Assign Vs Stich Variable in OIC

Assign vs Stitch in Oracle Integration Cloud (OIC) Gen3: A Complete Guide

Oracle Integration Cloud (OIC) Gen3 introduces powerful enhancements to how variables are managed inside an integration flow. Two key methods available for working with variables are Assign and Stitch.

This blog explains the difference between Assign and Stitch, when to use them, and how they impact your integrations.

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🔍 What is an Assign in OIC Gen3?

Assign is a structured activity used to create or set the value of a variable. It allows you to perform simple, clean assignments from one value to another — whether static, dynamic, or derived from other variables.

✅ Key Features of Assign

• Clear and readable
• Used to create new variables or set existing ones
• Ideal for scalar values or basic data structure manipulation

Example: Assigning a hardcoded value to a variable called status:

status = "Approved"

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🪢 What is Stitch in OIC Gen3?

Stitch is a more advanced activity used to merge or append complex data structures. Stitch allows you to modify existing data sets (like arrays or nested objects) without overwriting the entire structure.

✅ Key Features of Stitch

• Best for working with arrays or repeating elements
• Lets you merge, insert, or append data into existing variables
• Essential when handling dynamic lists or payload enrichment

Example: Appending a new order to an existing order list:

orders.append(newOrder)

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🆚 Assign vs Stitch: Key Differences

Feature	Assign	Stitch
Use Case	Setting values or creating variables	Merging or modifying complex structures
Data Type	Scalar or structured	Mainly structured or repeating
Performance	Fast and lightweight	Slightly heavier due to processing
Complexity	Simple	Advanced

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💡 Best Practices

• Use Assign when setting simple or static variables.
• Use Stitch when dealing with lists, JSON payload enrichment, or data merging.
• Avoid overusing Stitch in small operations to keep flows clean.

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🧠 Conclusion

Understanding the difference between Assign and Stitch in OIC Gen3 helps you design better, cleaner, and more efficient integration flows.

• Assign is your go-to for setting values.
• Stitch is your tool for merging and modifying complex structures.

Use them wisely to improve performance and maintainability of your integrations.

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📥 Related Resources

• Oracle Docs: Working with Variables in OIC Gen3
• Guide: Building REST Integrations in OIC
• Video Tutorial: OIC Assign and Stitch Explained

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