A custom profile providers is implemented as a shared Java EE library (typically a simple JAR file) deployed to the engine tier cluster. The provider JAR file must include, at minimum, a class that implements com.bea.wcp.profile.ProfileServiceSpi. This interface inherits methods from com.bea.wcp.profile.ProfileService and defines new methods that are called during provider registration and unregistration.

In addition to the provider implementation, you must implement the com.bea.wcp.profile.ProfileSubscription interface if your provider supports subscription-based notification of profile data updates. A ProfileSubscription is returned to the client subscriber when the profile document is modified.

The Converged Application Server Java API Reference describes each method of the profile service API in detail. Also keep in mind the following notes and best practices when implementing the profile service interfaces:

• The putDocument, getDocument, and deleteDocument methods each have two distinct method signatures. The basic version of a method passes only the document selector on which to operate. The alternate method signature also passes the address of the sender of the request for protocols that require explicit information about the requestor.

• The subscribe method has multiple method signatures to allow passing the sender's address, as well as for supporting time-based subscriptions.

• If you do not want to implement a method in com.bea.wcp.profile.ProfileServiceSpi, include a “no-op" method implementation that throws the OperationNotSupportedException.

com.bea.wcp.profile.ProfileServiceSpi defines provider methods that are called during registration and unregistration. Providers can create connections to data stores or perform any required initializing in the register method. The register method also supplies a ProviderBean instance, which includes any context parameters configured in the provider's configuration elements in profile.xml.

Providers must release any backing store connections, and clean up any state that they maintain, in the unregister method.