A file-based, SOA Design-Time MDS Repository is automatically created when you create a SOA composite application. You cannot modify the MDS Repository name, but you can modify it to point to an existing, file-based repository. You typically point it to the version control system (MDS) location. Sharing operations are done against the design-time repository. You cannot perform these operations against a database-backed MDS Repository.

You can perform the following operations against the SOA Design-Time MDS Repository in Oracle JDeveloper:

• Browse the following folder recognized by Oracle SOA Suite in the SOA Design-Time MDS Repository:

  • /apps: Contains shared data, including Oracle Service Bus artifacts.

• Create folders directly under the /apps folder or a subfolder of /apps.

• Delete files and subfolders under the /apps folder. The /apps folder itself cannot be deleted.

• Export selected contents of the /apps folder to a JAR file. The /apps folder itself is not included in the JAR file.

• Import the contents of a JAR file under the /apps folder. If the JAR file includes /apps as the root folder, it is created below the /apps folder of the design-time MDS Repository, which gives you a top-level directory structure of /apps/apps.

• Transfer the contents of the /apps folder of one MDS Repository to another MDS Repository.

• Export an existing MDS Repository (for example, a Release 11g database-based MDS Repository) to a JAR file. This JAR file can then be imported into the Release 12c design-time MDS Repository.