This topic applies only to the IBM Business Process Manager Advanced configuration.

Services and service-related functions

Services provide functions for a business process, which itself is a sequence of services. Creating services separately from a business process means a service can be developed independently of a business process and that many types of business processes can reuse that service.

To bring a service into a business process, you use an import. To make a service available to business processes, you use an export.

There are various types of services and service-related functions:

web services - Services that are offered over the Internet
adapter-based services - Services that make enterprise data from large back end systems like DB2 and SAP accessible
messaging services - Services that provide data from messaging systems like WebSphere MQ
Enterprise JavaBeans - Services that are derived from Enterprise JavaBeans (EJBs)
registries - Manage services in organizations
data handlers - Used for services that require unique and uncommon data formats
mediation flows - Intervene dynamically between services to transform, route or augment data.

Calling services
Imports and exports allow modules to publish their services and to use services from other sources. Imports and exports require binding information, which specifies the means of transporting the data from the modules.
Accessing web services using web service bindings
Web services are self-contained applications that perform business functions, ranging from a simple query to complex business process interactions. You can use either of two bindings to invoke web services - a web service binding or an HTTP binding. This topic discusses generating and configuring web service bindings to call web services.
Accessing external services with adapters
Services and artifacts on external systems can be imported into IBM® Integration Designer. A wizard discovers applications and data on an Enterprise Information Systems (EIS) and lets you generate services from the discovered applications and data. The generated artifacts are interfaces and business objects, which can be used by components in a module.
Accessing external services with messaging systems
Messaging uses a loosely-coupled style of interaction among applications. Messaging involves an intermediary called a messaging provider. In this section, we discuss the messaging concepts you should know. In the following sections, we list the messaging providers that are supported by IBM Integration Designer and the bindings that are used with these messaging providers.
Creating a service gateway
A Service gateway acts as a proxy to a variety of different services by providing a single entry point for incoming requests.
Creating a dynamic endpoint selection pattern
The concept of intelligent business services entails invoking several endpoints that can be dynamically executed using a set of predefined policies. This function can be further enhanced with a runtime capability that allows you to dynamically select an endpoint as an integration pattern. Dynamic Endpoint Selection (DES) is an integration pattern for dynamic service routing. DES enables service requesters and service providers to connect seamlessly by adding to the capabilities of service invocation. DES routes the service requester to an appropriate service endpoint based on an inbound message without modifying the message or the core business logic.
Accessing Enterprise JavaBeans (EJB) services
Imports allow connectivity to services outside of IBM Business Process Manager environments, while exports are published interfaces from a component or import that offers its service to the outside world (for example, as a web service). EJB (Enterprise JavaBeans) services are accessed through the creation of EJB imports and exports.
Working with data handlers, faults and registries
Creating your own data handlers provides a way of handling data formats unique to your own organization. The binding registry page lets you register your own data handlers with IBM Integration Designer, allowing them to be reused by yourself or others. Adding faults, lets you handle error conditions related to your application at run time.
Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) binding
Applications using the well-known HTTP web services standard to send and receive messages can access Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) applications developed in IBM Integration Designer with this binding. This binding also permits SOA applications to access web services and other applications using the HTTP protocol.
Integrating BPEL processes with IBM Case Manager cases
Business process management and case management are intersecting domains that are converging as corporations use both approaches to stay agile in a turbulent and competitive business market. They have some similarities in that they both have processes, however, their designs are different though complementary.
Creating a service for Cognos reports in Integration Designer
You can browse Cognos business intelligence reports, view them and select to import a report as a web service. These web services can be used to access the Cognos reports from an application.
Importing external services from registries
Registries such as the IBM WebSphere® Service Registry and Repository (WSRR) and Universal Description Discovery and Integration (UDDI) contain artifacts like interfaces and business objects, which can be shared within an enterprise. You can examine the artifacts at a registry and retrieve the applicable artifacts for your service oriented architecture applications by using the external service wizard.
Building mediation flows
Mediation flows provide ESB logic by intercepting and modifying messages that are passed between existing services (providers) and clients (requesters) that want to use those services. Mediation flows can be implemented in modules or mediation modules. Mediation modules and modules can be deployed to IBM Process Server.

Parent topic: Authoring services in IBM Integration Designer