An Oracle White Paper

December 2009
Metadata Services (MDS) in Fusion
Middleware 11g

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Disclaimer
1he ollowing paper is intended to outline our general product direction. It is intended or
inormation purposes only and may not be incorporated into any contract. It is not a
commitment to delier any material, code, or unctionality and should not be relied upon in
making purchasing decisions. 1he deelopment, release, and timing o any eatures or
unctionality described or Oracle`s products remains at the sole discretion o Oracle.
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ntroduction ......................................................................................... 5
Architecture ......................................................................................... 7
Feature Overview ............................................................................ 7
Metadata Repository ....................................................................... 8
Performance and Caching .............................................................. 9
Metadata Lifecycle .......................................................................... 9
Customizations .............................................................................. 10
How is MDS Used in Fusion Middleware 11g R1? ............................ 13
ADF and MDS ............................................................................... 13
WebCenter and MDS .................................................................... 13
SOA and MDS ............................................................................... 14
JDeveloper and MDS .................................................................... 14
Fusion Applications and MDS ....................................................... 14
Administration ................................................................................... 15
Repository creation and registration ............................................. 15
Deploying Applications with Metadata .......................................... 16
Migrating or Deleting Metadata ..................................................... 19
Labels, Versions and Purging ....................................................... 20
Backup and Recovery ................................................................... 20
Runtime Configuration Changes ................................................... 21
Monitoring and Loggging ............................................................... 21
Conclusion ........................................................................................ 23
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ntroduction
1he term vetaaata is generally interpreted as data about data` or data about applications.` In
the enterprise application space, the deinition has been expanded to encompass arious kinds o
standardized languages, such as XML Schema Deinition ,XSD,, \eb Serice Deinition
Language ,\SDL,, Jaa Serer laces ,JSl, pages, and custom and proprietary languages. More
importantly, metadata is increasingly used to represent and aect application logic, resulting in
applications that are metadata drien as opposed to code drien.
1he logic underlying the Oracle lusion Middleware product amily is metadata drien. 1he
structural and behaioral aspects o all lusion Middleware components-as well as Jaa
Lnterprise applications and Serice-Oriented Architecture ,SOA, composites built with and
deployed into the inrastructure-are declaratiely described using metadata. Consider the
ollowing examples o metadata tied to arious lusion Middleware ,lM\, components and
applications:
User interaction: Page layouts, task lows, business logic
Process management: Business Process Lxecution Language ,BPLL, process deinitions,
business rules, message routing rules, eent deinitions
Runtime configuration: Coniguration iles, data source deinitions
Web services: \SDL iles, XML schemas, transormations, policies, serice-leel agreements
By proiding a uniied store or metadata, Oracle Metadata Serices ,MDS, ensures consistent,
reliable access to the metadata or lM\ components and or the applications built and deployed
on middleware. 1he beneits o a common MDS inrastructure are seen throughout the
middleware. 1he same metadata that is used during the design phase o an application is used at
application runtime through the metadata serices layer. 1his ensures consistency through the
liecycle o the application, illustrated in the ollowing igure. MDS also proides common
administratie tooling or the metadata that can be used across arious types o metadata stored
in the common repository.
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Iigure J - MDS in lusion Middleware
Among the biggest beneits o metadata-drien applications that use MDS are the easy and
upgrade-sae mechanisms or tailoring or shaping the application logic represented by the
metadata-such changes are called cv.toviatiov.. A common problem you may ace with your
business applications is that ater you customize the applications to it your business, the cost o
maintaining the code-based customizations makes it diicult to upgrade.
In an ideal world, sotware systems would simply change their behaior according to their
coniguration. But organizations hae ound that such systems, while unctionally sound and
conigurable, do not possess the inherent lexibility needed to meet all the expectations regarding
customization. 1he underlying business challenge can be expressed this way: how can we tailor a
single code base in a standardized way without compromising the link between the original and
the customized ersions
MDS deliers a common customization inrastructure that is used by arious lusion Middleware
components to proide ways or customers to customize application metadata. 1his soles the
underlying business challenge by keeping customizations separate rom the base application
source metadata and merging them when needed. Clearly, one o the adantages o such a
comprehensie customization platorm is upgrade saety.
1here are many artiacts that you can customize in an upgrade-sae manner. 1hese include JSl
pages, JSl ragments, task lows, data controls, and data bindings-all declaratie in nature-and
Application Deelopment lramework ,ADl, Business Components entity objects, iew objects
and applications modules. Since all ADl declaratie eatures store data in XML ormat, the
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changes managed by MDS are deined the same way. 1ooling support in the lusion Middleware
through Oracle Composer and JDeeloper enables you to create such upgrade-sae
customizations.

Architecture
Feature Overview
MDS addresses a number o design-time and runtime use cases within the lusion Middleware
inrastructure. Key eatures and architectural principles include:
Simpliied resource management through a single, uniied repository or all artiacts used by
arious lusion Middleware components. lor example, UI metadata and application business
and process logic are all managed in a single repository.
Management o the metadata liecycle or each artiact as it moes through the arious stages
o deelopment, testing, staging, and production. lor example, one can migrate all the
metadata easily rom deelopment to the test instance.
Sharing and reuse o metadata across projects and applications. Reuse o serices across
applications is a classic example o this. Impact o change across components can be analyzed
through the impact-analysis eatures.
Categorization and discoery o artiacts, encouraging reuse. Metadata annotations and
metadata extensions are supported, this enables categorization. An example o categorization
and discoery is a business dictionary that proides mechanisms or browsing and reusing
metadata, such as serices or reusable UI components.
Subscriber-based change notiications when the metadata is modiied or deleted.
Versioning capabilities, which orm the basis or arious eatures, such as labeling consistent
metadata, auditing, and sandboxing.
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An upgrade-sae, layered customization mechanism through which metadata and application
logic can be tailored per usage o the metadata. 1his hugely beneicial eature is discussed
more thoroughly later in this paper.
\ou can use MDS to manage a ariety o metadata types. Validation serices are aailable or
alidating metadata objects with the corresponding types. Metadata itsel is in the orm o XML.
1he grammar that deines the metadata is created using standards such as XML schemas ,XSDs,.
\ou can proide urther extensions using XSD annotations. \ou can build common types once,
as XSDs, and then share them across multiple applications. lor example, the types or arious
metadata o middleware components are deined once and then shared. \ou can deine
application-speciic types through extending the platorm's metamodel.
Metadata Repository
Metadata accessed and managed ia MDS can be in either a ile-based repository or the database-
based repository. \ou can also conigure the application to read some metadata directly rom the
enterprise application`s archie ,LAR,. Seeral repository-speciic eatures perorm better when
you use them with a database-based repository-the expected mode o usage in production
enironments. Also, additional eatures, such as ersioning and sandbox support, are aailable
when you use a database repository ,more details later,. MDS supports Oracle databases aboe
ersion 10.2, and supports SQLSerer database in Patch-Set1 release, and there are plans to
support additional databases in upcoming patch-set releases.
As a true repository, MDS supports creation and management o multiple ersions o metadata
objects. 1his comprehensie ersioning capability orms the basis or auditing unctionality.
Runtime updates o metadata objects create new ersions o the aected objects, enabling you to
conigure the system to use both old and new ersions. 1his is especially useul to ensure
metadata consistency, een in cases o long running processes or applications. MDS ersioning
capability is also the basis or the granular backup and recoery management operations.
MDS proides a sandbox` eature that enables you to make and test changes on multiple
metadata objects beore you commit them. \ou can een update changes oer a period o time
beore you commit them. 1his enables you to roll them all out to your users in one action. Once
committed, these sets o changes are all aailable in an atomic ashion to all the users, and the
sandbox is cleaned up.
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Performance and Caching
MDS eatures are designed to delier the best perormance and scalability possible or your
applications. In keeping with this requirement, it is extremely critical that MDS proide a high
degree o sharing o metadata objects across users and sessions. Lxcept or metadata that will be
customized or personalized by users, the rest o the metadata is typically not updated ater
deployment, consequently, the in-memory object structures or the metadata are also shared
across users and sessions to aoid excessie object creation. One cache per enterprise application
is created or all the metadata accessed by that application.
Len customized metadata is shared, so long as multiple users request the same customization
layers. Adanced assembling techniques are in place to ensure that only the parts o the metadata
that are customized by a layer-and not the entire metadata document-are maintained
separately in the cache. 1his helps in both minimizing memory usage and CPU perormance.
MDS caching proides seeral conigurable aspects, such as maximum cache size, that can be
tuned on a running application ,this is discussed later in this paper,. Cached objects are also
inalidated based on notiications i the corresponding metadata is modiied in the database
repository.
1he database repository is tuned or perormance both in terms o its structure and its indexes.
Conigurable aspects, such as periodically purging unwanted ersions, are aailable as
management operations or perormance tuning. lurther, the architecture is designed to support
lexible database schema design, enabling the inrastructure releases to tune perormance at the
schema leel without impacting the consuming upper layers.
Metadata Lifecycle
1he key aspect o MDS and metadata-drien applications and components in lusion Middleware
is that the same metadata that is built in design time ,that is, in the IDL enironment, is used at
runtime through the metadata serices access layer. 1hus the same metadata goes through the
arious phases o the application, including design, deelopment, testing, deployment,
customization, and migration phases. MDS plugs into the key liecycle aspects o the middleware
to ensure that metadata patching, deployment, and upgrade are all part o the same processes in
the application liecycle.

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Customizations
A typical challenge endemic to the building and deploying o enterprise applications is that
business users oten tend to hae requirements that entail application tailoring. Very oten these
are simple unctionality changes, such as a slightly dierent page layout, a reision to display text,
the reordering o page content, or a change in the business logic. 1o accommodate these types o
business requirements, one can implement the changes in the deelopment enironment, and,
ater going through thorough testing and staging, can redeploy the application. Not only can this
be a time consuming and complex process, but it may also need downtime or patching or
redeployment, oten compromising a company`s or a customer`s core business. Alternately, i you
want to perorm such changes to an application, you must both make the changes and maintain
and port the code base across the upgrades to the application.
MDS customization support meets this challenge by enabling the customization o metadata in
an upgrade-sae manner without requiring an upgrade to the base metadata. 1he customization
deltas` themseles are saed separate rom the base. Depending on the context at runtime, the
appropriate customizations are merged with the base as required. lence, you can upgrade the
base metadata without compromising the customizations. 1he customizations can be created and
updated or the runtime to load them without any downtime o the applications.
\hile addressing such requirements, customization support also empowers application
administrators or deelopers to build dierent customizations or dierent classes` o users.
lor example, one can build customizations or a speciic industry or an enterprise or a business
role, thus adapting a sotware system to a speciic business situation. All o these customizations
still apply and can be merged with the updated base metadata that is deployed ia an upgrade.
\ou can use multiple layers o customizations together. Such layers are merged in an order
deined by the application coniguration. lor example, you can hae both industry
customizations and organization customizations. Depending on the user or the context, both
customizations can take eect.
In a way, MDS customizations beneit rom inheritance since each layer speciies only the
changes that are required by its core business context. I a speciic element is manipulated
through seeral layers, its ultimate alue is the one resulting rom the layer at the top o the
hierarchy. 1his means that a company can build a single oundational application that indiiduals,
departments, and organizations throughout the company can customize without changing the
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core application. And each diision in turn can tailor the application dierently or dierent
groups o users. lor example, lusion Applications hae 11 such layers o customization.


Iigure 2 - Layered Customizations
\ou can use customizations in seeral dierent ways and create or update them in seeral tools:
1. \ou can build and ship an application with seeral customizations that can be applied
based on the context in the deployed enironment. 1hat is, you can use customizations
to build modular and reusable sotware. Such customizations are typically built in
JDeeloper and are reerred to as .eeaea cv.toviatiov..
2. Consultants or system integrators can urther customize an application. 1hey can
package these customizations in the updated application or ship them separately to be
imported into the MDS repository directly.
3. Business administrators can customize the metadata o the application urther ia easy-
to-use browser-based tools-also called Design-1ime at Runtime ,D1R1,. Oracle
\ebCenter Composer empowers business users to perorm ADl page metadata
customizations. 1hese customizations are stored directly in the runtime MDS repository
and hence the runtime loads them immediately without any application downtime or a
separate import step.
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4. Lnd users can personalize the metadata-typically to adjust its look, such as reordering
columns in a table, changing the order o components, or hiding components. 1hese are
also customizations in the architecture, but are at a special user-speciic customization
layer. ADl and Oracle Composer hae built-in eatures to enable users to create such
customizations ia easy runtime gestures, such as drag-and-drop reordering o
components or table columns.
1he ollowing igure depicts how these dierent types o customizations can be supported. In
this example, erticalization and country-leel customizations are packaged as seeded
customizations, while organization-, site-, and user-speciic customizations are done through
D1R1 ater deployment. Note that any metadata to be deployed to the MDS repository is
shipped in a metadata archie ,MAR, inside the LAR ,more details on deployment later in this
paper,, and the MAR must include all the seeded customizations created in the IDL design time.
Alternately, these customzations can be directly imported into the runtime repository ia the
management tooling aailable.


Iigure 3 - Customizations and Liecycle
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How is MDS Used in Fusion Middleware 11g R1?
Metadata management serices are used across arious components in lusion Middleware.
Adanced eatures in MDS proide seeral beneits to lusion Middleware components and to
the applications built on these components. \hile in-depth discussion o how all the
components o lusion Middleware use MDS is out o the scope o this paper, we will briely
examine some key usages.
ADF and MDS
Oracle Application Deelopment lramework ,ADl, uses metadata in all model, iew, and
controller areas. Management and access to all o this metadata is through MDS. 1his metadata
can be in the application`s archie or deployed it into the MDS repository. \ou can customize
this metadata using the MDS customization inrastructure. lor example, you can customize the
page and page low metadata in JDeeloper at any application-conigured customization layer.
\ou can also customize ADl Business Components metadata, thus enabling the tailoring o
business logic per customer requirements. ADl has built-in eatures to assist users in easily
personalizing a running page. Personalization is a type o customization through easy user
gestures, such as drag-and-drop reordering o table columns. 1hus, ADl brings the beneits o
customization to all users.
WebCenter and MDS
Oracle \ebCenter Suite 11g is a uniied, standards-based enterprise portal platorm that proides
a ull range o unctionality or deeloping the \eb-based applications so necessary or a
productie, eicient, and agile enterprise. 1he \ebCenter Spaces application and the custom
\ebCenter applications built using \ebCenter lramework use MDS to access metadata and
store metadata in the MDS repository. 1hese applications make heay use o the customization
inrastructure through Oracle Composer, a browser-based platorm that enables business users
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to extend and customize applications at runtime. 1hrough Composer one can customize page
metadata and business logic at any application-conigured customization layer. Composer also
proides a business dictionary ,also reerred to as the re.ovrce catatog,, which exposes components
to users, enabling them to add new components to a page. 1he \ebCenter lramework proides
capabilities to create and manage pages or ADl task lows at runtime through the Page Serice.
Such dynamically created pages are stored in the MDS repository and loaded by the runtime.
SOA and MDS
Oracle SOA Suite 11g supports rapid assembly o serices into modular and lexible business
applications. It simpliies the liecycle o next-generation business applications by integration o
BPM with SOA. 1his inoles seeral metadata artiacts, including business process deinitions,
\eb Serice deinitions, business rule deinitions, and security policy deinitions. All o this
metadata is accessed through the MDS layer and is stored in the MDS repository. SOA
composites use adanced eatures in MDS, such as ersioning to store and execute metadata or
arious reisions o SOA composites. Reusable metadata is stored in MDS and is reused through
the business dictionary ,resource catalog, that is integrated into JDeeloper. \ou can also
customize SOA metadata using the layered customizations eatures in MDS.
JDeveloper and MDS
1he same metadata is used rom design time to packaging, deployment, and runtime. So, it is not
surprising that MDS serices are used and exposed in JDeeloper. \ou can use the JDeeloper
customization role to build customizations o metadata in JDeeloper. \ou can package these
customizations with the application and deploy them to the MDS repository. \ou can then
expose the reusable metadata in the resource catalog. Additionally, you can browse and access it
rom MDS and reuse it across applications, especially SOA applications.
Fusion Applications and MDS
Oracle lusion Applications are built using the lusion Middleware technology, thus, they use
MDS extensiely. In addition to the loading and storing o ADl and SOA metadata ia MDS,
lusion Applications eectiely use the customization eatures or application extensibility and
tailoring. lusion Applications hae seeral seeded customizations o the metadata, such as
product-speciic customizations o components reused across products, that can be applied at
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runtime based on context. 1hese seeded customizations are maintained separate rom the base
metadata.
Oracle Composer is integrated into lusion Applications to enable customers and their business
administrators to tailor their application UIs in accordance with their business use cases. Lleen
dierent customization layers are conigured or all lusion Applications. Much o the metadata
is reused across ADl and SOA applications in lusion Applications, and this is achieed through
MDS.
Administration
Applications built with lusion Middleware hae seeral metadata artiacts that are managed
through MDS. 1his section discusses the operational aspects o the metadata serices layer and
the metadata repository that administrators can conigure and use. 1his includes deploying
applications to use an MDS repository, migrating metadata rom test instances to production
instances, and tuning the MDS coniguration used by a speciic application. 1hese management
tools are aailable through Oracle Lnterprise Manager ,LM, and as \ebLogic Scripting 1ool
,\LS1, commands.
Repository creation and registration
1he MDS database repository schema must be created and registered with the \ebLogic Serer
to enable its use by deployed applications. \ou can use the Repository Creation Utility ,RCU, to
create the database-based metadata repository in an existing database. RCU creates the necessary
schemas. ,1he Oracte v.iov Miaaterare .avivi.tratiov Cviae, aailable on the Oracle 1echnology
Network, proides details about these schemas., \ou can iew all registered MDS repositories in
an LM screen ,as shown in the igure below, and obtain them using a \LS1 command. \ou
can use these tools to remoe a registered MDS repository as well.

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Iigure 4 - Registered MDS repositories in LM

Lach MDS repository can hae multiple partitions. Partitions are logical separations in the tables
to enable metadata rom dierent applications to coexist in the same physical repository schema
without conlicting with each other. \ou can create and delete partitions in a gien metadata
repository through LM or \LS1 commands.


Iigure S - MDS repository details page in LM
Deploying Applications with Metadata
\hen you deploy an application, you must speciy the metadata repository and partition the
application will use. In LM and JDeeloper, the deployment wizards prompt you to choose the
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required MDS repository and partition or that application. 1here are \LS1 commands to do
this as well.
\hile some metadata can be retained in and loaded rom the application`s classpath-that is, in
the LAR ile-there are typical cases where metadata must be in a database-based MDS
repository and, thus, must be deployed to the MDS repository. Lxamples include applications
with seeded customizations, applications enabled to create or customize metadata at runtime
ater deployment ,such as through Oracle Composer,, or SOA composite metadata. Any
metadata to be deployed to MDS is shipped in a metadata archie ,MAR, inside the LAR. MDS
is tightly integrated with lM\ deployment mechanisms and deploys the contents o the MAR to
the target MDS repository that was selected at deployment.

An application can be conigured to access metadata rom multiple partitions,repositories, een
though there is only one target repository where the MAR metadata is deployed. lor example, an
application can load its own priate metadata rom the target repository and some shared
metadata rom another repository. 1he ollowing igure illustrates the LM deployment wizard UI
or selection o the MDS repository.

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Iigure 6 - Choosing MDS repository during deployment
\hen an application is undeployed, the metadata or metadata partition is not remoed. 1his
enables reuse o the metadata or the customizations in the partition. \hen you redeploy an
application, you can again choose the MDS repository and partition. lor example, this can be a
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way to change the repository used by an application. \ou can delete the partition i you do not
intend to reuse it.
Migrating or Deleting Metadata
Once you deploy an application, you can update or customize the metadata in its MDS repository
partition. lor example, you can use Oracle Composer to tailor UI pages to a particular
deployment site. Oten such changes must be migrated to another deployment or to a production
instance. \ou can accomplish this through exporting and importing metadata inrastructure.
Both actions are aailable with LM and \LS1. 1hese tools enable you to pick a speciic
metadata ile or speciic customization layers. In other words, you can use LM or \LS1
commands to export a granular slice o metadata.

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Iigure 7 - Lxporting metadata rom LM
1ools are aailable or deleting speciic metadata or speciic customizations rom an MDS
repository partition. Seeral options are supported. lor example, you can delete a speciic
customization layer or customizations o speciic document patterns. An illustration o when this
would be useul is when a customer creates customizations or a speciic organization, which
become unnecessary due to reorganizations. 1he customer can check the repository or the
unnecessary customizations and delete them using metadata management tools.
I the entire database partition and its metadata must be copied to another partition, this can be
accomplished through the \LS1 command or cloning metadata. Unlike the export command,
which migrates only the chosen ersion o the metadata, cloning also migrates the ersion
history.

Labels, Versions and Purging
1he MDS database-based repository supports ersioning. \ou can store multiple ersions o a
metadata object in the repository. Any update automatically results in creating a new ersion with
updated contents. \ou can create a label to stripe all the metadata in a partition so that a
consistent set o metadata can be accessed through that label. \ou can also access historical
ersions o metadata by changing the coniguration o the application. Additionally, you can
modiy application coniguration to access the metadata associated with a particular label.
Label manipulation operations, such as creating, listing, and deleting, are aailable as \LS1
commands. \ou can purge unlabeled, old ersions o metadata rom the repository using the LM
or \LS1 purge tool.
Backup and Recovery
\ou can use database backup and recoery tools, such as Recoery Manager ,RMAN,, to back
up the entire MDS database repository schema. \ou can also use MDS tools to back up the
schema at lower leels o granularity. \ou can promote a label that was created earlier to remoe
the metadata changes that happened between that label`s creation and the label promotion. \ou
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can also use the export and import operations to back up metadata at a much more granular
leel.
Runtime Configuration Changes
\ou can conigure some runtime aspects o the metadata serices layer at the application leel.
\ou can change seeral o these conigurations ater the application is deployed. One example o
this is the cache size. \ith MDS, you can set the cache size and een turn caching on or o or
clear the cache at an application leel. \ou can do this ia the managed bean ,MBean, browser in
LM or ia \LS1 commands. Similarly, you can conigure the app to automatically inoke the
purge tool periodically at speciic time interals.
1hrough a coniguration change, you can set an application to be read only. \ou may want to try
this when there are multiple ersions o the application running, and you want to disallow
updates to the metadata in an older ersion that is slowly being retired.

Monitoring and Loggging
\ou can conigure the leel at which MDS messages are logged so that iner-leel messages are
also logged or improed diagnostics. liner-leel messages can be key to diagnosing and trouble-
shooting.
\ou can iew the log using the standard log iewer unctionality, aailable in the Lnterprise
Manager. Log iewing can be especially helpul during troubleshooting.
Application leel metrics are aailable through the LM UI to enable you to monitor the health o
an application with regard to its MDS access. 1his proides built-in support or instrumentation
and diagnostics. 1he ollowing igure shows some o the metrics displayed at application leel in
LM.
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Iigure 8 - MDS Metrics in LM
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Conclusion
MDS is a key inrastructure component in Oracle lusion Middleware. It is the layer through
which metadata is loaded, saed, cached, stored, managed, and customized both by arious
middleware components and by the applications built on lusion Middleware. MDS proides a
common metadata management ramework as an integral part o the middleware platorm.
Metadata customizations are a key eature or tailoring metadata. Seeral administrator tools and
modiiable coniguration make MDS both eectie and nimble. lusion Applications proide key
eatures, such as reusability and upgrade-sae customizations, through the implementation o
arious MDS eatures in their architecture.









White Paper Title
December 2009
Author: Gangadhar Konduri

Oracle Corporation
World Headquarters
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