IBM BPM, V8.0.1, All platforms > Authoring services in Integration Designer > Developing business processes > Building BPEL processes > Defining BPEL process logic
Defining transactional behavior
BPEL processes run as part of transactions. The navigation of a BPEL process can span multiple transactions in the case of long-running processes, or happen as part of one transaction in the case of microflows.
For information on setting up transactions see the related topic on Transactions.
A simple tools is provided so that you can review the transaction propagation in your process. Right click in the Assembly editor and select Show Transaction Highlighting. The transactional highlighting is displayed for the whole process.
You can highlight the transaction properties of a subset of the entire process by selecting a specific activity, right clicking and selecting Show Transaction From Here. The transaction propagation associated with the selected activity and all downstream components are highlighted.
When you have highlighting enabled, you will find hover help available for the highlighted activities and wires. This hover help will explain the highlighting of the interface, reference, wire, component, import or export over which you are hovering.
The highlighting shows transaction propagation, not transaction boundaries. If you select a component downstream of another component in the same transaction and turn on the highlighting, the upstream component, despite being part of the same transaction, will not be highlighted.
Explanation of transaction highlighting Component Highlighting Explanation Interface Solid green circle The component is configured so that the implementation always joins a propagated transaction. Dotted green circle The component is configured so that the implementation sometimes joins a propagated transaction. No highlighting The component is configured so that the implementation never joins a propagated transaction. Reference Solid green box Synchronous calls over this reference propagate a transaction. Dotted green box Synchronous calls over this reference may propagate a transaction. No highlighting Synchronous calls over this reference do not propagate a transaction. Wire Solid green line Propagates and joins a transaction Dashed green line Some situations propagate and join a transaction, some will not. No highlighting Does not propagate a transaction. Node or activity Solid green perimeter Implementation is invoked synchronously and runs in a global transaction. Equivalently, the transaction qualifier is configured as Global. Dotted green perimeter Certain components can call one service in one transaction and call another service in a different transaction. This highlighting is applied when a component runs in a global transaction but calls services in this manner. Only long-running BPEL processes and business state machines can carry this special highlighting. Dashed green perimeter Implementation is invoked synchronously and does not specify that it runs a global transaction. Equivalently, the transaction qualifier is configured as Any. No highlighting Implementation is invoked asynchronously, or runes with local transactions. Import Solid green perimeter A global transaction, if propagated to the import node, is propagated to the service being imported. No highlighting A global transaction is never propagated to the service being imported. Export Solid green perimeter A global transaction can be propagated from the client to the Export, and is further propagated to the export target. No highlighting A global transaction is never propagated from the client to the Export. More information on transactional behavior can be found by following this link: Transactional behavior of business processes.
Related concepts:
The building blocks of the BPEL process editor
Dealing with faults in your BPEL process
Work with XPath in the BPEL process editor
Work with micropatterns
Locked activities
Related tasks:
Adding an interface or a reference to a business state machine
Adding a variable to a business state machine
Adding a process application as an activity
Adding an activity to a BPEL process
Defining timer-driven behavior in a BPEL process
Enabling SCA events to be emitted
Calling other BPEL processes
Calling business services
Related information:
Transactions