeans Projects window, right-click the Business Process, and then click Properties.
2. Click the Partners tab.
3. Double-click the name of the partner you want to modify, enter a new name, and then press Enter.
4. Click OK.

   The Confirm Refactoring dialog appears.

5. Do one of the following:
   • To update the name change across the Business Process, click Yes, Do Refactoring.
   • To only change the name of the partner, click No, Only Do Name Change.

     ---

     Note - To avoid this message in the future, select Don’t Ask Me Again. The option you selected above will always be the default option.

     ---

Deleting Partners

If you are not using a defined partner in the Business Process, you can delete the partner. Keeping partners that are not in use can result in validation warnings, which typically do not prevent the Business Process from running. You can only delete a partner that is not in use.

To Delete a Partner

1. In the NetBeans Projects window, right-click the Business Process, and then click Properties.
2. Click the Partners tab.
3. Click the partner name that you want to remove.
4. Click Delete.

   The partner is removed from the partner list.

Associating a Partner with an Activity

Once you create a partner, you can associate it with an activity in the Business Process using the activity’s property sheet. You must create and select a partner for the receive and reply activities in a sub-process.

To Associate a Partner with an Activity

1. In the Business Process Designer, select an activity in the Business Process.
2. In the Business Process Designer toolbar, click Show Property Sheet.

   The activity’s property sheet appears.

3. Click the Partner field and select the partner from the drop-down list.
4. Click Hide Property Sheet.

Defining Message Correlations

BPM provides the means for matching existing Business Process instances to messages that are arriving into a Business Process. Correlation keys are individual data values contained within both the incoming message and the BPM engine. When an arriving message contains a value that matches a configured correlation key, the unique Business Process instance associated with that value continues processing to the next step of the Business Process. You can perform the following tasks to define message correlation.

• Creating Correlation Keys

• Editing Correlation Keys

• Deleting Correlation Keys

• Adding Correlation Sets

• Editing Correlation Sets

• Deleting Correlation Sets

• Binding Correlation Sets to Receive Activities

For an example of using message correlation, see Linking and Sequencing With Message Correlation.

Creating Correlation Keys

A correlation key is a value that you can define in a Business Process, like a purchase order number, that provides a way to associate and route information about specific Business Process instances. For asynchronous message exchange between components, you must implement correlation of the instance identification. An example of when you use asynchronous message exchanges is when you create a receive activity in the middle of a Business Process.

To Create a Correlation Key

1. In the NetBeans Projects window, right-click the Business Process, and then click Properties.
2. Click the Correlations tab.
3. In the Correlation Keys section, click Create.

   The New Correlation Key dialog box appears.

4. In the Name field, enter a name, or alias, for the correlation key.
5. In the Select from Tree field, select a message type from the list to add to the alias. Select one or more correlation keys that comprise a unique identifier for a step in a Business Process.
6. Click Add to save the new alias to the Selected Alias List.

   ---

   Note - The value for the Type field is automatically populated.

   ---

7. Click OK.

Editing Correlation Keys

Once you create a correlation key, or one is created for you, you can modify the key by adding or removing message types.

To Edit a Correlation Key

1. In the NetBeans Projects window, right-click the Business Process, and then click Properties.
2. Click the Correlations tab.
3. In the Correlation Keys section, click the key you want to modify and then click Edit.
4. Do either of the following:
   • In the Select from Tree field, select a message type from the list to add to the alias, and then click Add.
   • In the Selected Alias List, select a message type you want to remove, and then click Remove.
5. Click OK.

Deleting Correlation Keys

Once you create a correlation key, or one is created for you, you can delete the key if it is no longer used. Some correlation keys cannot be removed.

To Delete a Correlation Key

1. In the NetBeans Projects window, right-click the Business Process, and then click Properties.
2. Click the Correlations tab.
3. In the Correlation Keys section, select the key you want to delete, and then click Delete.
4. Click OK.

Adding Correlation Sets

Correlation sets are groups of properties (correlation keys) shared by all messages in the group. A correlation set matches messages and conversations with a Business Process instance. For example, you might want to assign a purchase order number and an invoice number to a transaction so all information about the purchase and payment are associated.

To Add a Correlation Set

1. Click the Correlations tab.
2. In the Correlation Set section, click Create.

   The New Correlation Set dialog box appears.

3. In the Name field, enter a name for the new correlation set.
4. In the Select from List box, select the correlation keys you want to add to the correlation set. Use the Ctrl key to select multiple keys.
5. Click the right-arrow button to move your selections to the correlation set.
6. Click OK.

Editing Correlation Sets

Once you create a correlation set, or one is created for you, you can modify the correlation set by adding or removing correlation keys.

To Edit a Correlation Set

1. In the NetBeans Projects window, right-click the Business Process, and then click Properties.
2. Click the Correlations tab.
3. In the Correlation Sets section, click the correlation set you want to modify and then click Edit.

   The Edit Correlation Set dialog box appears.

4. Do either of the following:
   • In the Select from List, select a key you want to add, and then click Add.
   • In the Selected Keys for correlation set list, select a key you want to remove, and then click Remove.
5. Click OK.

Deleting Correlation Sets

Once you create a correlation set, or one is created for you, you can delete the set if it is no longer used. Some correlation sets cannot be removed.

To Delete a Correlation Set

1. In the NetBeans Projects window, right-click the Business Process, and then click Properties.
2. Click the Correlations tab.
3. In the Correlation Sets section, select the set you want to delete, and then click Delete.
4. Click OK.

Binding Correlation Sets to Receive Activities

When you use one or more correlation sets within a Business Process, you must bind the sets to a receive activity and initialize the sets before they are used. This ensures that the correlation set is created in memory before it is used.

If you choose to initialize a set within an activity, you must either choose to use both Business Process attributes or identify which Business Process attribute to use.

To Bind a Correlation Set to an Activity

1. In the Business Process Designer, select an activity.
2. On the Business Process Designer toolbar, click Show Property Sheet.
3. Click in the Use Correlations field, and then click the ellipsis.

   The Use Correlations dialog box appears.

4. Click Add.

   The Assign Correlation Set dialog box appears.

5. In the Select From List panel, select the names of the correlation sets you want to bind to the activity, and then click Add.
6. Click OK.
7. On the Use Correlations dialog box, click OK.

Linking and Sequencing With Message Correlation

The following topics provide information about linking and sequencing:

• Linking and Sequencing

• Correlation Example

Linking and Sequencing

You can impose conditions on a set of messages, process a group of messages together, or make a decision contingent upon the receipt or non-receipt of all messages of a certain type. By using BPM’s linking and sequencing capabilities, you can sort messages into separate containers and execute Business Rules on containers of messages rather than on the individual messages. A container’s link identifier (a correlation ID) differentiates containers and links the messages identified with that container.

When BPM retrieves a message, it correlates the received message to a Business Process instance. If BPM finds a correlation match, it stores the message in the container for that Business Process. Otherwise, it instantiates a new Business Process instance.

For example, a Business Process handles HL7 messages that have been broken up with a continuation pointer. The Business Process contains logic that detects this condition and defers processing the HL7 message until it has been completely reassembled. The container qualifies as “full” when all HL7 messages for the same continuation pointer have been received.

Correlation Example

In this example, the Business Process expects to receive three course grades in order to qualify a student for further studies. The courses are Math, English, and Computer Science. Each message contains the course grade, the course type, and a correlation ID to indicate where the message belongs.

A new message arrives with a correlation ID of 101. First, BPM correlates the message to see if there is a match on the newly arrived message. Since this is the first message, there is no match and a new instance is created. The second message has a correlation ID of 101. BPM correlates the message and finds a match, so the message is forwarded to the same business instance as the first message. The third message has a Correlation ID of 102. Because there is no correlation match, the message is forwarded to a new business instance. This continues until a grade is received for each course type.

This process can continue depending on conditions you set based on count or time expiration. A sample Business Process is shown below for message correlation. The main Business Process uses a File Adapter to read a DTD-based message, unmarshal the message, and then invoke a sub-process passing in the unmarshaled message.

The sub-process receives the unmarshaled message using an event-based decision and timer events in a while loop. The while loop continues until either a specified count has been reached or the time has expired. When messages are received, they are stored in containers until the requirements are met.

The timer event sets an expiration time. If time expires, the loop condition is set to false to terminate the loop. If a message is received, the message counter is incremented and, if the maximum number of messages have been received, the loop is terminated. When processing is complete, the date is written to a file.

Viewing WSDL Files

Web Services Description Language (WSDL) is an XML-based language used to describe business services. WSDL provides a way for individuals and other businesses to electronically access those services. WSDL files are used to invoke and operate web services. They can be used for web services on the Internet and to access and invoke remote applications and databases.

The WSDL page provides a listing of all loaded WSDL files, which represent predefined Business Process attributes for use in a Business Process. For troubleshooting purposes, the WSDL page provides a listing of all unresolved target namespaces and also provides viewing access to all loaded WSDL files.

To View a WSDL File

1. In the NetBeans Projects window, right-click the Business Process, and then click Properties.
2. Click the WSDL tab.
3. Select a WSDL file from the list and then click View.

   The WSDL Viewer appears.

   ---

   Note - From the WSDL Viewer, you can copy and paste WSDL code to a text file. You cannot edit code in the WSDL Viewer.

   ---

Configuring Grid Properties

The Grid page provides a collection of formatting attributes for the Business Process Designer. The grid can help you align the components of a Business Process by providing a visual guide or automatic alignment. Grid properties can also be accessed by right-clicking inside the Business Process Designer canvas.

To Edit Grid Properties

1. In the NetBeans Projects window, right-click the Business Process, and then click Properties.
2. Click the Grid tab.
3. Enter or select the values for the properties.
4. Click OK.
   

   Property Description Grid Width The distance from vertical line to vertical line in pixels. Grid Height The distance from horizontal line to horizontal line in pixels. Grid Color Displays a dialog box with three tabs for choosing the color of the grid lines: Swatches - An array of colors from which to choose. HSB - A color selector based on hue, saturation, and brightness. RGB - A color selector based on 256 brightness levels of red, green, and blue. Grid Thickness The thickness of the grid lines. You can select Thin, Medium, or Thick. Grid Style The style of the grid lines. You can select Solid, Dashed, or Dotted. Show Grid Shows or hides the grid lines. Select this check box to show the grid lines. Snap to Grid Activates or deactivates “Snap to Grid”. When activated, this setting forces objects to gravitate toward the closest grid line.