IBM BPM, V8.0.1, All platforms > Authoring services in Integration Designer > Developing business processes > Building BPEL processes > Defining BPEL process logic > Work with XPath in the BPEL process editor
Choose between XPath and Java in your BPEL process
When composing customized code in your BPEL process, you can use either the XPath or Java™ programming languages. Here are some guidelines for choosing which one to use.
This decision may already be made for you, simply by virtue of what you are planning on doing with your finished BPEL process. Because the use of Java expressions is a part of the BPEL extensions, use XPath in your process if you plan on doing any of the following, as none of these scenarios support the extensions:
- When you are designing the process to be used or edited in another set of tools.
- When you are planning on executing the process in a runtime environment other than IBM Process Server.
If you can use either one, and are unsure of which one is best, then consider the following. Typically, a decision like this can be based on two things: the nature of the needed code, and your familiarity with the programming languages in question. Where XPath is ideal for simple data-driven expressions, Java is better for modelling more complicated code. If however you aren't all that familiar with Java, and find yourself wanting to extend the limits of the XPath language, keep in mind that you can easily use the visual snippet editor to graphically create and manipulate snippets of Java code.
Work with XPath in the BPEL process editor
Related concepts:
XPath usage overview
XPath extension functions
Work with BPEL extensions