BPEL Designer: Understanding Correlation. Using the Correlation Wizard

See Also

The BPEL Service Engine runtime uses a mechanism called correlation to track the multiple, stateful, long-running exchanges of messages that typically take place between a BPEL process and its partner services. A message in such a conversation is mapped to a composite value made up of one or more properties defined in a WSDL file.

Thus, correlation sets are used to support stateful collaboration between web services in a standardized, implementation independent way. Correlation sets rely on the correlation data tokens stored in the message envelopes, headers, or business documents themselves. The declaration of correlation relies on the declarative properties of messages. A property is a field within a message identified by a query. Queries are specified by special constructs called property aliases.

The following terms apply to correlation:

Elements That Use and Express Correlation

Correlation sets can be defined for the Process element. The defined correlation sets are then used by message activities (Invoke, Reply, and Receive), which describe a conversation between a process and a partner service.

Correlation sets on Invoke activities are used to verify that outbound messages contain data that is consistent with the data found within specified correlation set instances.

Correlation set names are also used in the onMessage branches of Pick elements and in the onEvent variant of eventHandlers.

Ways to define correlation:

Using the Correlation Wizard

Correlation Wizard is used to define correlations for two messaging activities, such as Invoke, Reply, Receive, OnEvent or onMessage branch of Pick element.

Note: The wizard only enables you to create correlation. You can't edit correlation in the wizard.

To create correlation using the Correlation Wizard:

See Also
Adding Correlation Sets Manually
Configuring Properties and Property Aliases Using the WSDL View

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