Creating a Web Service Definition 

Use

Using the Web Service Definition (WSD), you assign features to the Web service in abstract form. This can include, for example, the communication type or the authentication level. The technical details are defined in the Web service configuration.

Session handling is an example of this. This behavior is switched on or off in the Web service definition, but not technically configured. By assigning these abstract features, you ensure that a WSD can be used for various application servers that have different technical features.

In larger companies, it can be assumed that the developer of the application that is to be provided as a Web service is the one who determines whether the application – as a Web service – requires stateful communication. However, he may not be the one to define whether this is to be executed, for example, through HTTP cookies or using URL extensions. This task can be performed – if needs be – by an administrator who know the system landscape and the technical requirements of the application server on which the Web service is to be called.

Within the framework of the Web service definition, you can publish the WSD as a tModel in the UDDI. tModels (abbreviation for technical Model) describe the interface of a Web service (see also, UDDI).

Prerequisites

You have created a VI.

Procedure

To create a WSD, proceed as follows:

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       1.      Select the VI and choose New → Web Service Definition in the context menu.

       2.      In the dialog box that appears, enter the required data.

Choose Finish. In the Overview tab, the name of the WSD, and the VI on which it is based, are displayed.

       3.      Choose the Features tab.

The selection options in the lower section of the screen refer to the features selected in the upper section. The following options are available:

Feature:	Selection:	Meaning:
Session	Choose Select Feature.	Choose this feature if communication is to be stateful.
Authentication	Choose one of the following options: ·         No Authentication ·         Basic (user/password) ·         Strong (incl. certificates)	Choose Basic (user/password) if calling a Web service on the client side requires the authentication of the caller with the help of a user ID and a password. Choose Strong if authentication is to additionally require X.509 client certificates (see also, Web Services Security, section Configuring Authentication)..
Authorization	Choose Select Feature.	Calls of WS operation calls can be protected using security roles. Security roles are assigned when you create the Web Service Configuration. (see also, Web Services Security, section Configuring Authorization).
Transport guarantee	Choose one of the following options: ·         No ·         Integrity + Confidentiality	Choose Integrity + Confidentiality if data that is to be passed from Web service clients to the server through SOAP requests is to be encrypted. The SSL protocol (SSL) encrypts the data. For more information, see Using the Secure Sockets Layer Protocol with the AS ABAP.
Message ID	Choose Select Feature.	Choose the Message ID feature, if you want to send an additional SOAP header containing a unique ID (GUID) that identifies the message. The application can access the message later using this ID.

       4.      Choose the Documentation tab and enter the documentation for the Web service. This will be displayed in the Web Service Homepage.

       5.      Publish the tModel, if necessary, in the UDDI. Read the section Publishing a Web Service Definition as a tModel.

       6.      Save the WSD.

Result

You have created and published a WSD. It is displayed in the EJB Explorer under Web Service Definitions:

 

Next Step

Follow the steps given in the section Creating a Web Service and Web Service Configuration.