This chapter describes how to use the contract management solution pack in Oracle Enterprise Repository.
This chapter contains the following sections:
Contract management supports the negotiation of contracts between service providers and consumers. It also provides Terms of Use (i.e. the conditions under which service will be provided or used), and the enforcement of runtime policies in connection with the Terms of Use.
A formal contract to use services is advisable in any circumstance where access to production services is mission critical. By having advance notice of a Consumer's intent to access production services, the Provider can explicitly authorize access, plan for extra capacity, ensure policies are enforced, and manage service levels more easily for all consumers.
Contract Management provides the following:
Service providers and consumers can articulate and negotiate service level and access requirements to avoid unset expectations in the use of services.
Service providers can manage the service level, scalability and security risks associated with consumers coming on board to reuse their services.
Service providers can automate a complex procedure that may entail customer acquisition, contract negotiations, the provisioning of rights, and the enforcement of policy.
Policy Administrators are notified to enforce policies that the business requires, as specified in the contract.
A sample contract is included in the Oracle Enterprise Repository Base datapack and is imported into your Oracle Enterprise Repository instance. For more information about Oracle Enterprise Repository Import/Export capabilities, see Chapter 5, "Import Export Tool".
This is a standard agreement that consumers can use to request access to a specified service endpoint from the provider. This contract represents the agreement between [consumer] and [provider] for access to the [service name] Web Service.
Use the Copy/Migrate option from the Oracle Enterprise Repository Asset Editor to create a new contract based on this sample. See Chapter 9, "Using the Asset Editor" for more information about the Asset Editor.
Select the contract and click Edit. The Asset Editor displays.
From the File Menu, select Copy/Migrate. The Copy/Migrate dialog displays.
Enter a Name for the new contract and a Version Number.
Select Contract from the Type list and select an Initial State.
Enter provider information on the Overview tab, as well as additonal information about the contract. Do not change the consumer information fields.
Select the Overview tab and enter information about the provider, purpose, service charge, and any additional fields.
Change the placeholder text indicated by brackets [] in the Description field.
Save your changes.
For each copy of the contract, create a Prescribed Asset(s) relationship on the Taxonomy tab to the Service, WSDL and Endpoint assets governed by the contract.
Select the Taxonomy tab, and then click Add in the Relationships section. The Add Relationships dialog displays.
Select Relationship Type: Prescribed Assets.
Enter a term to Search or select List All Active Assets in the Find Assets to Relate section.
Select a Service, WSDL, and an Endpoint asset and confirm relationship.
The Provider receives the contract request and must complete more details before sending the contract back to the consumer for approval.
Apply the Terms of Use (policy) to the service endpoint governed by this contract.
Make sure the endpoint is secure prior to offering consumer access to the endpoint.
Make a copy of the EasyLink URL for the boilerplate service contract (the copy of this asset). See "Using EasyLinks" in the Oracle Fusion Middleware Developer's Guide for Oracle Enterprise Repository for more information about using EasyLinks.
Go to the Service asset and paste the EasyLink URL into the {click here to request a contract to use the service endpoint} field.
Optional: Delete the Instructions for Providers for the consumer version of the contract. Do not delete the Instructions for Consumers.
From the Overview tab, edit the Description field to remove the Instructions for Providers text.
Create a copy of this contract: Use Copy/Migrate from the Oracle Enterprise Repository Asset Editor to create your own copy of the this contract. See Chapter 9, "Using the Asset Editor" for more information about the Asset Editor.
Select the contract and click Edit. The Asset Editor displays.
From the File menu, select Copy/Migrate. The Copy/Migrate dialog displays.
From the Overview tab, enter your information in the consumer fields. Do not change the provider information fields.
From the Administration tab, click Submit to submit the contract. It is submitted to the provider for approval and registration. You will receive an email notification when the provider grants access to the service.