Working with Service Component Architecture (SCA)

Start here to find out how you can use SCA to allow interoperability with IBM® Business Process Manager Advanced Version 7.5 or WebSphere® Process Server Version 7.0.

Note: From Version 7.5 onwards, WebSphere Process Server has been renamed IBM Business Process Manager Advanced. Information in this topic that refers to IBM Business Process Manager Advanced Version 7.5 is also applicable to WebSphere Process Server Version 7.0. Similarly, from Version 7.5 onwards, WebSphere Integration Developer has been renamed IBM Integration Designer. Information in this topic that refers to IBM Integration Designer Version 7.5 is also applicable to WebSphere Integration Developer Version 7.

SCA is a specification that describes a model for building applications and systems using a service-oriented architecture (SOA).

IBM Integration Bus provides built-in message flow nodes that allow interoperability with WebSphere Process Server. These nodes support inbound and outbound scenarios with WebSphere Process Server. In an inbound scenario, a service component in WebSphere Process Server can send a request to IBM Integration Bus. In an outbound scenario, a message flow in IBM Integration Bus can send a synchronous or asynchronous request to WebSphere Process Server.

The nodes are configured by an Integration Bus SCA definition. You can create an Integration Bus SCA definition in two ways:
  • From an SCA import or SCA export component that is defined in IBM Integration Designer Version 7.5 or WebSphere Integration Developer Version 7 and imported into IBM Integration Bus.
  • From an IBM Integration Bus message set.
The SCA nodes cannot be used without an Integration Bus SCA definition to configure them.
If you want to call services available on IBM Integration Bus, you must either:
  • Import an SCA import component from WebSphere Integration Developer and create a message flow that uses an SCAInput node, or
  • Generate an inbound Integration Bus SCA definition and export the .insca file to WebSphere Integration Developer
If you want to call a service in WebSphere Process Server, you must either:
  • Import an SCA export component from WebSphere Integration Developer and configure a message flow using the Integration Bus SCA definition that is created, or
  • Generate an outbound Integration Bus SCA definition and export the .outsca file to WebSphere Integration Developer
When designing message flows with SCA, you must select a suitable transport (also called a binding). The SCA nodes support these transports:

If an MQ binding is specified, WebSphere MQ is required to process the messages, so you must ensure that WebSphere MQ is installed on the same computer as your integration node. For more information about using WebSphere MQ with IBM Integration Bus, see Installing WebSphere MQ.

The SCA nodes do not support the SCA binding in WebSphere Integration Developer, which is used only for SCA invocations between modules running within WebSphere Process Server.

The following topics describe how to work with SCA: