Starting with WebSphere® DataPower V5.0, new policy enforcement metrics were added to the existing Web Services Management monitoring service details. This information is key to implementing a proper SOA feedback loop architecture. This article explains how mediation metrics might be used to complement existing policy enforcement management tasks.

Introduction
Policy monitoring is an integral component of any SOA solution. DataPower SOA gateways are usually involved in the policy enforcement process of a typical SOA deployment. DataPower appliances have adopted the capability to provision their enforcement flows using policy documents created and managed by a policy administration solution, such as WebSphere Service Registry and Repository (WSRR).
This article presents appliance capabilities, best practices, and examples for implementing a policy monitoring solution that uses policy enforcement metrics to support policy analytics and monitoring. We also illustrate the Web Services Management (WS-Management or WSM) SOAP interface and provide tools that capture WSM data and process it in various ways. This information provides the ability to monitor compliance of specific transaction policy flows, detect problems, and provide analytics necessary for service management decisions.

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