Setting and Getting Configuration Property and Preference Variable in Oracle SOA Suite 11g

Configuration property and preference variable can be set in composite.xml.  The advantage of using these is that the values can be set in the design time, deployment time and run time.

Define the Properties and Preference Variables

The configuration property and preference variable is defined in composite.xml
In the component of the example composite one configuration property: ConfigVar is defined.  Its value is set Value123 initially. One preference varaible PrefVar is also defined and its value is set to Value789 initially.

In the reference of the example composite one configuration property: OUT_FILE_PATH is defined.  This property is set when configuring the logical file path for File adpter.   This property value is also defined in .jca file.

Retrive the Values of  the Properties and Preference Variables

The component is the example composite is BPEL process where the configuration properties and preference variables can be retrived from winthin BPEL.  The retrival can be done by using BPEL XPath Extension Functions: ora:getPreference() and ora: 

View and Midify the Values in Enterprise Manager

These values of the configuration properties and preference variables can be viewed and modified in run time with Enterprise Manager.   

After login into EM navigate into the domain and right click on the domain to invoke System MBean Browser.  From System MBean Browser navigate to Application Defined MBeans/oracle.soa.config/Server: SOA_server1/SCAComposite.   Expand it and expand SCAComposite: ConfigPreferenceProject[1.0].  

To view or modify the values defined for BPEL: select SCAComposite.SCAComponent and then click on BPELProcess1.  Then click on properties in Attribute tab.  All the configuration properties and preference variables defined in the BPEL are shown now.  

In order to change the value of one variable or property just type in the new value and then click on Apply button.

To view or modify the property values defined for reference: select SCAComposite.SCARefernce.  All other steps are the same as the above.

Similarily if there is any configuration property defined in SCAComposite.SCAService select SCAComposite,SCAService in order to view or modify the property values. 

Test the Composite with the Modified Values 

When testing the SCA composite using EM testing utility, the response will show the values of configuration and preference variable in BPEL process as :Value123   Value789".(This BPEL process simply concatenate these two values as the response for the process.) 

Next modify the value of configuration property to 123Value and preference value to 789Value and apply these changes.  Then run the testing again.   This time the response will show as the new values:

Deploy the Composite with Environment Specific Values

With configuration properties and preference variables in the component, service and references in SCA composite different deployment plans can be generated for various environments.  In each deployment plan the values for these properties and variables are environment specific.