Service types
Learn about the types of services available in IBM® BPM and when to use each type.
The type of service that you choose to create depends upon the requirements of the activity. For example, if an activity requires integration with an external system, such as a database, you can create an integration service. If an activity requires that call center personnel enter data about customer requests, you can create a client-side human service with a coach.
The following table describes the types of services available in IBM BPM:
| Service type | Description | See... |
|---|---|---|
| Heritage human service | Use a heritage human service to implement an
interactive task in a business process definition (BPD) or a dashboard
that users can use in a web-based application such as IBM Process
Portal.
Heritage human services run on the server and supply user interfaces
to a web browser. Heritage human services are authored in the Process Designer desktop editor, and can contain coaches, heritage coaches, and postpones. A heritage human service is the only type of service that can call other heritage human services. |
Building a heritage human service Difference between client-side human services and heritage human services |
| Client-side human service | Use a client-side human service to implement
an interactive task, a dashboard, or a user interface for a case or
process instance that users can use to manage cases or processes in
an application such as IBM Process
Portal.
Client-side human services run within a web browser and can call the
server for data when needed. Client-side human services are authored in the Process Designer web editor, and can contain coaches, client-side scripts, services, and events. Client-side human services cannot use heritage coaches. |
Building a client-side human service |
| Ajax service | Use an Ajax service when you want to include a control in a coach to implement dynamic data selection such as automatically populating drop-down lists and automatically completing edit boxes. An Ajax service can pull data dynamically from a connected data source, such as a database. You cannot call an Ajax service from other types of services, but an Ajax service can call other nested services. | Building an Ajax service |
| Decision service | Use a decision service when you want a condition to determine the implementation invoked. For example, when a certain condition evaluates to true, IBM BPM implements the JavaScript expression that you provide. Decision services cannot include Java™ or Web Service integrations directly. You can call a decision service from any other type of service and a decision service can call other nested services. | Building a Decision service |
| Integration service | Use an integration service when you want to integrate with an external system. An integration service is the only type of service that can contain a Java or Web Service integration. You can call an integration service from any other type of service and an Integration service can call other nested services. | Building an Integration service |
| Advanced integration service | Use an advanced integration service when you want to integrate with a service created in IBM Integration Designer. | Building an Advanced Integration service |
| IBM Case Manager integration service | Use an IBM Case Manager integration service when you want to integrate with an IBM Case Manager server | Integrating BPDs with IBM Case Manager cases |
| General system service | Use a general system service when you need to coordinate other nested services or you need to manipulate variable data. For example, if you need to implement data transformations or generate HTML for a coach, you can use a general system service. General system services cannot include Java or Web Service integrations directly. You can call a general system service from any other type of service and a general system service can call other nested services. | Building a General System service |