The PeopleSoft Internet Architecture and Web Services

A Technology Overview

PeopleSoft Technology Whitepaper March 2002

 2002 by PeopleSoft, Inc.

All rights reserved. Printed on recycled paper. Restricted Rights Printed in the United States of America. The information contained in this document is proprietary and confidential to PeopleSoft, Inc. No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, for any purpose without the express written permission of PeopleSoft, Inc. This document is subject to change without notice, and PeopleSoft does not warrant that the material contained in this document is error-free. If you find any problems with this document, please report them to PeopleSoft in writing. This document contains or may contain statements of future direction concerning possible functionality for PeopleSofts software products and technology. All functionality and software products will be available for license and shipment from PeopleSoft only if and when generally commercially available. PeopleSoft disclaims any express or implied commitment to deliver functionality or software unless or until actual shipment of the functionality or software occurs. The statements of possible future direction are for information purposes only and PeopleSoft makes no express or implied commitments or representations concerning the timing and content of any future functionality or releases.

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The PeopleSoft Internet Architecture and Web Services

Overview
When designing the PeopleSoft Internet Architecture (PIA), PeopleSoft engineers focused on two main goals: 1. Pure Internet Access: Any end user should be able to access PeopleSoft applications using standard internet protocols. HTML over HTTP was key to this. Pure Internet Integration: Any system should be able to access PeopleSoft components and integrate seamlessly with PeopleSoft systems using standard internet protocols. XML over HTTP was key to this.

PeopleSoft engineers focused on pure internet access and integration when designing PIA.

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Both pure internet access and integration have taken off since the design and development of PIA. Pure internet access received much of the initial attention in the market place. Now with the emergence of web services, pure internet integration is beginning to receive equal billing. This white paper provides an overview of web services technology, the PeopleSoft technologies that deliver web services, and where PeopleSoft believes web services are going in the future. It is intended for both technical and non technical readers and contains the following sections: Overview ...................................................................................................... 3 Web Service Defined ................................................................................ 4 PeopleSoft Web Services Technology.......................................................... 6 PeopleSoft Enterprise Integration Points and Web Services ...................... 12 The Future of Web Services Technology ................................................... 13

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Web Service Defined

Web Service is an extremely generic term and is quite often defined using a long list of technical jargon. The PeopleSoft definition of a web service is rather straightforward. A web service is simply an application component that is accessed programmatically over the internet using XML over HTTP. Any discrete component of application functionality can be exposed as a web service. Examples include product inventory, employee address, and customer profile. Any of these application components can be published and accessed over the internet as web services.

Web service are application components accessed

Loose Coupling

programmatically over the internet using XML over HTTP.

Why are web services becoming so popular? A big reason is loose coupling. Previous attempts at distributed computing such as CORBA, DCOM, and Distributed Smalltalk are not appropriate for low overhead, ubiquitous B2B Internet processing because they require tight coupling between systems. These tightly coupled integration technologies require that the developer thoroughly understands and has control over both ends of the connection. The problems with tightly coupled integration are not unique to internet-based integration but also apply in many instances to intranet-based integration. Web services are loosely coupled. They have well defined, published interfaces and can be easily accessed from remote systems over the internet. They require a much simpler level of coordination between systems and the underlying technology behind the web service can be changed and replaced without impacting the systems that invoke it. This loose coupling nature of web services simplifies the integration process, lowering the cost of integration and making it easier to integrate applications than techniques used in the past.

Internet Accessible

Another issue with past integration technologies is that they were not designed to work securely over the internet. Web services make use of the existing, ubiquitous transport protocol of the internet: HTTP. This is the same transport protocol that is used to deliver content over the web. Piggybacking on HTTP, web services leverage existing infrastructure and can comply with corporate firewall policies.

Web Services Technology Stack Web services consist primarily of the following technologies:

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HTTP XML SOAP WSDL UDDI

XML is the fundamental building block for SOAP, WSDL, and UDDI.

HTTP and XML are widely known internet standards. HTTP is the standard internet transport protocol. XML is the widely accepted format for exchanging data over the internet. XML is also the fundamental building block for SOAP, WSDL, and UDDI. XML and HTTP are critical for web services as a result of their ubiquity. They are the most basic requirements for a web service. If an application exposes its functionality using XML over HTTP, it is a web service. SOAP, WSDL, and UDDI are not requirements for web services, but they make cataloging, discovering, and implementing web services easier.

XML and HTTP are

Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP)

critical for web services as a result of their ubiquity.

SOAP is the primary web services protocol. It uses XML over HTTP for messaging and RPC-style communications. A SOAP Message is an ordinary XML document that consists of three sections: 1. A SOAP Envelope The top element of the XML document representing the message and defines the content of the message. It defines the framework of what is in a message, how to process it, who should deal with it and whether it is optional or mandatory. A SOAP Header This section is optional. It contains header information and attributes that can be set to encode and further identify the type of processing and additional features of the message. A SOAP Body This section contains the call and response information intended for the recipient of the message. This is the message payload.
XML Document: HTTP Header SOAP Envelope SOAP Header
(optional)

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3.

SOAP Body

SOAP Sections in an XML document

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SOAP is not a requirement for exposing a web service, but should be used when appropriate when implementing a web service. Many web services today expose functionality over XML/HTTP without using SOAP.

WSDL is an XMLbased description of

Web Services Description Language (WSDL)

how to connect to a web service. It describes the inputs and outputs of the web service and the web service URL.

The shape and contents of the SOAP XML will not be the same for each transaction. One transaction might require several input parameters, while another might require many. The structure and contents of the request XML must be communicated to other parties who want to invoke a given web service. Likewise, the structure and contents of the response XML that is sent back with the results of the transaction need to be communicated as well. WSDL is an XML-based description of how to connect to a web service. It references a schema which describes the inputs and outputs of a web service and the URL to post requests to in order to invoke the web service. WSDL is not a requirement for a web service. It simply makes it easier for the programmer who wants to invoke the web service to understand it.

Universal Description, Discovery, and Integration (UDDI)

UDDI represents a set of protocols and public/private directories for the registration and discovery of web services. UDDI can be used both inside and outside the firewall. It is an emerging standard that companies can use to catalog and publish the numerous integration points within their business processes. The internet public directories have received much of the early attention around UDDI, but intranet deployment behind the firewall is where UDDI will most commonly be used. Being registered in a public or private UDDI-based directory is not a requirement for a web service. UDDI simply makes it easier to catalog and locate web services.

PeopleSoft applications can be both web service clients and web service servers a PeopleSoft application can invoke a web

PeopleSoft Web Services Technology

The heart of the PeopleSoft web services technology is the PeopleSoft Integration Broker (PIB). The Integration Broker is an XML messaging hub which publishes and subscribes both synchronous and asynchronous XML messages between multiple systems and provides XSLT support for message transformation. PeopleSoft Application Messaging is the primary PeopleTools technology used within the Integration Broker for this messaging functionality. For additional information on the Integration Broker and Application Messaging, see the Integration Technology of PeopleSoft 8 white paper.

service or a PeopleSoft application can act as a web service.

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PeopleSoft Integration Broker & Web Services The Integration Broker transports messages to and from the systems it is integrating using XML over HTTP. It also has native SOAP support for sending and receiving messages with other systems that communicate using SOAP. Using the Integration Broker technologies, PeopleSoft applications can be both web service clients and web service servers a PeopleSoft application can invoke a web service or a PeopleSoft application can act as a web service. The following are several examples that explain where web services-based messaging takes place with the Integration Broker.

Synchronous Web Services Support

All PeopleSoft components can invoke or can be invoked as web services using Integration Broker. The following explains how this works. The following diagram summarizes the message flow of PeopleSoft SCM invoking a Customer Profile web service in PeopleSoft CRM.
1.) Publishes Customer Profile Request Message 2.) Transforms and routes message to PS CRM

PeopleSoft SCM
5.) Recieves Customer Profile Request reply message and continues on.

XML

Integration Broker

4.) Transforms and routes message back to PS SCM

PeopleSoft CRM
3.) Subscribes to message, invokes Customer Profile Component, formats message, sends reply

PeopleSoft SCM Invoking a Customer Profile Web Service in PeopleSoft CRM

PeopleSoft SCM fetches a Customer Profile from PeopleSoft CRM using the following steps:

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PS SCM publishes a synchronous Customer Profile Request message which contains the customer key data. This message is transported to the Integration Broker over XML/HTTPS. The Integration Broker receives the XML message, does any message transformation that is necessary, and routes the request to PS CRM over XML/HTTPS. PS CRM subscribes to the message, invokes the Customer Profile component using the customer key data that is passed in the XML message, updates the message structure with the Customer Profile data, and replies to the XML request from the Integration Broker. The Integration Broker then replies back to the original PS SCM XML request, passing it the Customer Profile data. PS SCM receives the Customer Profile Request reply and continues on with its processing, using the Customer data fetched from PS CRM.

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Using PeopleSoft Application Messaging, web services can be invoked synchronously or asynchronously.

It should be noted that in the above example, either PeopleSoft systems could be replaced by non-PeopleSoft systems that communicate with the Integration Broker using SOAP or XML/HTTP. Integration Broker was specifically designed to integrate both PeopleSoft and non-PeopleSoft systems.

Asynchronous Web Services Support

Most discussions around web services are based on synchronous, RPC-style integration. But sometimes the calling program does not want to incur the overhead of synchronous calls to remote systems or deal with the scenario of the remote system being down. Using PeopleSoft Application Messaging, web services can be invoked asynchronously. The following example is an asynchronous web service of PS CRM publishing a new order to PS SCM. The example is asynchronous since PS CRM does not need any information back from PS SCM.

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1.) Publishes "New Order" Message

2.) Transforms and routes message to PS SCM

PeopleSoft CRM

XML

Integration Broker

PeopleSoft SCM
3.) Subscribes to message, and invokes the New Order Component and processes the New Order data

PeopleSoft CRM Asynchronously Invoking the New Order Web Service in PeopleSoft SCM

PS CRM asynchronously invokes the New Order component in PS SCM using the following steps: 1. PS CRM records a new order. An asynchronous New Order message is published and delivered to the Integration Broker over XML/HTTPS. The Integration Broker receives the XML message, queues the message, and replies back to PS CRM that the message has been successfully received. It then does any message transformation that is necessary and routes the request to PS SCM over XML/HTTPS. PS SCM subscribes to the message and invokes the New Order component to process the message.

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Customers can integrate with any PeopleSoft component asynchronously using PeopleSoft Application Messaging.

PeopleSoft to Mainframe Web Services Integration

Many PeopleSoft customers, especially CRM customers, store much of their critical data in home grown mainframe systems. Using the PeopleSoft Integration Broker, PeopleSoft applications can invoke mainframe services as web services.
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XML

1.) Publishes Customer Profile Request Message

2.) Transforms message. Invokes MQ Series , passing the XML message over MQ Series

PeopleSoft CRM
6.) Recieves Customer Profile Request reply message and continues on.

XML

Integration Broker
MQ Series

5.) Transforms and routes message back to PS CRM

3.) MQ Series then invokes the Customer Profile component on the mainframe

Mainframe
Using PeopleSoft
4.) The Customer Proifile component executes and the Customer data is passed back to MQ Series

Integration Broker, PeopleSoft applications can invoke mainframe services as web services.

PeopleSoft CRM Invoking a Mainframe Service as a Web Service

PeopleSoft CRM fetches a Customer Profile from the mainframe service using the following steps: 1. PS CRM publishes a synchronous Customer Profile Request message which contains the customer key data. This message is transported to the Integration Broker over XML/HTTPS. The Integration Broker receives the XML message and does any message transformation that is necessary. It then invokes an MQ Series service, passing it the XML message. MQ Series then invokes the Customer Profile service on the mainframe, passing it the customer key data. The mainframe system invokes the Customer Profile component using the customer key data that is passed in from MQ Series, updates the message structure with the Customer Profile data, and replies to the MQ Series request. The Integration Broker then replies back to the original PS CRM XML request, passing it the Customer Profile data. PS CRM receives the Customer Profile Request reply and continues on with its processing, using the Customer data fetched from PS CRM.
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Mobile Agent Synchronization and Web Services The PeopleSoft Mobile Agent is new with PeopleTools 8.4. It is device resident application that mobile users access to view and update PeopleSoft data when not connected to a network. PeopleSoft Mobile Sales and Field Service are two applications based on the Mobile Agent. Periodically, the Mobile Agent synchronizes its data with the PeopleSoft server. The Mobile Agent uses web services technology to do this synchronization. It communicates with the Mobile Synch Server using XML over HTTPS to pass data to and from the server. Using web services technologies, the Mobile Agent can synch from anywhere in the world to the corporate server securely across a firewall.

Using web services technologies, the PeopleSoft Mobile Agent can synch from anywhere in the world to the

Mobile Agent
XM

Mobile Agent

Mobile Agent

Mobile Agent
L XM

corporate server securely over a firewall.

XML

Mobile Synch Server

PeopleSoft Component Interfaces

Agents Communicate to the Mobile Synch Server over XML/HTTP

XML

Mobile

Native WSDL Support Using PeopleTools 8.4, developers can generate the XML Schema for a PeopleSoft Enterprise Integration Point (EIP). W3C, DTD, and BizTalk format schemas are supported. This XML Schema, along with their Integration Broker configuration information, can be used to generate WSDL for an EIP. In futures releases of PeopleTools, full WSDL import and export will be supported.

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Native UDDI Support Since all UDDI transactions are implemented using SOAP, developers can just use the XML Messaging in the Integration Broker to query UDDI repositories. PeopleSoft Trading Partner Management can search for web services in a UDDI repository and then create a new trading partner corresponding to the information located in the UDDI repository. Based on the information found in the UDDI repository, the application developer can invoke the SOAP services using PeopleTools 8.4.

PeopleSoft Enterprise Integration Points and Web Services

PeopleSoft delivers hundreds of Enterprise Integration Points (EIP) with PeopleSoft 8. All of these EIPs can be accessed as web services in PeopleTools 8.4 through the Integration Broker. And if a customer needs to change an EIP or develop an EIP that has not been delivered, this can be done using Integration Broker integration tools such as Application Messaging and Component Interfaces. To get a complete list of EIPs, visit the Open Integration Framework web site: http://www.peoplesoft.com/corp/en/products/technology/oif/index.asp

PeopleSoft B2B Web Services Partners The following is a list of partners that PeopleSoft has worked with to deliver web services based integration with PeopleSoft 8. All of these partners are either exposing web services that PeopleSoft applications invoke to access content and data, or invoking PeopleSoft web services to access content and data in PeopleSoft applications Authoria BeyondWork EbenX GeoAccess TALX H&R Block Ceridian ProBusiness Inlumen Moreover Sabre/GetThere Dell Computers Acxiom Embark IPrint

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Intuit RecruitUSA AIRS

Factiva CustomerSat JustTalk

Boise Cascade HireRight HP

PeopleSoft B2B Web Services Partners

PeopleSoft expects this list of partners to grow over time as web services become more prevalent.

The Future of Web Services Technology

PeopleSoft is quite confident that web services technology will become more prevalent over the next several years. The following summarizes what PeopleSoft expects to occur in the web services space by 2004: The intranet is where web services technology will be used the most over the next several years. XML / HTTP is already a common approach for intranet integration. Hundreds of live PeopleSoft 8 customers are using our web services-based integration technologies for intranet-based integration today. SOAP, WSDL, and UDDI will become more prevalent. UDDI servers will act as corporate catalogs for integration points within their business processes. These UDDI / WSDL servers will play a key role in driving collaboration between systems within the corporate firewall. Private trading exchanges will fully embrace SOAP, WSDL, and UDDI in order to lower the cost of integrating new trading participants. The jury is still out on whether or not public UDDI repositories will really take off. Once comfortable with intranet use of web services technology, companies will deploy and access more web services over the internet, resulting in true internet-based business processes. Tools and applications vendors will continue to invest heavily in web services technologies. PeopleSoft will continue to innovate and lead in the in the web services space.

PeopleSoft will continue to innovate and lead in the web services space.

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