Zero to SOA in Minutes! Announcing the SOA/BPM 11g 11.1.1.7.0 Virtual Machine appliance By Rajesh Raheja

May 19, 2014 Leave a comment

I am pleased to announce the availability of Oracle’s SOA/BPM/OSB 11g 11.1.1.7.0 Virtual Machine appliance. This VirtualBox virtual machine is meant for testing and evaluation purposes only. It is not certified, nor licensed for any production use. It is our most comprehensive virtual machine to date, with the following Oracle products installed, configured and functionally integrated within the appliance:

  • Oracle Linux 6 Update 4 (64-bit)
  • Oracle Database Express Edition 11g Release 2
  • Oracle SOA Suite 11.1.1.7.0 (includes Service Bus)
  • Oracle Event Processing 11.1.1.7.0
  • Oracle BPM Suite 11.1.1.7.1
  • Oracle Webcenter Content (Enterprise Content Management) 11.1.1.7.0
  • Oracle Webcenter Suite 11.1.1.7.0
  • Oracle Webcenter Portal 11.1.1.7.0
  • Oracle JDeveloper 11.1.1.7.0
  • Oracle JRockit
  • Java SE Development Kit

Refer to the README document for full details on the appliance features, installation guide, memory configurations, URLs, credentials and other recommended software.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Why do we need a SOA Developer Virtual Machine? Virtual Machines (VM) play an important role in increasing developer productivity; saving hours, if not days, of provisioning effort in standing up a fully functional, configured Fusion Middleware platform for testing and evaluation. Think of it as your very own Platform as a Service (PaaS) on your laptop/desktop!

What can I use the VM for? A developer VM can prove useful for a variety of reasons: quick internal demos, proof of concepts, testing etc. For those new to Oracle SOA or BPM Suite, it can serve as a powerful tool to learn these technologies, which is why it is very popular for developer learning and training sessions. In fact, the VM includes pre-configured lab artifacts – "PO Processing" and "Sales Quote" – that are used in Oracle instructor-led training sessions and in the "Getting Started" books on Oracle SOA Suite and Oracle BPM Suite.

What benefits does the VM provide beyond simply installing the Oracle SOA Suite? For enterprise development, installation of Oracle SOA Suite (or any single piece of software for that matter) is only a fraction of the overall effort needed to build an end-to-end configured development environment. Typical effort in standing up an integrated software stack on a "bare-metal" would involve the following provisioning tasks:

  • Create base image: Install supported version of the Linux OS e.g. Oracle Linux, Ubuntu, EC2 AMIs etc.
  • Setup base image: Security policies, firewalls, port forwarding rules, hard drive partitions on block storage
  • Install pre-requisite software: Java, Database
  • Install Fusion Middleware: SOA Suite, BPM Suite, Web Center and any other modules, run RCU with correct schema names and passwords
  • Setup Fusion Middleware: WLS domain with correct templates needed for SOA+BPM+BAM+Service Bus+WebCenter
  • Configure Modules: Association between BPM and WebCenter Content/Portal with the correct security setup 
  • Install additional tools/software: JDeveloper IDE, extensions
  • Optimize the environment: WLS console properties, front-end host, external listen address etc. for your network topology
  • Create accounts: Seed demo user accounts with email addresses (or other user accounts)

While you can always automate the above-mentioned steps, having a pre-provisioned DevOps style machine image can help you reduce development costs. It can get you from zero to a fully working SOA environment in minutes, on any developer’s laptop. The benefits go beyond simply time to provision, it allows you to do more with less resources. For example, the VM allows developers to quickly switch between multiple running instances, each testing a new feature or version without the need for additional hardware.

We sincerely hope you enjoy using this VM and would love to hear your feedback!

You can follow him on Twitter and his personal blog.

Tip from Giuliano Bonardi Us the latest version of  Virtualbox (4.3.10) downloaded from VirtualBox Community website here. Virtualbox 4.3.8 might not work with the image!

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Free SOA hands-on on-demand training for Oracle partners

May 18, 2014 Leave a comment

Attend successful the SOA Suite 11g Implementation Guided Learning Path (GLP) The SOA Suite 11g Implementation Boot Camp, a 4-day live course for Oracle Partners, is now available in a self-paced, on-demand form on the SOA Suite 11g Implementation Guided Learning Path (GLP). (Access for Oracle Gold Partner and above).

 

SOA & BPM Partner Community

For regular information on Oracle SOA Suite become a member in the SOA & BPM Partner Community for registration please visit www.oracle.com/goto/emea/soa (OPN account required) If you need support with your account please contact the Oracle Partner Business Center.

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Cloud Computing and SOA – Part of the Industrial SOA article series

May 17, 2014 1 Comment

Cloud Computing Hype
Why is everyone talking about cloud computing? Drawn-out, expensive IT projects that are planned and implemented without any benefits for the business stakeholders are commonplace. In contrast, cloud computing offers business users the chance to immediately implement services with usage-based billing that are tailored to their requirements, often without the need to consult with the IT department.

However, aspects like security, architecture, availability, and standards are often not evaluated. Cloud consumers find themselves at the mercy of the cloud provider. Scenarios that require changing cloud providers after a cloud provider goes bankrupt, and the associated moving of data and/or applications, have not yet been sufficiently tested. Business continuity should play a key role from the start of a cloud evaluation process.

One of the greatest challenges here is the integration of existing data and systems into the cloud solution. Without integration spanning between clouds and on-premise systems, processes can only be executed in isolation, leading to cloud-specific silos of isolated solutions. Important information for users is not available across processes and systems.

Problems that would have occurred in the company’s internal IT are now shifted to the cloud provider. To prevent "legacy clouds" or solutions that are hard to maintain, it is important to manage the entire architecture proactively and, in particular, the integration into the cloud. Even if cloud providers want us to believe otherwise, not every aspect of IT can be outsourced to cloud solutions!

Share your comments and feedback on the Industrial SOA series by using the hashtag #industrialSOA. Read the full article at the Service Technology Magazine or Oracle Technology Network. Missed an article of the Industrial SOA series visit the overview at OTN.

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Award season – bring the OFM Innovation Award and the Partner Award home to EMEA!

May 16, 2014 Leave a comment

Oracle is pleased to announce the call for nominations for the 2014 Oracle Excellence Awards: Oracle Fusion Middleware Innovation.  The Oracle Excellence Awards for Oracle Fusion Middleware Innovationhonor organizations using Oracle Fusion Middleware to deliver unique business value.  This year, the awards will recognize customers across nine distinct categories:

As a partner, do you consider yourself a pioneer in developing innovative solutions for customers across these product categories?  Submit a customer nomination for Oracle Fusion Middleware Innovation by June 20th, 2014, for a chance to win your customer a FREE registration to Oracle OpenWorld 2014 (September 28-October 2) in San Francisco, California.   Top customers and partners will be showcased at Oracle Open World 2014, get a chance to mingle with Oracle executives, network with their peers and be featured in Oracle Publications. For additional details, go here.

The Specialized Partner of the Year Award recognizes the Global OPN Specialized partners’ commitment to delivering innovative solutions and business achievements. The winners will be selected based on their solutions and business practices developed or delivered in fiscal 2014. This award recognizes partner excellence in a number of areas, including sales, marketing, solution development, and customer satisfaction.

Nomination Tips!

My personal tips for the awards: Oracle is a US company, write the text fancy! Highlight a customer case and the benefits they achieve based on Fusion Middleware. Key topics in Middleware are cloud &cloud integration, mobile and mobile integration, big & fast data and the usage of the latest Oracle product versions. Also highly appreciated are good business cases and business use cases. Submit both your OFM Innovation Award and Partner Award Regional and Global today!

 

SOA & BPM Partner Community

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Additional new content SOA & BPM Partner Community

May 15, 2014 Leave a comment

SOA & BPM Partner Community

For regular information on Oracle SOA Suite become a member in the SOA & BPM Partner Community for registration please visit www.oracle.com/goto/emea/soa (OPN account required) If you need support with your account please contact the Oracle Partner Business Center.

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Technorati Tags: SOA Community,Oracle SOA,Oracle BPM,Community,OPN,Jürgen Kress

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Architecture & Usability & AppAdvantage Section: AppAdvantage Resouce kit, documents, videos and roundtables

May 14, 2014 Leave a comment

Achieving Superior Digital Experience with Oracle AppAdvantage Find out how Oracle AppAdvantage and Oracle Fusion Middleware solutions, such as those for web experience management, web content management, and self-service portals, can help you create a superior digital customer experience. Read More.

SOA & BPM Partner Community

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NEW Demo system page and new BPM demo

May 13, 2014 Leave a comment

To get access to the demo environment please contact Oracle PartnerNetwork (OPN)!
New Demo system
You can make Reservations from outside the Oracle network on GSE’s new site, https://demo.oracle.com , even from your cell phone!  
New BPM demo
This new Sales Promotion and Reconciliation demo demonstrates how your customers can automate partner promotions and payments and eliminate manual interactions of Sales Operations / Finance using the enterprise orchestration capabilities of Oracle BPM Suite.

Highlights

  • Automate partner promotions, payments, order exceptions through BPM.
  • Provide real-time visibility across the Order to Cash E-Business Suite modules using BAM.
  • Increase partner satisfaction and employee productivity.

All this was achieved by service enabling E-Business Suite functionality by use of the “EBS Adapter” – The Adapter is based on open standards and exposes the underlying Oracle Applications interfaces such as JCA and Web Services.

Call to Action

For questions or feedback please contact Anvesh Baluguri or Sunitha Patel.

SOA & BPM Partner Community

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The key ingredients of an ACM case – the Hotel Booking Case in terms of adaptive case management by Amis

May 12, 2014 Leave a comment

In a recent post I have introduced the key concepts in Adaptive Case Management (ACM). In the article you are reading now, I want to show an example of a specific case. This example should provide some clarity on exactly how the core aspects of a case are specified and how these provide the foundation for the case as it will be managed  by the ACM engine of choice (for example Oracle BPM Suite 11g).

The example I use – inspired by the surroundings of the Oracle Fusion Middleware Partner Community event on Malta (February 2014) – is a hotel. The scope of the case is the booking and stay of a guest or party of guests. The case starts with the potential guest enquiring after prices and availability. It can conclude in several ways – ranging from the guest having had a pleasant stay to either cancellation, no show or even no booking at all.

This article does not yet discuss the implementation of the case. It introduces the key components that should be produced during design phase of the case and that provide the ingredients for implementing the case as an ACM process.

Note: I am not striving for a complete case definition. I am sure many hotels would use different, more extensive case definitions. This article’s objective is only to provide an example to demonstrate the various constituents of an ACM case definition.

Milestones

The milestones identified in my fictitious hotel case are:

  • Booking made: possibly based upon the quote provided to the guest, a booking has been made
  • Booking cancelled
  • Cancellation deadline passed: a guest can cancel a booking up 24 hours before the arrival data; when that deadline has passed, the booking enters a new phase: the hotel starts making preparations and the guest has to pay now – even upon no-show or (late) cancellation; note: this is a special milestone, one that is brought about by passing of the time rather than by an event in the case
  • Guest Checked-in
  • Check-out performed
  • No-show declared
  • Guest Complaint received
  • Guest Complaint handled
  • Case Closed

Not all of these milestones will have to be reached in a case instance. In fact, several are mutually exclusive. Some may be revokable: even when the milestone has been reached, the case stakeholders can be decide that on second thoughts it is not reached after all (for example: after no-show was declared, the guest arrives or after the guest complaint as declared taken care of, the guest persists with the complaint).

Stakeholders

Various stakeholders can be associated with the case. Whether they will have direct to an automated system that orchestrates the case is not yet determined. However, each stakeholder may directly or indirectly influence the case. Some of these stakeholders are internal (from the viewpoint of the hotel) while others are considered external. Not all stakeholders listed have to be involved with every instance of the case. Read the complete article here.

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Content-Enabling Your Insurance Business Using Oracle BPM and WebCenter Content by Raoul Miller

May 11, 2014 Leave a comment

Today we are featuring a guest blog post from Raoul Miller at TeamInformatics.

TeamInformatics is a leading provider of consulting and implementation services for Oracle WebCenter and has recently published an informative whitepaper on the value of integrating WebCenter Content with our BPM technologies to deliver more cost-effective business processes.

Guest post: Raoul Miller, TeamInformatics
TEAM has worked with a number of insurance industry companies over the years and the advantages of content-enabling these enterprises are numerous.  Many insurance organizations have grown through acquisition, with the end result that they have parallel legacy systems in place with increasingly evolving complexity in meeting the challenges of integrating them. This makes the insurance industry ideal for deployment of SOA/BPM as an integration methodology and adding content and records management to this is a no-brainer (as the insurance industry is so document and record-driven).

Last year Oracle published a white paper on how best to use their BPM (business process management) tools in an insurance industry setting. I won’t restate all their reasons as to why the Oracle solution is a good fit – but suffice to say that the Oracle Insurance business unit has a lot of experience in the area and solutions to meet all your needs. However, what was missing from the white paper was the value and flexibility gained by adding WebCenter Content, Records, and Imaging to the mix.

We are currently working with a number of customers on exactly these integrations – allowing for secure upload of files from agents’ offices, scanning and uploading of paper forms and documents (using capture and distributed capture), migrating legacy images from mainframe systems to modern Oracle WebCenter Content systems, and allowing users (for the first time) to truly search and retrieve content based on metadata and full text searches. TEAM’s Enterprise Architect, Raoul Miller, has produced a whitepaper that contains two case studies where SOA/BPM and WebCenter content enable businesses with these processes.

To learn more about these implementations, download the whitepaper here.

SOA & BPM Partner Community

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Case Management API’s By Venugopal Mangipudi

May 10, 2014 Leave a comment

With the release of SOA Suite 11.1.1.7, Adaptive case management is now part of the tool. It is an interesting addition to the tool and the person modeling the requirements, as it will allow for designing more AD-HOC processes. For a very good overview of the features of ACM in OBPM 11.1.1.7  the series of articles by the Oracle A-Team is really great. For the current article, I want to attempt to show the usage of the Case Management API’s by building a Java client, as I did not find a lot of information except for the Case Management API documentation.

For this example I have built and deployed the case management example found here. Also for a API usage of raising custom events I had built a very simple Case Management project found here.

I will cover the following use-cases to show the usage of the Case Management API’s:

  • Search for all Active Cases
  • Search for all Closed Cases
  • Search for all Active cases in a particular case project
  • Search for a particular case based on the Case Id
  • Add comments to a Case
  • Retrieve the List of Comments on a Case
  • Retrieve the Case Data on a Case
  • Raise a User Defined Event
  • Close the Case
  • Reopen the Case

The following are the steps/code to create the Client application to interact with the case:

  • Jdeveloper Application Creation and Client Project Creation:

Create a New Generic Application  in JDeveloper and give it a name (for example, CaseManagementAPIUsage). In the Application create a Java  Based Project and give it a name (for example, CaseManagementAPIUsageJavaProject) and also provide a default package name (for example,  com.cm.apiusage).

  • Java Project Classpath and Libraries setup:

Add the following jar’s to the Java Path: Read the complete article here.

SOA & BPM Partner Community

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