Sequence diagram: Initiating an activity

To invoke a method on a business component, a client or a solution controller obtains an activity token by calling BCS begin method. In the process of obtaining this activity token the client may optionally supply initialization data. This initialization data is used to populate the contexts that are preloaded when a new activity is created. When a particular service method is invoked on a Business Component Service interface the client must pass the activity token.

The following diagram shows the steps to initiate an activity:

• Obtain a unique activity identifier from WC Keys Manager.

• Retrieve a list of business contexts for this particular request and associate them to the activity.

• Initialize the list of business contexts.

The list of BusinessContexts to associate with an activity is read from a configuration file. Every activity must have a BaseContext associated with it. At a minimum, the storeId is needed to populate the BaseContext. When an activity is initiated the storeId must be passed as part of the initialization data.

Related concepts
Business context service

Related reference
Business Context configuration file