12 About Decision Studio

12.1.1 Configuring Inline Services

Inline Services are configured and deployed using Decision Studio. Elements are added to a project and Java scriptlets with functional logic are added to certain elements. When the Inline Service is saved, XML metadata is created and Java code is generated and deployed to Real-Time Decision Server, where the Inline Services runs.

12.1.2 General Types of Inline Service

Inline Services can be designed to focus on just one of the two main roles they can perform:

• To monitor (or observe) a business process

• To advise a business process on how to make key business decisions

This section describes the two broad categories of specialized Inline Service:

• Section 12.1.2.1, "Observer Inline Services"

• Section 12.1.2.2, "Advisor Inline Services"

12.2.1 Selecting the Decision Studio Workspace

When you start Decision Studio, you can select the workspace for the session. The default workspace is C:\Documents and Settings\username\Oracle RTD Studio. You can optionally set the workspace location to be the default from then on

You can also change the workspace during any session through the menu path File > Switch Workspace.

12.2.2 Setting the Java Compiler Compliance Level

Inline Services must be compiled with Java compiler compliance level 5.

To set this as a preference for all Inline Services, perform the following steps:

1. Log in to Decision Studio.

2. Navigate the menu path Windows > Preferences.

3. In the Preferences window, select Java, then Compiler, in the left panel.

4. In the JDK Compliance area, select 5.0 for Compiler compliance level.

5. Click OK, and confirm that you want the full rebuild to proceed.

Inline Services created in previous versions of Oracle RTD may need to have their Java compiler compliance level manually changed to 5.0.

To change the Java compiler compliance level at the individual Inline Service level, right-click the Inline Service name, select Properties > Java Compiler, then select 5.0 for the Compiler compliance level.

12.2.3 About the Inline Service Explorer

The Inline Service Explorer gives you access to all aspects of your Inline Service projects. A typical Inline Service project is shown in Figure 12-1.

Figure 12-1 Inline Service Explorer

Description of "Figure 12-1 Inline Service Explorer"

The contents of the Inline Service folder are described in Table 12-1.

12.2.4 Code Generation

In general, as elements are configured for an Inline Service, four files are produced:

• A .sda file that stores the configuration as metadata.

• A .java file that is generated from the metadata and is compiled into a class file.

• A .java file that extends the original generated file and can be used in unusual circumstances to override the actions of the generated file.

• The class file that is first compiled from the generated file and subsequently compiled from any overrides.

The files are named in the following manner:

• Metadata: Object_ID.sda

• Generated: GENObject_ID.java

• Override: Object_ID.java

• Class: Object_ID.class

• Generated Class: GENObject_ID.class

Tip:

The Object ID is created as you name the object. Object IDs are shown in the text box below the name of the object for which they are created. The Object ID may be different from the label to conform to Java standards. To look up an Object ID, toggle between showing labels and showing Object IDs using the Toggle icon:

For instance, consider an element named Customer account. An Object ID is formed, CustomerAccount, that conforms to Java naming standards.

The files created are:

• Metadata: CustomerAccount.sda

• Generated: GENCustomerAccount.java

• Override: CustomerAccount.java

• Class: CustomerAccount.class

• Generated Class: GENCustomerAccount.class

12.2.5 About Decision Studio Perspectives and Views

Decision Studio lets you work with an Inline Service from several perspectives. A perspective defines the initial set and layout of views and editors for the perspective. Each perspective provides a set of functionality aimed at accomplishing a specific type of task, or works with specific types of resources. Perspectives control what appears in certain menus and toolbars.

The default Inline Service perspective contains four views:

• Inline Service Explorer view: Shows the project and elements in tree form; by default, it is located on the left-hand side of the screen.

• Problems view: Shows errors and exceptions with your project; by default, it is located at the bottom of the screen as a tabbed selection, along with Test view.

  The Problems view identifies compilation errors and validation errors as the Inline service is built. Double-click a compilation error to display the Java perspective with the error highlighted.

  Double-click a validation error to display the Inline Service perspective with the element editor for the element that has validation errors.

• Test view: Provides an area for testing your Inline Service; by default, it is located at the bottom of the screen as a tabbed selection, along with Problems view.

• Cheat Sheets view: Provides step-by-step instructions for common tasks; by default, it is located on the right-hand side of the screen.

The center area of the Inline Service perspective is the editor area, and shows an editor that is specific to the node on the project tree you have selected. To change to a new editor, double-click the element you want to edit.

To edit a Java file, change to the Java perspective and double-click the Java file you want to edit.

The Inline Service perspective is the default perspective, and is the main work area for configuring and deploying Inline Services. Oracle RTD has a number of features for working with Inline Service metadata. These are documented in the following sections. If there is a feature you do not see here, it is part of the core Eclipse platform. For information about these features, see the Eclipse online help document Workbench User Guide.

Table 12-2 describes the menu and toolbar items for the Inline Service perspective.

Table 12-2 Menu and Toolbar Items for Inline Service Perspective

Menu or Toolbar Item Name	Description
File > New Inline Service Project	Creates a new Inline Service project in the workspace you choose.
Project > Download	Downloads an already deployed Inline Service from Real-Time Decision Server to make changes.
Project > Deploy	Deploys an Inline Service to Real-Time Decision Server.
Window > Open Perspective > Inline Service Perspective	Opens an Inline Service perspective.
Window > Show View > Inline Service Explorer View	Shows the current Inline Service View.
Window > Display Object IDs	Toggles between showing labels and Object IDs.
Help > About	Displays version information about Decision Studio.
Deploy icon:	Deploys an Inline Service to Real-Time Decision Server.
Download icon:	Downloads an already deployed Inline Service from Real-Time Decision Server to make changes.
Toggle icon:	Toggles between showing labels and Object IDs.

The Inline Service Explorer View also has toolbar items. These items are described in Table 12-3.

Table 12-3 Toolbar Items for Inline Service Explorer View

Toolbar Item Name	Description
Metadata icon:	Toggles between showing the entire project tree, or just Inline Service metadata.
Collapse All icon:	Collapses the project tree.
Link with Editor icon:	Finds the proper editor for the selected element type and links so that when you select an element, the editor adjusts accordingly.
Menu icon:	Provides access to Link with Editor, View Metadata Only, and Always Show Object IDs. This last option shows both the Object ID and label of elements in the Inline Service Explorer and the editors.

The Java perspective combines views that you would commonly use while editing Java source files, while the Debug perspective contains the views that you would use while debugging Java programs.

To work directly with the generated Java code, use the Java perspective. To debug an Inline Service at the Java code level, use the Debug perspective.

12.2.6 Arranging Views and Resizing Editors

Tabs in the editor area indicate the names of resources that are currently open for editing. An asterisk (*) indicates that an editor has unsaved changes. Tabs on views indicate the name of the view, and have a toolbar that provides functionality specific to that view.

You may drag and drop the views and editors of a perspective to any space on the screen. Views and editors will resize themselves to fit the area in which they are placed. Occasionally portions of an editor (where you do your main work) or view will become covered by other views, or resized to an area that is not convenient to use. To resize the editor or view, either close some other open views and the remaining will automatically resize, or maximize the editor or view.

Both editors and views can be toggled between Maximize and Minimize by double-clicking the tab, or by using the right-click menu item. For more information on perspectives, editors, and views, see the online documentation provided in the Workbench User Guide, contained in the Eclipse online help.

12.2.7 Adding Custom Logic to Elements

Java code is added to the logic panels of elements within Decision Studio. This code is then inserted into the proper methods of the GENObject_ID.java file. To add logic to an element, or to update it, select the element, and use the editor to change the code in the logic panel.

Sometimes it is more convenient to insert larger code fragments directly within the generated code. You may edit these files directly through the Java perspective of Decision Studio. It is very important to note that the generated code can only be manually edited in specific places. Also, note that when you choose Project > Clean, Decision Studio regenerates the generated code, overwriting any code changes made directly to the generated Java code.

Any method that can be edited through the Java perspective in Decision Studio is clearly marked with a Start and End marker. For instance, the Application object has a method to initialize the Inline Service, init().

Code for this method can be added through the Decision Studio interface, using the Initialization Logic panel on the Logic tab of the Application element.

If you choose, instead, to add your initialization code directly into the Application class using Eclipse, add it only to the method marked as such:

public void init() {
    // SDCUSTOMCODESTART.Application.InitBody.java.0
    // SDCUSTOMCODEEND.Application.InitBody.java.0
  }

Your code must fall between the start and end comments of the method. Any code that falls outside of the commented areas risks being overwritten. The code added directly to a generated Java file will be lost when the file is regenerated. To preserve the code, it has to be copied back to the corresponding metadata element.

12.2.8 Overriding Generated Code

The generated class Object_ID.java extends the class GENObject_ID.java. If for any reason you need to override the code contained in GENObject_ID.java, add your overriding code to the file Object_ID.java. This file should be moved from the gensrc directory to the src directory.

12.2.9 Performing Inline Service Searches

You can perform searches for objects and strings in an Inline Service., as follows:

1. Start the procedure through the menu path Search > Search.

2. Click the Inline Service Search tab.

3. Enter your Search string, then refine your search criteria as required:

   • You can search for a combination of Object IDs and all other strings.

   • By default Inline Service searches are case insensitive. You can check one or more of the following Search Options as required:

     • Case sensitive - the entered expression is searched with the capitalization as entered

     • Match whole words only - the expression is searched where it appears on its own, and not as part of a longer word

     • Regular expression - use a Java regular expression for the search string

4. Click Search.

   The results appear in the Search view.

12.3.1 Starting a New Project

To start a new Inline Service, select File > New Inline Service Project to start your project. Choose a template from the list, name your project, and click Finish to create a project.

The list of templates contains templates supplied by the Oracle RTD installation, as well as any user-defined templates.

12.3.2 Importing a Project

If you are opening an existing project, select File > Import to import the project. If the metadata needs to be updated from a previous version, you will be prompted to upgrade.

12.3.3 Creating a User-Defined Template

To create a template from an Inline Service, select File > Export to export the project to a template. Choose the export type Inline Service Template. Templates are stored in the location defined by Inline Services Preferences. To access preferences, select Window > Preferences and choose Inline Services. The directory entered is where your templates are stored on the file system.

12.3.4 Downloading a Deployed Inline Service

To download a deployed Inline Service, select Project > Download. You can also download it from Real-Time Decision Server using the Download icon on the toolbar.

If you are going to make changes to a deployed Inline Service, it is important to follow these practices in order to preserve both your changes and the potential changes that have been made by business users. Use the following method:

1. Make sure that no business users are editing the deployed Inline Service.

2. You should always lock an Inline Service when you download, so that additional changes cannot be made by business users while you are enhancing it.

3. Make enhancements in Decision Studio.

4. Redeploy the Inline Service, releasing the locks.

During the period that you have the Inline Service locked, business users will be able to view, but not edit, the deployed Inline Service.

12.3.5 About Deployment States

When an Inline Service is deployed from Decision Studio, you chose a deployment state from the deploy dialog. Three deployment states are available: Development, QA, and Production. Please refrain from deploying to the QA or Production states, as support for Deployment States will be curtailed in a future release.

When you test your Inline Service through the Test View, the last deployment state is tested.

12.3.6 Example Projects

Sample projects are available to import in the RTD_HOME\examples directory. One of the sample projects is the CrossSell Inline Service.

The CrossSell Inline Service simulates a simple implementation for a credit card contact center. As calls come into the center, information about the customer and the channel of the contact is captured.

Based on what we know of this customer, a cross selling offer is presented to the customer. The success or failure of that offer is tracked and sent back to the server, so that the underlying decision model has the feedback that helps to refine its ability to make a better cross-selling recommendation.

The CrossSell Inline Service highlights many features of Oracle RTD, including:

• Driving the decisioning process through Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Optimizing competing KPIs, such as maximizing customer retention and increasing revenue

• Using graphical rules-based scoring for making the right decision

• Using analytical self-learning models to predict the best decision

It should be noted that some features displayed in the CrossSell Project are for simulation purposes only. These are clearly marked in the example and should not be used for production Inline Services.

Before you deploy the CrossSell Inline Service using Decision Studio, you must populate the Oracle RTD Database with the CrossSell example data. For more information, see "Populating the CrossSell Example Data" in Oracle Fusion Middleware Administrator's Guide for Oracle Real-Time Decisions.

In Decision Studio, the CrossSell example can be viewed by importing the project. The project is located at RTD_HOME\examples\CrossSell. After importing the project, you can view the features described in Table 12-4 by double clicking each of the elements and viewing the editor for that element.

RTD_HOME\examples\CrossSell\src\com\sigmadynamics\sdo\
Application.java

The Cross Sell Inline Service is ready to be deployed and loaded with data. After you deploy the Inline Service, open Load Generator by running RTD_HOME\scripts\loadgen.cmd. Then, choose Open an existing Load Generator script and browse to RTD_HOME\examples\CrossSell\etc\LoadGen.xml. Enter a valid User Name and Password in the Security tab, then run the script.

This script takes simulated customer data and runs the Inline Service. The data and correlations found can then be viewed in Decision Center.