19 Getting Started with Oracle Mediator

This chapter provides you an overview of Oracle Mediator (Mediator) and also describes how to
create an Oracle Mediator service component.
19.1 Introduction to Oracle Mediator
Oracle Mediator provides a lightweight framework to mediate between various components
within a composite application. Mediator converts data to facilitate communication between
different interfaces exposed by different components, which are wired together to build a SOA
composite application. For example, a Mediator can accept data contained in a text file from an
application or service, transform it to a format appropriate for updating a database that serves
as a customer repository, and then route and deliver the data to that database.
Oracle Mediator facilitates integration between events and services, where service invocations
and events can be mixed and matched. You can use a Mediator component to consume a
business event or to receive a service invocation. A Mediator component can evaluate routing
rules, perform transformations, validate, and either invoke another service or raise another
business event. You can use a Mediator component to handle returned responses, callbacks,
faults, and timeouts.
This section provides an overview of Oracle Mediator features:

Content-Based and Header-Based Routing

Synchronous and Asynchronous Interactions

Sequential and Parallel Routing of Messages

Transformations

Validations

Java Callout

Event Handling

Dynamic Routing

Error Handling

Multiple Part Message Support

Oracle Mediator provides support for setting rules based on message payload or
message headers. You can select elements or attributes from the message payload or
the message header and based on the values, you can specify an action. For example,
Mediator receives a file from an application or service containing data about new
customers. Based on the country mentioned in the customer's address, you can route
and deliver data to the database storing data for that particular country. Similarly, you
can route a message based on the message header.
For more information about access header-based routing, see Section 20.2.2.9, "Access
Headers for Filters and Assignments".

Synchronous and Asynchronous Interactions

Oracle Mediator provides support for synchronous and asynchronous request response
interaction. In a synchronous interaction, the client requests for a service and then waits
for a response to the request. In an asynchronous interaction, the client invokes the
service but does not wait for the response. You can specify a timeout period for an
asynchronous interaction, which can perform some action, such as raise an event or
start a process.
For more information about synchronous and asynchronous interactions, see Section
20.2.2.3, "Handling Response Messages" and Chapter 23, "Understanding Message
Exchange Patterns of a Mediator".

Sequential and Parallel Routing of Messages

A routing rule execution type can be either parallel or sequential. You can configure the
execution type from Routing Rules panel.
For more information about sequential and parallel routing of messages, see Section
20.2.2.2, "Specifying Sequential or Parallel Execution".

Transformations
Oracle Mediator supports data transformation from one XML schema to another. This
feature enables data interchange among applications using different schemas. For
example, you can transform a comma-delimited file to the database table structure.
For more information about transformations, see Section 20.2.2.7, "Creating
Transformations".

Validations
Oracle Mediator provides support for validating the incoming message payload by using
a Schematron or an XSD file. You can specify Schematron files for each inbound
message part and Oracle Mediator can execute Schematron file validations for those
parts.

For more information about validations, see Section 20.2.2.10, "Using Semantic
Validation" and http://www.schematron.com/.

Java Callout
Oracle Mediator provides support for Java callout. Java callouts enable the use of Java
code, together with regular expressions.
For more information about Java callout, see Section 20.2.2.11, "Support for Java
Callouts".

Event Handling
An event is message data sent because of an occurrence of an activity in a business
environment. Oracle Mediator provides support for subscribing to business events or
raising business events. You can subscribe to a business event that is raised when a
situation of interest occurs. For example, you can subscribe to an event that is raised
when a new customer is created and then use this event to start a business process
such as sending confirmation email. Similarly, you can raise business events when a
situation of interest occurs. For example, raise a customer created event after
completing the customer creation process.
For more information about event handling, see Chapter 36, "Using Business Events
and the Event Delivery Network".

Dynamic Routing
Dynamic Routing separates the control logic, which determines the path taken by the
process, from the execution of the process. You can create a dynamic routing rule from
the Mediator Editor.
For more information about dynamic routing, see Section 20.2.3, "Creating Dynamic
Routing Rules".

Error Handling
Oracle Mediator supports both fault policy-based and manual error handling. A fault
policy consists of conditions and actions. Conditions specify the action to be carried out
for a particular error condition.
For more information about error handling, see Chapter 22, "Using Mediator Error
Handling".

Mediator Echo Support

Oracle Mediator supports echoing source messages back to the initial caller after any
transforms, validations, assignments, or sequencing are performed.
For more information about Mediator echo support, see "To echo a service:".

Multiple Part Message Support

Oracle Mediator supports messages consisting of multiple parts. Some Remote
Procedure Call (RPC) web services contain multiple parts in the SOAP message.
For more information about multiple part message support, see Chapter 21, "Working
with Multiple Part Messages in Mediator".

Difference between Mediator and BPEL

You have many tools to use in a composite, and they may overlap for some cases. Mediator is
particularly useful for content based routing of events, and as a listener for events. BPEL of
course offers more possibilties for business logic and would generally be suited to defining
process logic. A more complex SOA composite likely includes both components and others as
well.

Mediator serves the purpose of a bus. It can be best utilized when used for routing. It can do
routing based on many parameters and the best part is, the routing rules can be modified at
runtime, thus giving the flexibility to choose the target at any point in time.
BPEL
1) Complex Logic
2) Good Support language in form of activities
3) Performance wise very slow
4) Support of Dehydration and Instance Monitoring
5) For Long Running process BPEL is the Right Solution
6) To implement the contolled Transactions
Integration of Rules Engine and Human Workflow
7) To implement the service virtualization BPEL is not the right approach
Mediator
1) Less Complex Logic
2) Less Support
3) Three times faster than BPEL
4) No support of de hydration
5) For Long Running process not a proper solution

6) You can not control the transactions in Mediator.

7) Mediator is the right approach for the service virtualization
Virtualization Service virtualization provides companies with the ability to create virtual
services that offer a stable interface (location, transport, standards, policies, messages) even
when the physical service changes. Virtualization offers high-availability and loadbalancing, performance and SLA monitoring and management, routing, versioning, and
mediation capabilities to mitigate the impact of change at the provider on service
consumers.
Mediator is used for Transformation and Routing.
Routing------------------Static routing and Dynamic Routing
Static----------------Serviced Based & Event Based
Dynamic------------Business Rules

Oracle Enterprise Service Bus (OESB)

o

old ESB OESB was the primary ESB prior to BEA aquisition.

After acquisition of BEA its role is to provide mediation services between SOA
Suite components

In 11g this will be known as the Mediator and acts as a component in an SCA
assembly

OESB is the only ESB available if running on a non-Weblogic server

Oracle Service Bus (OSB)

o

Previously known as BEA Aqualogic Service Bus (ALSB)

Oracles primary service bus

the preferred platform for service virtualization and interactions external to the
SOA Suite

Currently OSB is only available on WebLogic server but the intention is provide it
on other platforms as well in the future

OSB is the foundation of service bus functionality moving forward

Can be used independently, without SOA Suite

Mediator vs. Oracle Service Bus (OSB)

Mediator
o

The tiny, light weight service bus

Limited to simple Mediator functionality for the implementation of the VETRO

pattern

V alidate

E nrich

T ransform

R oute

O perate

Value Mapping and Cross-Reference Table for supporting the canonical

datamodel

Developlent through JDeveloper IDE

Event Delivery Network for Publish-Subscribe semantic

Message Transformation with XSLT

Can be used and deployed as a SCA component

Oracle Service Bus (OSB)

o

The large, powerful service bus

Extended functionality important for enterprise-wide Integration, like

Message Throttling

Service Pooling

Reliable Messaging

Development through Eclipse IDE or Web Console

Message Transformation over XQuery and XSLT

OSB specific deployment

Not yet integrated with SCA