TIBCO BW Concepts

These are some notes I have written in order to help myself to get ready to clear the TIBCO ActiveMatrix BusinessWorks 5 Certification Exam (TB0-123). More details about the exam, click here. This entry is about TIBCO BW Concepts document. Any comment or suggestion, please write to luisagcenteno@gmail.com. Further details can be found at TIBCO Documentation. I hope these notes can help you as well as they did to me...

TIBCO ActiveMatrix BusinessWorks Notes
- TIBCO ActiveMatrix is a scalable, extensible and easy to use integration platform that allows development of integration projects.
- Integration platform requirements.
    - Short Development Cycle
    - Scalability and Extensibility
    - Ease of use
- TIBCO ActiveMatrix BusinessWorks prerrequisites
    - TIBCO Runtime Agent
        -TIBCO Designer
    - TIBCO Administrator
- TIBCO ActiveMatrix BusinessWorks engine runs the business process in test mode and at run-time.
- TIBCO ActiveMatrix BusinessWorks Service Container hosts multiple application simultaneously.
- TIBCO ActiveMatrix BusinessWorks design-time plug-in provides the palettes and resources to TIBCO Designer for creating processes.
-TIBCO ActiveMatrix BusinessWorks was designed using a plug-in architecture.
-TIBCO Administration domain is a collection of users, machines, and TIBCO ActiveMatrix BusinessWorks components that a TIBCO Administration Server monitors and manages.
- There is only one Administration Server for each administration domain.
- Although components within an administration domain can communicate with systems outside the domain, the administration domain is the administrative boundary for an enterprise integration project.
- When administration Server goes down, all process engines and adapters continue to run.
- Administration Domain Components
- TIBCO Administration Server
- Components. Component software includes TIBCO ActiveMatrix BusinessWokrs engine and adapters
- Machines. Each administration domain contains one or more machines. One machine can be added to an administration domain when a TIBCO ActiveMatrix BusinessWorks component or adapter is installed. All machines within an administration domain are expected to be in the same network subnet. However, TIBCO Rendezvous rvrd can be set up and can then use TIBCO ActiveMatrix BusinessWorks across subnets.
- User and access information. User and authorization information is specified with the TIBCO Administrator GUI and stored in the domain data store.
- Projects. A project that is created with TIBCO Designer GUI, then created an EAR file and sent to the machine where the TIBCO Administration Server resides. The EAR file can be deployed and it becomes visible in the TIBCO Administrator GUI and its components can be starte, stopped and monitored from there.
- The TIBCO Administration Server supports centralized authentication and authorization. Users with full administrative privileges can define which usersshould have access to which part of the system.
- Authentication. Verification of identity
- Authorization. Permission to view or execute. An administrator gives users access rights to the functionality of the product they need.
- Monitoring activities to perform with TIBCO Administrator over administration domain.
- View, add and delete users and assign access privileges to each user
- Monitor and manage the machines in the administration domain.
- Monitor deployments. This includes viewing component status and throughput and looking at traces, which can also be exported to a file.
- Manage deployment. This includes stopping and starting process engines and adapters.
- TIBCO ActiveMatrix BusinessWorks Fundamentals
- Support for Standards
J2EE Compliant. JMS, EJB, JNDI
Protocols. Web services (SOAP, WSDL), HTTP, HTTPS
Messaging. JMS TIBCO Rendezvous
Data Description. Native support for DTD, XSD and TIBCO AS Schema
Data Representation and Expressions. Native support for XML, XPath
Data Transformation. XSLT
A plug-in for B2B interactions
- Integrated Development Environment. With TIBCO ActiveMatrix BusinessWorks, the process design, deployment and runtime environment are tightly integrated even though the runtime environment supports a distributed architecture.
- Extensibility and Scalability. Scalability to support higher volume of data and extensibility to support additional applications or a larger number of process engines or adapter instances.
- Better Resource Utilization and Less Maintenance Overheads
- TIBCO Designer contains four panels.
    - Project Panel
    - Design Panel
    - Configuration Panel
    - Palette Panel
- Project. Consists of resources that contain the functionality needed for the integration system including services (producers and consumers) and any business logic that may be applied to that information.
- Resources. Components of a project
- Palettes. Organize resource into related groups. Which palette is displayed depends on the currently opened resource and on preferences. Palette panel can be displayed separately from the project panel via the Edit > Preferences menu.
- Enterprise Archive. The Enterprise Archive resource allows to create an EAR file which can be deployed. It contains shared archives and process archives that you specify.
- When project is deployed, each component is individually started from TIBCO Administrator.
- After all adapters and process engines have been started, process instances are created by process starters. Process instances are created based on process definitions.
- While different process instances are running, any alerts scheduled during deployment configuration are sent to the specified recipient by the TIBCO Administration Server.
- TIBCO Administrator allows monitoring of the running project at different levels of detial and can collect tracing information for later analysis.
- TIBCO ActiveMatrix BusinessWorks features
- Messaging
Guaranteed delivery and fault tolerance
Distributed architecture
High throughput
Scalability
Protocols supported are TIBCO Rendesvouz, JMS and HTTP
- Adapters. Help making information available to business process by ‘adapting’ the applications to a common messaging system.
Easy configuration with Design-Time adapter
Easy inclusion in Business Processes
Easy deployment and monitoring
TIBCO ActiveMatrix BusinessWorks integrates with the following adapters:
Technology adapters. Files or databases
Application adapters. PeapleSoft, SAP R/3, Siebel, etc
Other adapters can be loaded into TIBCO Designer, but cannot be installed nor monitored with Administrator though.
- Business Process Modelling
- Schemas and Data Mapping
The process data is the list of available data for a specific activity.
The input schema defines input values for an activity.
Process data can be mapped to input schema using a drag and drop interface. XPath can be used to specify conditional mapping.
- Manual Activities
TIBCO Designer includes a ManualWork palette with activities for user interaction with business process.

- As a rule, analysis, installation and services configuration are performed just once.
- Analysis. Define and analyze problem
Detailed analysis results in a faster over-all development
Start with a business analysis that includes a problem definition stating project goals clearly.
Analysis should include expansion posibilities
Ask these questions.
    What services will the process access?
    What are the transports being used?
- Domain Setup and Installation. Install software and configure domain
TIBCO Administration Domain is the set of software and hardware resources used by integration project.
When installing a TIBCO ActiveMatrixBusinessWorks component administration domain to which a machine belongs should be specified.
Ask these questions.
For development environments, Do I need to share work with other developers?
What machines do I need to run my project?
Which components should run on which machine?
Where should I run TIBCO Administration Server?
Who are the users that need to make changes to the project?
Who are the users that need to view information about the running project?
How will the project handle load balancing and fail-over?
Installing components.
1. Install TIBCO Runtime Agent (TRA) on each machin in the domain
2. Install the Administration Server and specify the administration domain name/user/pwd.
3. Install other TIBCO ActiveMatrix BusinessWorks process engines into the administration domain.
4. Install adapters ubto the administration domain.
- Services Configuration. Configure adapters
TIBCO ActiveMatrix BusinessWorks uses different types of services that can be accessed from within the process
- Adapter Services. Adapter Services are configured using TIBCO Designer and the Design-Time Adapter (DTA). A DTA allows to access the metadata provided by the adapter at design time. Each type of adapter has its own DTA. Only one DTA needs to run in a network, even if several users access different adapter instances of that adapter type.
- Adapter Publisher Service. Sends data from source app to business process
- Adapter Subscriber Service. Receives data in source app from business process
- Adapter Client Service. Acts as a client in a request-response interaction.
- Adapter Server Service. Acts as a server in a request-response interaction.
- Web Services. Web Services can be configured from TIBCO ActiveMatrix or externally and accessed using SOAP Request-Reply activity. TIBCO ActiveMatrix BusinessWorks can function as a server and a client in a web services interaction.
- Process Design. Implement and test business processes
- Each process has a starting and ending point.
- Activities are added to the process.
- Conditional flow support.
- Activities can be grouped for looping, transactional behavior, etc.
- Most processes have one main process
- Deployment configuration and Deployment. Deploy to runtime engine
- During installation, all components are installed into the same administration domain.
- An EAR file is created. It includes adapter configurations and process definitions to deploy.
- A deployment configuration allows to assign processes and adapter services to different process engines and adapters installed on the machines in the administration domain.
- Project is deployed when deployment configuration is complete.
- The project data store (repository) and the TIBCO Administration Server are updated with the new deployed components.
- Production. Manage and monitor deployments
Authorized users can monitor the administration domain using the TIBCO Administrator GUI.
    - User Management
- Domain Monitoring
- Deployment Monitoring and Management.
- All the processes are isolated and independent of each other in a TIBCO ActiveMatrix BusinessWorks service container.
TIBCO ActiveMatrix BusinessWorks Development Methodology.
- Analysis
1. Define and delimit the problem.
2. Identify processes.
3. Identify components.
    Shared Resources
    Services and corresponding activities
    ManualWork Activities
    Transitions and conditions
    Mapping
    Exceptions
4. Describe Business Events and Objects.
- Know the required data format at each place in the process
- Know the required data content
- Understand appropriate actions to take.
5. Design Business Processes.
6. Consider Domain Setup
- Domain Setup
Administration Server’s main responsibilities.
- Enforce Security for the domain (authentication and authorization)
- Manage registration (Add deployed projects and machines to a domain)
- Send appropriate information to each machine’s TRA when a project is deployed and pickup alerts sent by those TRAs.
- Start and stop process engines and adapters.
- Manage entries or adapters running in fault-tolerant mode if fault-tolerant setup has been performed.
TIBCO Runtime Agent main responsibilities
- Supplies an agent that is running in background on each machine
    Responsible of starting and stopping processes running on a machine
    The agent monitors the machine. That information is then visible in TIBCO Administrator
- Supplies the run-time environment (shared libraries including third party)
- Services Configuration
- Service Characteristics
Service Interface (WSDL/SOAP or AE Services)
Transport (HTTP,JMS,TIBCO RV)
Data Syntax (XML or ActiveEnterprise message format)
Data Schema (DTD or XSD schema)
- Service invocation ways
One way operation (do not wait for response)
Request-response operation (waits for one response, point to point messages)
Publication (notification). Sends information on as-needed basis, potentially multiple times
Subscription (process incoming information on as-needed basis, potentially multiple times)
- Publication and subscription are driven by events, usually the arrival or creation of data. Communication is in one direction (publisher to subscribers).
- Service types
Web Services (accessed by SOAP activities)
TIBCO ActiveMatrix BusinessWorks supports WSDL
TIBCO ActiveMatrix BusinessWorks can be create Web Service Server and clients
Adapter Services (accessed by ActiveEnterprise Adapter activities)
Technology adapters. Publication to or subscription from files and databases
Enterprise application adapters. Siebel, SAP R/3, PeopleSoft, etc
- Configuring Services
1. Installing the adapter
TIBCO ActiveMatrix BusinessWorks, TIBCO Administration Server should be installed and Administration Domain should already be set up (administrative user/pwd is a must).
After installation, a new palette for the adapter becomes available from TIBCO Designer.
2. Setting up the Design-Time Adapter
Drag and drop an Adapter Configuration resource from Adapter palette to Design Panel, specify connection information. Click on the resource on the project tree panel and then select its Adapter Services folder to open it.
Drag an Adapter Service from the Services palette into Design Panel.
From a command prompt, start the design-time adapter and then specify the data the adapter should publish or subscribe to interactively.
3. Configuring the Run-Time Adapter
Specify runtime connection information using the Runtime Connection tab.
Define adapter services and choose schema from the pop-up list provided via the design-time adapter.
Specify tracing information if desired.
If adapter uses advanced features such as Advisories, they can be configured in Advanced folder.
4. Accessing the Adapter Service from the Process
Activities that access the services.
Publish to Adapter.
Process => Adapter => Application.
Adapter Subscriber.
Process <= Adapter
Invoke an Adapter Request-Response Service.
Process=>Adapter;Process<=Adapter
Adapter Request-Response Server
    Process<=Adapter;Process=>Adapter
Respond to Adapter Request (based on a previous request from adapter)
Process=>Adapter
Wait for Adapter Message
Process<=Adapter
Wait for Adapter Request
Process<=Adapter
- Business Process Design
1. Define Shared Resources
2. Create Process Definitions
3. Add a Process Starter
    Start activity is not a process starter
4. Add Activities
5. Optionally, Add Manuall Work Activities
    - Shared Resource
- Workflow schema. Associated with a ManualWork task. This is the data that a user needs to complete the task. It supports string, int, date and document data types.
- Workflow connection. Connection to TIBCO InConcert workflow server (tracks and manages tasks).
    - Manual Work Activities
- Assign Work. Creates a new task with associated data and assigns it to the specified pool of users.
- Download Document
- Get Work Status. Retrieves the status of a task that was previously created with Assign Work activity.
- Modify Work. Change status of existing task created with Assign Work activity.
Update. Modifies the data associated with an uncompleted task
Complete
Reassign. Reassigns the task to a pool of users
- Wait for Completion. Waits for the completion of the task for the specified period
6.Create transitions between activities
    Cannot create a transition to a previously executed activity.
7. Perform mapping and transformation for each activity
8. Optionally, Group Activities as needed.
- Create a set of activities with only one condition for the group (Used for error transitions)
- Create a set of activities to be repeated (For-Each, until a condition is true or if an error occurs)
- Create a set of activities that participate in a transaction.
9. Test the process.
- Entering the testing environment starts a TIBCO ActiveMatrix BusinessWorks engine. The engine starts process instances based on process definitions.
- Deployment
The TIBCO Administration Server sends all necessary information to the individual machines. Then, all components become visible in TIBCO Administrator GUI.
Every time project is changed, a new EAR file should be created for deployment. Then, desired deployment should be stopped and restarted for the changes to take effect.
If more services or processes are going to be added to an already deployed and running TIBCO ActiveMatrix BusinessWorks service container, stop only the selected application, unload the EAR file and load the modified in the same service container.
- Production
-TIBCO Administrator consists of TIBCO Administration Server and TIBCO Administrator GUI.
-TIBCO Administrator includes an application server component for HTTP communications and a repository server component for data store management. All three componend run as a single process.
-TIBCO Administration Server and TIBCO Administrator GUI together support deployed TIBCO ActiveMatrix BusinessWorks products at runtime.
-TIBCO Administration Server interacts with each machine in the Administration Domain by way of TIBCO Runtime Agent running on that machine.
-TIBCO Administration Server and TIBCO Runtime Agent communication
-The Administration Server receives information about CPU and memory usage, alerts and the process instances and components running on each machine and makes them available via the TIBCO Administrator GUI.
-TIBCO Administrator GUI allows users to start and shut-down components. Start and shutdown commands are sent from Administration Server to the appropriate TRA which in turn starts or stops the process.
- Monitoring and Management options
    At runtime, TIBCO Administrator allows to remotely access all deployments in administration domain. Depending on security privileges, the following activities can be performed.
- User Management. Add users and passwords to the administration domain for authentication, then give each user view or execute privileges for TIBCO Administrator GUI elements or project repositories (data stores)
- Domain Monitoring and Management. View the status of machines and components running on machines in the domain. Start an stop components as needed.
- Deployment Monitoring. Monitor the status of each deployment component and process instance and the status of the machines executing them. View trace files and throughput.
- Deployment Management. View all running components and stop and restart them as needed

TIBCO BW Getting Started Notes

These are some notes I have written in order to help myself to get ready to clear the TIBCO ActiveMatrix BusinessWorks 5 Certification Exam (TB0-123). More details about the exam, click here. This entry is about TIBCO BW Getting Started document. Any comment or suggestion, please write to luisagcenteno@gmail.com. Further details can be found at TIBCO Documentation. I hope these notes can help you as well as they did to me...

TIBCO ActiveMatrix BusinessWorks Getting Started Notes
- Phases of the project lifecycle
    1. Design. Determine the requirements of the system and develop a prototype solution to the business needs
    2. Testing. Running the project in order to determine that it works properly and meets the project’s requirements

- TIBCO Designer main window has these components
    - Menu bar and menus
    - Toolbar icons
    - Four panels, which are
        Project tree panel
        Design Panel
        Configuration Panel
        Palette Panel
- A project consists of objects that contain the functionality needed for EAI including services, business logic and deployment information.
- Each TIBCO Designer window contains only one project
- Resources are the components of a project
- Activities are the resources used inside process design.
- Palettes provide access to resources. Drag and drop resources from palettes to design panel. Which palette is displayed depends on which resource is selecte in the project tree.