This figure shows the architecture of the Oracle Web Services, including the associated standards. The figure shows three boxes with arrows between them that describe three important components and their connections: the Client Application (invoking a Web Service), the Web Services Directory (using the UDDI standard), and the Web Service (service implementation).

The details for these three components and their connections are shown in the boxes, and follow:

• Web Service: Developers publish Web Services to the Web Services Directory (an arrow is shown leaving the Web Service implementation box, leading to the Web Services Directory box). The Web Service includes the following: the Interface (WSDL), the Application Program (the service implementation using J2EE, a Java class, or PL/SQL Stored Procedures or Functions), the Web Service, including the Interface WSDL, and the Application Program. An arrow is shown leaving and pointing to the Web Services Directory.

• Web Services Directory: A Web Service publishes its WSDL to the directory and a client finds Web Services when the directory delivers a WSDL description as a result of a client's find operation on the directory. The directory stores the WSDL using the UDDI standard. An arrow is shown leaving the Web Services Directory and pointing to the Client Application.

• Client Application: The Web Service client finds a Web Service using the directory and invokes the Web Service using the SOAP standard over the Internet by contacting the Oracle Application Server Web Service Server. An arrow is shown leaving the Client Application and pointing to the Web Service.