Service Operation

An operation specifies what a service can do. An operation is a single call that can be made in a service. The operation is one part of the service interface, which typically consists of an operation, operation parameters, and operation parameter porperties.

Operation Types: An operation can be one of two types. The type of operation that can be used in an interface depends on the type of service you are developing.

One-Way operation
Request-Reply operation

As you develop the service, consider how your service will be exposed to an inbound transport. The types of operations supported in the service can be affected by the type of inbound transport the service uses. It is recommended that you review Service Operation and Protocol Requirements for Inbound Transport Support before you add service operations.

Operations have different functionality, depending on the type of service:

A messaging service operation sends a message to a messaging system using a one-way operation.
A database service operation invokes a database stored procedure or a SQL query.
A Web service operation is a SOAP/HTTP request against a remote Web service.